[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 97 (Friday, June 25, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5462-S5463]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              PERMANENT RADIO FREE ASIA AUTHORIZATION ACT

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to Calendar No. 439, S. 3104.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 3104) to permanently authorize Radio Free Asia, 
     and for other purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill, 
which had been reported from the Committee on Foreign Relations, with 
an amendment to strike all after the enacting clause and insert in lieu 
thereof the following:

[[Page S5463]]

     SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) Radio Free Asia (referred to in this Act as ``RFA'')--
       (A) was authorized under section 309 of the United States 
     International Broadcasting Act of 1994 (22 U.S.C. 6208);
       (B) was incorporated as a private, non-profit corporation 
     in March 1996 in the hope that its operations would soon be 
     obviated by the global advancement of democracy; and
       (C) is headquartered in Washington, DC, with additional 
     offices in Bangkok, Hong Kong, Phnom Penh, Seoul, Ankara, and 
     Taipei.
       (2) RFA broadcasts serve as substitutes for indigenous free 
     media in regions lacking free media outlets.
       (3) The mission of RFA is ``to provide accurate and timely 
     news and information to Asian countries whose governments 
     prohibit access to a free press'' in order to enable informed 
     decisionmaking by the people within Asia.
       (4) RFA provides daily broadcasts of news, commentary, 
     analysis, and cultural programming to Asian countries in 
     several languages, including--
       (A) 12 hours per day in Mandarin;
       (B) 8 hours per day in 3 Tibetan dialects, Uke, Kham, and 
     Amdo;
       (C) 4 hours per day in Korean and Burmese;
       (D) 2 hours per day in Cantonese, Vietnamese, Laotian, 
     Khmer (Cambodian), and Uyghur; and
       (E) 1\1/2\ hours per week in Wu (local Shanghai dialect).
       (5) The governments of the countries targeted for these 
     broadcasts have consistently denied and blocked attempts at 
     Medium Wave and FM transmissions into their countries, 
     forcing RFA to rely on Shortwave broadcasts and the Internet.
       (6) RFA has provided continuous online news to its Asian 
     audiences since 2004, although some countries--
       (A) routinely and aggressively block RFA's website;
       (B) monitor access to RFA's website; and
       (C) discourage online users by making it illegal to access 
     RFA's website.
       (7) Despite these attempts, RFA has successfully managed to 
     reach its online audiences through proxies, cutting-edge 
     software, and active republication and repostings by its 
     audience.
       (8) RFA also provides forums for local opinions and 
     experiences through message boards, podcasts, web logs 
     (blogs), cell phone-distributed newscasts, and new media, 
     including Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, and YouTube.
       (9) Freedom House has documented that freedom of the press 
     is in decline in nearly every region of the world, 
     particularly in Asia, where none of the countries served by 
     RFA have increased their freedom of the press during the past 
     5 years.
       (10) In fiscal year 2010, RFA is operating on a $37,000,000 
     budget, less than $400,000 of which is available to fund 
     Internet censorship circumvention.
       (11) Congress currently provides grant funding for RFA's 
     operations on a fiscal year basis.

     SEC. 2. SENSE OF THE SENATE.

       It is the sense of the Senate that--
       (1) public access to timely, uncensored, and accurate 
     information is imperative for promoting government 
     accountability and the protection of human rights;
       (2) Radio Free Asia provides a vital voice to people in 
     Asia;
       (3) some of the governments in Asia spend millions of 
     dollars each year to jam RFA's shortwave, block its Internet 
     sites;
       (4) Congress should provide additional funding to RFA and 
     the other entities overseen by the Broadcasting Board of 
     Governors for--
       (A) Internet censorship circumvention; and
       (B) enhancement of their cyber security efforts; and
       (5) permanently authorizing funding for Radio Free Asia 
     would--
       (A) reflect the concern that media censorship and press 
     restrictions in the countries served by RFA have increased 
     since RFA was established; and
       (B) send a powerful signal of our Nation's support for free 
     press in Asia and throughout the world.

     SEC. 3. PERMANENT AUTHORIZATION FOR RADIO FREE ASIA.

       Section 309 of the United States International Broadcasting 
     Act of 1994 (22 U.S.C. 6208) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (c)(2), by striking ``, and shall further 
     specify that funds to carry out the activities of Radio Free 
     Asia may not be available after September 30, 2010'';
       (2) by striking subsection (f);
       (3) by redesignating subsections (g) and (h) as subsection 
     (f) and (g), respectively; and
       (4) in subsection (f), as redesignated--
       (A) by striking ``The Board'' and inserting the following:
       ``(1) Notification.--The Board'';
       (B) by striking ``before entering'' and inserting the 
     following: ``before--
       ``(A) entering'';
       (C) by striking ``Radio Free Asia.'' and inserting the 
     following: ``Radio Free Asia; or
       ``(B) entering into any agreements in regard to the 
     utilization of Radio Free Asia transmitters, equipment, or 
     other resources that will significantly reduce the 
     broadcasting activities of Radio Free Asia.'';
       (D) by striking ``The Chairman'' and inserting the 
     following:
       ``(2) Consultation.--The Chairman''; and
       (E) by inserting ``or Radio Free Asia broadcasting 
     activities'' before the period at the end.

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the committee-
reported amendment be agreed to, the bill, as amended, be read the 
third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, 
and that any statements relating to this bill be printed in the Record.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  The committee amendment in the nature of a substitute was agreed to.
  The bill was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, was read 
the third time, and passed.

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