[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 115 (Thursday, June 17, 2021)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 32221-32239]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-12207]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 73

[MB Docket No. 20-299; FCC 21-42; FR ID 26887]


Sponsorship Identification Requirements for Foreign Government-
Provided Programming

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: In this document, the Federal Communications Commission 
(Commission) modifies its rules to adopt specific disclosure 
requirements for broadcast programming that is sponsored, paid for, or 
provided by a foreign government or its representative pursuant to 
leasing agreements.

DATES: Effective July 19, 2021. Compliance with Sec.  73.1212(j) and 
(k) will not be required until the Commission publishes a document in 
the Federal Register announcing the compliance date.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Radhika Karmarkar, Media Bureau, 
Industry Analysis Division, [email protected], (202) 418-1523.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Commission's Report 
and Order (Order), FCC 21-42, in MB Docket No. 20-299, adopted on April 
22, 2021, and released on April 22, 2021. The complete text of this 
document is available electronically via the search function on the 
FCC's Electronic Document Management System (EDOCS) web page at https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/ (https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/). To 
request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities 
(braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), send an email 
to [email protected] (mail to: [email protected]) or call the FCC's

[[Page 32222]]

Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice), 
(202) 418-0432 (TTY).

Synopsis

    1. Introduction: For over 60 years, the Commission's sponsorship 
identification rules have required that disclosures be made on-air when 
a station has been compensated for broadcasting particular material. 
Reports regarding foreign governmental entities' increased use of 
leasing agreements to broadcast programming without disclosing the 
source thereof, however, persuade us that more is required to ensure 
transparency on the airwaves. By this Order, the Commission seeks to 
address circumstances in which a foreign governmental entity, pursuant 
to a lease of airtime, is responsible for programming, in whole or in 
part, on a U.S. broadcast station. In this Order, the use of the term 
``foreign government-provided programming'' refers to all programming 
that is provided by an entity or individual that falls into one of the 
four categories discussed below. In turn, the phrase ``provided by'' 
when used in relation to ``foreign government programming'' covers both 
the broadcast of programming in exchange for consideration and 
furnishing of any ``political program or any program involving the 
discussion of a controversial issue'' for free as an inducement to 
broadcast the programming. Although under U.S. law foreign governments 
and their representatives are restricted from holding a broadcast 
license directly, there is no limitation on their ability to enter into 
a contract with the licensee of a station to air programming of its 
choosing or to lease the entire capacity of a radio or television 
station. Nor does the Commission prohibit such arrangements going 
forward. Rather, in such instances, the rules the Commission adopts in 
this document will require that the programming aired pursuant to such 
an agreement contain a clear, standardized disclosure statement 
indicating to the listener or viewer that the material has been 
sponsored, paid for, or furnished by a foreign governmental entity and 
clearly indicate the foreign country involved.
    2. The foreign sponsorship identification rules the Commission 
adopts in this Order seek to eliminate any potential ambiguity to the 
viewer or listener regarding the source of programming provided from 
foreign governmental entities. Based upon comments received in response 
to the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), 85 FR 74955, Nov. 24, 
2020, and as detailed further below, the Commission amends Sec.  
73.1212 of the Commission's rules to require a specific disclosure at 
the time of broadcast if material aired pursuant to the lease of time 
on the station has been sponsored, paid for, or furnished by a foreign 
governmental entity that indicates the specific entity and country 
involved. In so doing, the Commission will increase transparency and 
ensure that audiences of broadcast stations are aware when a foreign 
government, or its representatives, are seeking to persuade the 
American public. Through the public filing requirements associated with 
disclosures, the Commission will also enable interested parties to 
monitor the extent of such efforts to persuade the American public.
    3. The new rules seek to address the primary means identified in 
the record by which foreign governmental entities are accessing U.S. 
airwaves to persuade the American public without adequate disclosure of 
the true sponsor, namely the lease of time to air programming on a U.S. 
licensed broadcast station. In focusing its disclosure requirement on 
such situations, the Commission seeks to address an important issue of 
public concern while going no further than necessary, thus balancing 
considerations of the First Amendment with the need for consumers to be 
sufficiently informed as to the origin of material broadcast on 
stations licensed on their behalf in the public interest. Further, the 
Commission's approach incorporates existing provisions of and 
definitions contained in the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) (22 
U.S.C. 611) and the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, so as to 
minimize the burden on broadcasters as they determine whether the 
programming is from a foreign governmental entity. In addition, the 
Commission discusses the steps that broadcasters must take to satisfy 
the statutory ``reasonable diligence'' standard in determining whether 
a foreign governmental entity is the source of programming provided 
over their stations.
    4. In this manner, the Commission refines its rules to further 
ensure that the public is fully informed on the source of programming 
consumed. The Commission finds it is critical that the American public 
be aware when a foreign government has sponsored, paid for, or, in the 
case of political programs or programs involving the discussion of a 
controversial issue, furnished the programming for free as an 
inducement to air the material, particularly given what seems to be an 
increase in the dissemination of programming in the United States by 
foreign governments and their representatives.
    5. Background: The principle that the public has a right to know 
the identity of those that solicit their support is a fundamental and 
long-standing tenet of broadcasting. Congress and the Commission have 
sought to ensure that the public is informed when airtime has been 
purchased in an effort to persuade audiences, finding it essential to 
ensure that audiences can distinguish between paid content and material 
chosen by the broadcaster itself. Accordingly, beginning with the Radio 
Act of 1927, broadcast stations have been required to announce the name 
of any ``person, firm, company, or corporation'' that has paid 
``valuable consideration'' either ``directly or indirectly'' to the 
station at the time of broadcasting any programming for which such 
consideration has been given. With the creation of the Federal 
Communications Commission and the adoption of the Communications Act of 
1934 (the Act), this disclosure requirement was incorporated almost 
verbatim into section 317 of the Act. Over the years, various 
amendments to the rules, decisions by the Commission, and a 1960 
amendment to section 317 of the Act have continued to underscore the 
need for transparency and disclosure to the public about the true 
identity of a program's sponsor.
    6. The Commission last implemented a major change to its 
sponsorship identification rules in 1963 when it adopted rules 
implementing Congress's 1960 amendments to the Act. The NPRM contained 
a thorough history of the background of the Commission's sponsorship 
identification rules. The sponsorship identification rules largely 
tracked the provisions of section 317 of the Act and make up the 
current Sec.  73.1212 of the Commission's rules. As the NPRM noted, 
however, even with these rules in place there appear to be instances 
where foreign governments pay for the airing of programming, or provide 
it to broadcast stations free of charge, and the programming does not 
contain a clear indication, if any indication at all, to the listener 
or viewer that a foreign government has paid for or provided the 
programming's content. Given the passage of nearly 60 years since the 
sponsorship identification rules were last updated and growing concerns 
about foreign government-provided programming, the Commission 
determined last year that there was a further need to review the 
sponsorship identification rules to ensure that, consistent with its 
statutory mandate, foreign government program

[[Page 32223]]

sponsorship over the airwaves is evident to the American public.
    7. Significantly, the Commission's current sponsorship 
identification rules do not require a station to determine or disclose 
whether the source of its programming is in fact a foreign government, 
registered foreign agent, or foreign political party (what the 
Commission refers to as a foreign governmental entity). As the NPRM 
notes, in many instances a foreign government, foreign agent, or 
foreign political party providing programming to licensees may not be 
immediately identifiable as such. In other instances, the linkage 
between the foreign governmental entity and the entity providing the 
programming may be deliberately attenuated in an effort to obfuscate 
the true source of the programming. Although current rules require the 
disclosure of the sponsor's name, the relationship of that sponsor to a 
foreign country is not required as part of the current disclosure.
    8. Consequently, to ensure that the American public can better 
assess the programming that is delivered over the airwaves, the 
Commission found that there is a need to identify instances where 
foreign governmental entities are involved in the provision of 
broadcast programming. To that end, the NPRM proposed to adopt specific 
disclosure requirements for broadcast programming to inform the public 
when programming has been paid for, or provided by, a foreign 
governmental entity and to identify the country involved. Specifically, 
the NPRM proposed that when a foreign governmental entity has paid a 
radio or television station, directly or indirectly, to air material, 
or if the programming was provided to the station free of charge by 
such an entity as an inducement to broadcast the material, the station, 
at the time of the broadcast, shall include a specified disclosure 
indicating the name of the foreign governmental entity, as well as the 
related country.
    9. In defining ``foreign governmental entity,'' the NPRM relied 
directly on parts of the FARA statute (specifically the definitions of 
a ``government of a foreign country,'' ``foreign political party,'' and 
``agents of foreign principals''), which covers entities and 
individuals whose activities the United States Department of Justice 
(Department of Justice or DOJ) has identified as requiring disclosure 
because their activities are potentially intended to influence American 
public opinion, policy, and law. In addition, the NPRM proposed to 
include ``United States-based foreign media outlets,'' as defined by 
the Communications Act. Under the proposal, any programming provided by 
a ``foreign governmental entity'' would be considered a ``political 
program'' under section 317(a)(2) of the Act, and thus require 
identification of the sponsor of particular broadcast programing, even 
if the only inducement to air the programming was the provision of the 
programming itself. The NPRM further explored the ``reasonable 
diligence'' standard that broadcasters must employ pursuant to their 
statutory (47 U.S.C. 317 (c)) and regulatory (47 CFR 73.1212(b) and 
(e)) requirements to determine whether its programming was provided by 
a foreign governmental entity.
    10. The NPRM proposed that the disclosure requirements should apply 
in the context of time brokerage agreements (TBAs) and local marketing 
agreements (LMAs). Moreover, the NPRM proposed to apply the new rules 
to entities authorized pursuant to section 325(c) to produce programing 
in the United States and transmit it to a non-U.S. licensed station in 
a foreign country for broadcast back into the United States. Also, the 
NPRM proposed that the disclosure requirements would apply equally to 
any programming transmitted on a radio or television stations' 
multicast streams. Finally, in addition to specifying the 
characteristics of the proposed disclosures on television and radio, 
the NPRM proposed that stations place a copy of the announcement in 
their online public inspection file (OPIF).
    11. A total of seven commenters filed comments and reply comments 
in response to the NPRM. The commenters generally support the 
Commission's goal of identifying foreign sponsorship of programming. 
Commenters assert, however, that the Commission must address how 
current regulations are inadequate before adopting new rules, and 
several commenters suggest ways to narrow the proposed scope of the 
rules to more directly address the programming that is of most concern, 
as discussed further below.
    12. Discussion: For the reasons discussed below, the Commission 
adopts the rules proposed in the NPRM with modifications to address 
more precisely the primary method by which foreign governmental 
entities appear to be gaining carriage for their programming on U.S.-
licensed broadcast stations without disclosing the origin of such 
programming, namely through leasing agreements with such stations. By 
narrowly focusing its requirements, the Commission seeks to minimize 
the burden of compliance on licensees, including those public 
television and radio stations that carry programming from entities that 
depend upon tax credits, access to international locations, and 
historical or archival footage from foreign governmental sources in 
producing their programming. The Commission further notes that such 
tailoring is in keeping with the First Amendment by focusing its rules 
narrowly on the area of potential harm.
    13. Specifically, as discussed below, the new rules require foreign 
sponsorship identification for programming content aired on a station 
pursuant to a lease of airtime if the direct or indirect provider of 
the programming qualifies as a ``foreign governmental entity.'' In the 
first section below, the Commission analyzes which entities or 
individuals meet that definition and find that they include governments 
of foreign countries, foreign political parties, certain agents of 
foreign principals, and U.S.-based foreign media outlets. Next, the 
Commission discusses the scope of the foreign sponsorship 
identification rules, explaining why and how the Commission narrows the 
scope of the NPRM's proposed requirements to focus on programming aired 
on U.S. broadcast stations pursuant to an agreement for the lease of 
time. The Commission then discusses the scope of the reasonable 
diligence obligation that broadcast licensees must satisfy to determine 
if its lessee is a foreign governmental entity such that disclosures 
are necessary. Next, the Commission discusses the content and frequency 
requirements for the mandated disclosures that will ensure the 
identification of foreign government-provided programming is conveyed 
effectively to the public. As the Commission makes clear in that 
section, the rules also require quarterly filings of copies of the 
disclosures, as well as the name of the program to which any 
disclosures are appended, in stations' OPIF. Then, the Commission 
concludes that its foreign sponsorship identification rules apply 
equally to any programming broadcast pursuant to a section 325(c) 
permit. Finally, the Commission concludes that its foreign sponsorship 
identification rules satisfy the First Amendment and provide a cost-
benefit analysis of those new rules.
    14. Entities or Individuals Whose Involvement in the Provision of 
Programming Triggers a Disclosure. The Commission requires that 
programming aired on a station pursuant to a lease of airtime have a 
foreign sponsorship identification if the entity who has directly or 
indirectly provided the programming qualifies as a foreign governmental 
entity as defined herein. Specifically, a ``foreign governmental

[[Page 32224]]

entity'' is defined as an entity included in one of the following 
categories:
    (1) A ``government of a foreign country'' as defined by FARA (22 
U.S.C. 611(e));
    (2) A ``foreign political party'' as defined by FARA (22 U.S.C. 
611(f));
    (3) An individual or entity registered as an ``agent of a foreign 
principal,'' under section 611(c) of FARA (22 U.S.C. 611(c)), whose 
``foreign principal'' is a ``government of a foreign country,'' a 
``foreign political party,'' or is directly or indirectly operated, 
supervised, directed, owned, controlled, financed, or subsidized by a 
``government of a foreign country'' or by a ``foreign political party'' 
as defined by FARA, and that is acting in its capacity as an agent of 
such ``foreign principal;''
    (4) An entity meeting the definition of a ``U.S.-based foreign 
media outlet'' pursuant to section 722 of the Act that has filed a 
report with the Commission (47 U.S.C. 624).

The adopted definition is largely consistent with the definition 
proposed in the NPRM except for the exclusion of foreign missions for 
the reasons discussed below.
    15. As discussed in the NPRM, in establishing these categories to 
define covered foreign governmental entities that will trigger the 
disclosure requirement, the Commission relies on existing definitions, 
statutes, or determinations by the U.S. Government as to when an entity 
or individual is a foreign government, a foreign political party, or 
acting in the United States as an agent on behalf of a foreign 
government or foreign political party. Relying on these sources allows 
us to draw on the substantial experience and authority in such matters 
that already exists within the Federal Government and avoids involving 
the Commission, or the broadcaster, in subjective determinations 
regarding who qualifies as a foreign governmental entity.
    16. FARA. In particular, the Commission finds that reliance on both 
the definitions contained in FARA and the list of agents registered 
pursuant to that act is appropriate. As discussed in the NRPM, this 
long-standing statute was designed specifically to identify those 
foreign entities or individuals that Congress has determined should be 
known to the U.S. Government and the American public when they are 
seeking to influence American public opinion, policy, and laws. The 
Commission notes that no commenters object to the its proposed use of 
the definitions set forth in FARA or the list of foreign agents 
registered pursuant to that statute as the primary basis for its 
foreign sponsorship identification rules. Accordingly, the Commission 
finds that including ``government of a foreign country'' and ``foreign 
political party,'' as defined by FARA, within the group of entities and 
individuals that trigger its foreign sponsorship identification rules 
is appropriate given its primary goal of ensuring that foreign 
government-provided programming is properly disclosed to the public. 
Rather than seeking to craft its own definitions, the Commission finds 
it more appropriate to turn to a definition of ``foreign government'' 
and ``foreign political party'' contained in a pre-existing statute 
designed to promote transparency about foreign governmental activity in 
the United States. Similarly, including FARA-registered ``agents of 
foreign principals'' who are defined by their engagement in certain 
activities in the United States on behalf of foreign interests furthers 
the Commission's goal of increasing transparency when such agents may 
be seeking to persuade the audiences of broadcast stations.
    17. The Commission notes that FARA generally requires an ``agent of 
foreign principal'' undertaking certain activities in the United States 
(such as, political activities or acting in the role of public 
relations counsel, publicity agent, or political consultant) on behalf 
of a foreign principal to register with the Department of Justice. 
Section 611(b)(1) of FARA states that the term ``foreign principal'' 
includes the ``government of a foreign country'' and a ``foreign 
political party'' (22 U.S.C. 611(b)(1)). For purposes of its foreign 
sponsorship identification rules, the Commission includes FARA agents 
whose foreign principal is either a ``government of a foreign 
country,'' a ``foreign political party,'' or is directly or indirectly 
operated, supervised, directed, owned, controlled, financed, or 
subsidized by a ``government of a foreign country'' or by a ``foreign 
political party'' as those terms are defined in sections 611(e) and (f) 
of FARA respectively (22 U.S.C. 611(e), (f)). As stated in the NPRM, to 
the extent that an agent of a foreign principal, whose ``foreign 
principal'' is either a ``government of a foreign country'' or a 
``foreign political party'' is providing programming to U.S. broadcast 
stations in its capacity as an agent to that principal, it is 
reasonable that the public should be made aware of that fact. The 
Commission also clarifies, however, that the proposed disclosure is 
required not only when programming is provided by an ``agent of a 
foreign principal'' whose foreign principal is a government of a 
foreign country or a foreign political party, but also when the foreign 
principal is directly or indirectly operated, supervised, directed, 
owned, controlled, financed, or subsidized by a government of a foreign 
country or by a foreign political party. This clarification to the 
original proposal will ensure that the foreign sponsorship 
identification rules cannot be circumvented by the existence or 
creation of additional corporate and/or ownership layers between the 
entity acting as a foreign principal and the government of a foreign 
country or foreign political party. This information is readily 
ascertainable by those who examine the FARA database.
    18. The Commission recognizes that a given entity may be registered 
as an agent for multiple ``foreign principals'' or for a ``foreign 
principal'' other than a ``government of a foreign country'' or a 
``foreign political party.'' The Commission emphasizes, however, that 
its foreign sponsorship identification rules apply only when the FARA 
agent is acting in its capacity as a registered agent of a principal 
that is a ``government of a foreign country,'' a ``foreign political 
party,'' or is directly or indirectly operated, supervised, directed, 
owned, controlled, financed, or subsidized by a government of a foreign 
country or by a foreign political party.
    19. U.S.-Based Foreign Media Outlet. In addition to drawing on 
FARA-based definitions and registrations and consistent with the NPRM, 
the Commission concludes that its foreign governmental entity 
definition should also extend to any entity or individual subject to 
section 722 of the Act that has filed a report with the Commission. 
Section 722 extends to any U.S.-based foreign media outlet that: (a) 
Produces or distributes video programming that is transmitted, or 
intended for transmission, by a multichannel video programming 
distributor (MVPD) to consumers in the United States and (b) would be 
an agent of a ``foreign principal'' but for an exemption in FARA. The 
Commission notes that Section 722 provides that the term ``foreign 
principal'' has the meaning given such term in section 611(b)(1) of 
FARA, which limits the scope of the definition of ``foreign principal'' 
to ``a government of a foreign country'' and a ``foreign political 
party.'' The Commission incorporates this limitation from section 722 
of the Act into its foreign sponsorship identification rules to include 
both a ``government of a foreign country'' and ``foreign political 
party,'' as those terms are defined by FARA, within its definition of 
``foreign governmental entity.'' Although the

[[Page 32225]]

Commission could clarify--as the Commission has done with respect to 
foreign agents--that the disclosure requirement also applies when an 
outlet's foreign principal is directly or indirectly operated, 
supervised, directed, owned, controlled, financed, or subsidized by a 
government of a foreign country or by a foreign political party, the 
Commission notes that such a clarification would accomplish nothing as, 
pursuant to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), only 
entities whose foreign principals are a government of a foreign country 
or a foreign political party are required to report as U.S.-based 
foreign media outlets.
    20. The Commission recognizes that the term ``U.S.-based foreign 
media outlet'' refers to an entity whose programming is either 
transmitted or intended for transmission by an MVPD, rather than by a 
broadcaster. But the Commission notes that there is no prohibition on 
such video programming also being transmitted by a broadcast television 
station, and it seems likely that an entity that is providing video 
programming to cable operators or direct broadcast satellite television 
providers might also seek to air such programming on broadcast 
stations. Hence, the Commission believes it is appropriate to include 
``U.S.-based foreign media outlets'' within the ambit of its proposal 
when the programming provided by such entities is aired by broadcast 
stations. No commenter opposed this proposal in response to the NPRM.
    21. Foreign Missions. While the NPRM proposed to include ``foreign 
missions,'' as designated pursuant to the Foreign Missions Act, within 
the Commission's definition of foreign governmental entities that 
trigger foreign sponsorship identification, commenters have persuaded 
us otherwise. In particular, American Public Television Stations (APTS) 
and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (referenced collectively 
herein as APTS) expressed concern with the potential difficulty of 
discerning whether an entity is considered a ``foreign mission'' under 
the Foreign Missions Act. APTS noted that there is no single source 
identifying all foreign missions analogous to those that exist for FARA 
registrants and U.S.-based foreign media outlets. The Commission agrees 
with commenters that the lack of a single source identifying all 
foreign missions creates an additional burden for licensees, as such 
entities cannot be as readily and consistently identified as FARA 
registrants and U.S.-based foreign media outlets.
    22. In addition, the Commission notes that, as discussed in the 
NPRM, most ``foreign missions'' are foreign embassies and consular 
offices. The primary purpose of the Foreign Missions Act is to confer 
upon such missions certain benefits, privileges, and immunities, while 
also requiring their observance of corresponding obligations in 
accordance with international law and principles of reciprocity. Other 
types of non-entities that are substantially owned or effectively 
controlled by a foreign government are from time to time designated as 
``foreign missions'' at the discretion of the Secretary of State. By 
comparison the FARA statute is specifically designed to identify those 
entities and individuals whose activities should be disclosed because 
their activities are potentially intended to influence American public 
opinion, policy, and law. Based on the concerns raised by APTS and its 
own further review of the intent behind the statute, the Commission 
finds reliance on the Foreign Missions Act to be inappropriate and 
unnecessary for its intended purpose.
    23. Other Potential Sources. In addition, the Commission declines 
to adopt APTS's suggestion that the list of FARA registrants included 
in the definition of foreign governmental entities be filtered through 
the United States Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets 
Control (OFAC) list of active U.S. sanctions. APTS asserts that its 
proposal would narrow the list of entities who qualify as a ``foreign 
governmental entity'' by linking this definition to a list of carefully 
pre-determined countries whose interests are directly at odds with the 
United States. The Commission declines to adopt this proposal. First, 
doing so would seem to involve even more work for licensees, as it 
would require them to consult the OFAC list in addition to the FARA 
list. Second, and most importantly, the Commission finds the basis for 
compiling the OFAC list to be inconsistent with its purposes here. The 
Commission's goal in requiring additional disclosure by foreign 
governmental entities is not premised on distinctions between countries 
that may or may not be subject to the United States sanctions. Rather, 
the Commission seeks to provide the American public with greater 
transparency about programming provided by any foreign government, 
consistent with the requirements of section 317 of the Act. In this 
regard, the Commission finds that FARA, with its associated definitions 
and reporting requirements premised on promoting transparency with 
respect to foreign influence within the United States, is better 
aligned with the goals of the instant proceeding than the OFAC list. As 
the Department of Justice has explained when discussing FARA, the 
government's concern is not the content of the speech but providing 
transparency about the true identity of the speaker.
    24. Scope of Foreign Programming that Requires a Disclosure. While 
the Commission tentatively concluded in the NPRM that its proposed 
foreign sponsorship disclosure rules should apply in any circumstances 
in which a foreign governmental entity directly or indirectly provides 
material for broadcast or furnishes material to a station free of 
charge (or at nominal cost) as an inducement to broadcast such 
material, the Commission now narrows its focus to address specifically 
those circumstances in which a foreign governmental entity is 
programming a U.S. broadcast station pursuant to the lease of airtime. 
That is, for the reasons discussed below, the Commission will require a 
specific disclosure at the time of broadcast if material aired pursuant 
to the lease of time on the station has been sponsored, paid for, or, 
in the case of political program or any program involving the 
discussion of a controversial issue, if it has been furnished for free 
as an inducement to air by a foreign governmental entity. While the 
Commission focuses in this Order on the identification of programming 
sponsored by foreign governmental entities aired through a lease of 
time, the Commission reiterates that its existing sponsorship 
identification rules, of course, continue to apply even outside the 
specific context described herein. As explained below, leasing 
agreements potentially subject to the rules include any arrangement in 
which a licensee makes a block of broadcast time on its station 
available to another party in return for some form of compensation.
    25. Programming Aired Pursuant to a Lease of Time. Based on the 
record before us, the Commission agrees with National Public Radio and 
find that focusing on the airing of programming on U.S. broadcast 
stations pursuant to leasing agreements will address the primary 
present concern with foreign governmental actors gaining access to 
American airwaves without disclosing the programming's origin to the 
public. To date, it appears that the reported instances of undisclosed 
foreign government programming aired on broadcast stations have 
involved lease agreements between a licensee and

[[Page 32226]]

other entities. The record indicates that such contractual arrangements 
present the most prevalent instances of undisclosed foreign government 
programming to date. It also appears that it is through such 
arrangements that foreign governmental entities have commonly aired 
programming on U.S. broadcast stations, whether directly or indirectly, 
without necessarily disclosing the origin of the programming. 
Accordingly, the Commission believes that the foreign governmental 
source of this programming should be disclosed in such circumstances.
    26. Moreover, the Commission's action will serve to ensure greater 
transparency to the public, and prevent foreign governments and their 
representatives, which are barred from owning a U.S. broadcast license, 
from leasing time on a station unbeknownst to the public or the 
Commission. Notably, Section 310(a) of the Act outright bars ``any 
foreign government or the representative thereof'' from holding a 
broadcast license. In addition, Section 310(b) limits the interest that 
a foreign corporation or individual can hold in a U.S. broadcast 
license, either directly or indirectly. While the Commission has 
revised its rules in recent years to permit a greater degree of 
ownership in U.S. broadcast stations by non-governmental foreign 
entities or individuals, acquisition of such interests requires 
Commission approval following proper consideration and public review 
and may also be subject to prior review and consideration by the 
relevant executive branch agencies. Despite these longstanding 
restrictions, and particularly the complete prohibition on a foreign 
government or its representatives' holding a U.S. broadcast license, 
some foreign governmental actors or their agents appear nonetheless to 
be programming stations that they otherwise would not be able to own, 
as detailed in the NPRM. When they do so, the American public and the 
Commission may not be aware that a foreign governmental entity has 
leased the time on the station and is programming the station.
    27. As proposed in the NPRM, the disclosure requirements the 
Commission adopts in this document apply to leasing agreements, 
regardless of what those agreements are called, how they are styled, 
and whether they are reduced to writing. The Commission recognizes that 
leasing agreements within the broadcast industry may be known by 
different designations. The terms time brokerage agreement (TBA) and 
local marketing agreement (LMA) are used interchangeably to describe 
contractual arrangements whereby a party other than the licensee, i.e., 
a brokering party, programs time on a broadcast station, oftentimes 
also selling the advertising during such time and retaining the 
proceeds. Such leasing agreements may be for either discrete blocks of 
time (for example, two hours every day from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.) or for 
the complete broadcast capacity of the station (i.e., 24 hours a day, 
seven days a week). The agreements can be for the duration of a single 
day or for a term of years. Regardless of the title, terms, or duration 
of such an agreement, the purpose of such a contractual agreement is to 
give one party--the brokering party or programmer--the right and 
obligation to program the station licensed to the other party--the 
licensee or broadcaster. In this manner, the programmer is able to 
program a radio or television station that it does not own or hold the 
license to operate. A ``time brokerage agreement,'' also known as a 
``local marketing agreement'' or ``LMA,'' is the sale by a licensee of 
discrete blocks of time to a ``broker'' that supplies the programming 
to fill that time and sells the commercial spot announcements in it.
    28. For the purposes of applying the foreign sponsorship disclosure 
requirement, a lease constitutes any agreement in which a licensee 
makes a discrete block of broadcast time on its station available to be 
programmed by another party in return for some form of compensation. 
Thus, a licensee makes broadcast time available for purposes of the 
rule any time the licensee permits the airing on its station of 
programming either provided, or selected, by the programmer in return 
for some form of compensation. In describing a lease of time, however, 
the Commission does not mean to suggest that traditional, short-form 
advertising time constitutes a lease of airtime for these purposes. The 
Commission notes that such advertisements, whether they appear in 
programming aired by the licensee or provided by a third-party 
programmer pursuant to a lease, remain subject to the Commission's 
existing sponsorship identification rules under Sec.  73.1212(f) and 
must contain a clear indication of the sponsor of the advertisement. 
The Commission's action in this document is focused on agreements by 
which a third party controls and programs a discrete block of time on a 
broadcast station. Ultimately, the Commission believes that requiring a 
disclosure to inform the audience of the source of the programming 
whenever a foreign governmental entity provides programming to a 
station for broadcast pursuant to the lease of time is wholly 
consistent with sections 317(a)(1) and (2) of the Act.
    29. The Commission finds that its focus on situations where there 
are leasing agreements between a station and a third party will narrow 
the application of the disclosure rules appropriately, and ensure that 
the new disclosure obligations do not extend to situations where there 
is no evidence of foreign government sponsored programming. For 
example, the record does not demonstrate that advertisements; archival, 
stock, or supplemental video footage; or preferential access to filming 
locations are a significant source of unidentified foreign sponsored 
programming. In addition, given limitations on the ability of 
noncommercial educational (NCE) stations to engage in leasing 
arrangements, the Commission expects that NCE stations will rarely, if 
ever, face the need to address the foreign sponsorship disclosure 
rules, largely assuaging the concerns of NCE commenters. Therefore, the 
Commission finds that limiting the application of its disclosure 
requirement to the context of leasing agreements obviates a number of 
issues and suggestions put forth by commenters concerned that the 
Commission would inadvertently sweep in additional programming that 
does not carry the same concerns with foreign influence as the 
unidentified lease of programming time.
    30. Programming Aired in Exchange for Consideration Under 317(a)(1) 
of the Act. As discussed in the NPRM, section 317(a)(1) of the Act 
requires the licensee of a broadcast station to disclose at the time of 
broadcast if it has received any form of payment or consideration, 
either directly or indirectly in exchange for the broadcast of 
programming. While there is no minimum level of ``consideration'' 
required to trigger the disclosure requirement under this section, the 
statute does permit the exclusion of services or property furnished 
without charge or at nominal charge in certain circumstances. One 
notable exception to the exclusion, however, is the provision of 
certain material furnished free of charge or at nominal cost as an 
inducement to air the program and that is related to any political 
program or program involving the discussion of any controversial issue, 
as discussed further below. Thus, consistent with the statute and 
current sponsorship identification rules, the foreign sponsorship 
identification rules the Commission adopts in this document will be 
triggered if any money, service, or other valuable consideration is 
directly or indirectly paid or promised to, or

[[Page 32227]]

charged or accepted by a broadcast station in the context of a lease of 
broadcast time in exchange for the airing of material provided by a 
foreign governmental entity.
    31. While the Commission expects that such consideration received 
by the station directly will be apparent from the terms and exercise of 
any lease agreement, as discussed below, the Commission notes that 
under section 507 of the Act, parties involved in the production, 
preparation, or supply of a program or program material that is 
intended to be aired on a broadcast station also have an obligation to 
disclose to their employer or to the party for whom the programming is 
being produced or to the station licensee, if they have accepted or 
agreed to accept, or paid or agreed to pay, any money or valuable 
consideration for inclusion of any program or material. Thus, as 
detailed further below, the Commission requires that licensees will 
exercise reasonable diligence to ascertain whether consideration has 
been provided in exchange for the lease of airtime or in exchange for 
the airing of materials directly or indirectly to the station, as well 
as whether anyone involved in the production, preparation, or supply of 
the material has received compensation, and that an appropriate 
disclosure will be made about the involvement of any foreign 
governmental entity. The Commission discusses what this obligation 
means for the licensee and lessee below.
    32. Programming Provided for Free as an Inducement to Air Under 
317(a)(2). In addition to the payment of monetary or other valuable 
consideration, section 317(a)(2) of the Act establishes that a 
sponsorship disclosure may also be required in some circumstances, even 
if the only ``consideration'' being offered to the station in exchange 
for the airing of the material is the programming itself. As stated 
above, the Commission believes that, as a practical matter, leasing 
agreements will involve the exchange of money or other valuable 
consideration from the programmer to the licensee. It is not typical 
for a station to enter into an agreement for the lease of airtime in 
exchange solely for the promise of free programming to be aired on the 
station. However, to account for such a circumstance, and consistent 
with the discussion in the NPRM, the Commission finds it is equally 
important that the foreign sponsorship identification rules apply in 
that instance, should such a circumstance arise. Section 317(a)(2) 
provides that a disclosure is required at the time of broadcast in the 
case of any ``political program or any program involving the discussion 
of a controversial issue'' if the program itself was furnished free of 
charge, or at nominal cost, as an inducement for its broadcast. The 
Commission has previously interpreted ``political program'' in the 
context of section 317(a)(2) to generally involve programming seeking 
to persuade or dissuade the American public on a given political 
candidate or policy issue.
    33. While the NPRM tentatively concluded that all programming 
provided by a foreign governmental entity should be treated as a 
``political program'' pursuant to section 317(a)(2) of the Act, and, 
thus, the provision of such programming in and of itself could be 
sufficient to trigger a disclosure, based on the record before us and 
upon further consideration, the Commission declines to expand the 
definition of political program in this context. Rather, consistent 
with the approach in this Order to narrow the scope of the rules to 
target more appropriately the reported instances of undisclosed foreign 
governmental programming, the Commission believes it is unnecessary to 
expand the interpretation of ``political program'' and elect to apply 
the existing interpretation of that term at this time. Similarly, for 
purposes of the foreign sponsorship identification rules the Commission 
will continue to interpret ``any program involving the discussion of 
any controversial issue'' under section 317(a)(2) in a manner 
consistent with precedent. The Commission finds that applying the 
existing definition of ``political program'' consistent with long-
standing Commission precedent in this area addresses many of the 
concerns raised by commenters about various types of programming that 
inadvertently might be swept into the ambit the new foreign sponsorship 
identification rules. The Commission also clarifies that its new rules 
do not override the guidance provided in the Commission's 1963 seminal 
order and accompanying public notice about what would be considered an 
``inducement'' to broadcast programming.
    34. Additionally, similar to the analysis above, the Commission 
finds that section 507 of the Act applies in this context as well. 
Specifically, the Commission believes it is reasonable to consider the 
provision of any ``political program or any program involving the 
discussion of a controversial issue'' by a foreign governmental entity 
to a party in the distribution chain for no cost and as an inducement 
to air that material on a broadcast station to be ``service or other 
valuable consideration'' under the terms of section 507. Accordingly, 
in the event that an entity involved in the production, preparation, or 
supply of programming that is intended to be aired on a station has 
received any ``political program or any program involving the 
discussion of a controversial issue'' from a foreign governmental 
entity for free, or at nominal charge, as an inducement for its 
broadcast, the Commission finds that under section 507 it must disclose 
that fact to its employer, the person for whom the program is being 
produced, or the licensee of the station and will require an 
appropriate foreign sponsorship identification. The Commission 
discusses what this obligation means for the licensee and lessee below.
    35. Reasonable Diligence. The Commission adopts its tentative 
conclusion from the NPRM that the final responsibility for any 
necessary foreign sponsorship identification disclosure rests with the 
licensee in accordance with the statutory scheme. Accordingly, the 
Commission finds that a broadcast station licensee must exercise 
``reasonable diligence'' to determine if an entity within the scope 
addressed above--i.e. an entity or individual that is purchasing 
airtime on the station or providing any ``political program or any 
program involving the discussion of a controversial issue'' free of 
charge as an inducement to broadcast such material on the station--is a 
foreign governmental entity, such that a disclosure is required under 
the foreign sponsorship identification rules. As explained below, the 
Commission concludes that such diligence requires that the licensee 
must, at a minimum:
    (1) Inform the lessee at the time of agreement and at renewal of 
the foreign sponsorship disclosure requirement;
    (2) Inquire of the lessee at the time of agreement and at renewal 
whether it falls into any of the categories that qualify it as a 
``foreign governmental entity'';
    (3) Inquire of the lessee at the time of agreement and at renewal 
whether it knows if anyone further back in the chain of producing/
distributing the programming that will be aired pursuant to the lease 
agreement, or a sub-lease, qualifies as a foreign governmental entity 
and has provided some type of inducement to air the programming;
    (4) Independently confirm the lessee's status, at the time of 
agreement and at renewal by consulting the Department of Justice's FARA 
website and the Commission's semi-annual U.S.-based foreign media 
outlets reports for the lessee's name. This need only be done if the 
lessee has not already disclosed that it falls into one of the covered 
categories and that there is no separate

[[Page 32228]]

need for a disclosure because no one further back in the chain of 
producing/transmitting the programming falls into one of the covered 
categories and has provided some form of service or consideration as an 
inducement to broadcast the programming; and
    (5) Memorialize the above-listed inquiries and investigations to 
track compliance in the event documentation is required to respond to 
any future Commission inquiry on the issue.
    36. Finally, as discussed below, the Commission clarifies that the 
lessee, in accordance with sections 507(b) and (c) of the Act likewise 
carries an independent responsibility both to respond to the licensee's 
inquiries and inform the licensee if, during the course of the lease 
arrangement, it becomes aware of any information that would trigger a 
disclosure pursuant to the new foreign sponsorship identification 
rules.
    37. Licensee's Responsibilities. Pursuant to section 317(c) of the 
Act, the licensee bears the responsibility to engage in ``reasonable 
diligence'' to determine the true source of the programming aired on 
its station. Section 317(c) of the Act states that the licensee of each 
radio station shall exercise reasonable diligence to obtain from its 
employees, and from other persons with whom it deals directly in 
connection with any program or program matter for broadcast, 
information to enable such licensee to make the announcement required 
by this section. This statutory provision is categoric and does not 
provide any exceptions, as it is the licensee who has been granted the 
right to use the public airwaves. As discussed in the NPRM, the 
licensee of a broadcast station must ultimately remain in control of 
the station and maintain responsibility for the material transmitted 
over its airwaves, even when it has entered into a leasing agreement. 
While this responsibility adheres in every instance, the Commission 
finds that it is particularly important here, where the record shows 
that the audience is typically unaware that the lessee/brokering party 
that is sponsoring, paying for, or furnishing the programming could 
either be a foreign governmental entity or be passing through 
programming on behalf of such an entity.
    38. As a threshold matter, the Commission expects the licensee to 
convey clearly to the prospective lessee that there is a Commission 
disclosure requirement regarding foreign government-provided 
programming. In this regard, the Commission finds that ``reasonable 
diligence'' also includes inquiring of the potential lessee whether it 
qualifies under the definition of a ``foreign governmental entity.'' 
Given that the licensee is entering into a contractual agreement that 
allows the lessee to program airtime or provide programming on the 
station, the Commission finds it reasonable to expect that the licensee 
make these basic inquiries of the lessee to ascertain whether the 
programming to be aired will require a disclosure under the rules the 
Commission adopt herein. The Commission notes that broadcasters may 
choose to implement these requirements through contractual provisions 
between the licensee and lessee though they are not required to do so.
    39. The Commission also expects the licensee to inquire of the 
lessee whether ``in connection with the production or preparation of 
any program or program matter'' that it, or any sub-lessee, intends to 
air it is aware of any money, service or other valuable consideration 
from a foreign governmental entity provided as an inducement to air a 
part of such program or program matter. Such an inquiry is consistent 
with sections 507(b) and (c) of the Act, which impose a duty on the 
lessee to inform the licensee to the extent it is aware of any payments 
or other valuable consideration, including inducements to air for free, 
associated with the programming such as to trigger a disclosure. 
Likewise, section 317(b) of the Act imposes an associated requirement 
on the licensee to make any disclosures necessitated by learning such 
information pursuant to section 507 of the Act. The Commission finds 
that this type of inquiry by the licensee is particularly important 
given reports about instances where programming originating from 
foreign governmental actors is being passed through program 
distributors who lease time on U.S. broadcast stations.
    40. If in response to the licensee's initial inquiry, the lessee 
states that it falls within the definition of a ``foreign governmental 
entity,'' or is otherwise aware of the need for a foreign sponsorship 
identification disclosure, then the licensee needs to ensure that the 
programming contains the appropriate disclosure. As discussed above, 
licensees may become aware of the need for a foreign sponsorship 
identification disclosure via the reporting obligation contained in 
section 507 of the Act. On the other hand, if the lessee's response is 
that it does not fall within the definition and is not separately aware 
of the need for a disclosure, the Commission requires the licensee to 
verify independently that the lessee does not qualify as a ``foreign 
governmental entity.'' To do so, at a minimum, the licensee will need 
to conduct certain independent searches. Specifically, the licensee 
should check if the lessee appears on the Department of Justice's most 
recent FARA list as an agent that is acting on behalf of a foreign 
principal that is either a ``government of a foreign country,'' as 
defined by FARA, or a ``foreign political party,'' as defined by FARA. 
The licensee should also check if the lessee appears on the FARA list 
as an agent whose principal is either directly or indirectly operated, 
supervised, directed, owned, controlled, financed, or subsidized, in 
whole or in part, by a ``government of a foreign country,'' as defined 
by FARA, or a ``foreign political party'' as defined by FARA.
    41. Put differently, if a lessee named ``ABC Corp.'' appears as an 
agent on the FARA list, but ABC Corp.'s principal is XYZ Corp., the 
licensee's search does not stop at this point simply because XYZ Corp. 
is neither a government of a foreign country nor a foreign political 
party. Rather the licensee should review ABC Corp's filing to see 
whether XYZ Corp is in fact directly or indirectly operated, 
supervised, directed, owned, controlled, financed, or subsidized, in 
whole or in part, by a government of a foreign country or a foreign 
political party. Such information will be indicated on the filing. If 
there is such direct or indirect operation, supervision, direction, 
ownership, control, financing, or subsidization, in whole or in part, 
then the programming aired by ABC Corp. will need a foreign sponsorship 
disclosure.
    42. In this regard, the Commission notes that the FARA database is 
simple to use and allows for a search by terms. Consequently, the 
Commission anticipates that in most cases a licensee will need to do no 
more than merely run a search of the lessee's name on the FARA 
database. If the search does not generate any results, the licensee can 
safely assume that the lessee is not a FARA agent and no further search 
is needed on the FARA database. If the lessee's name does appear on the 
FARA database, the licensee may need to review the materials filed as 
part of a given agent's registration to ascertain whether the lessee 
qualifies as a ``foreign governmental entity.'' The licensee should 
also check if the lessee's name appears in the Commission's semi-annual 
reports of U.S.-based foreign media outlets. If the lessee's name does 
not appear on either the FARA list or in the U.S.-based foreign media 
outlet reports then no further checks are needed of these sites. 
Finally, the Commission requires that the

[[Page 32229]]

licensee memorialize its inquiries to track compliance and create a 
record in the event of any future Commission inquiry.
    43. The Commission requires that a licensee investigate the nature 
of the party to whom it is leasing airtime both at the time the 
agreement between the parties is executed and at renewal. As part of 
its inquiries, the licensee should also inquire whether the lessee is 
aware of anyone further back in the chain of producing/transmitting the 
programming who might qualify as a foreign governmental entity and has 
provided some form of consideration as an inducement to air the 
programming. To the extent that the lessee confirms that it still 
qualifies as a foreign governmental entity, no other investigation on 
the part of the licensee is necessary beyond ensuring that the 
disclosures specified by the rules continue to be made. If the lessee 
indicates that it is no longer a foreign governmental entity, then 
programming disclosures are no longer required under the rules after 
the licensee independently verifies that this is the case.
    44. The Commission requires reasonable diligence to be conducted 
not only at the time of the agreement is entered into, but also at 
renewal time. The Commission recognizes the lessee's status may change, 
particularly if the duration of the lease agreement is for a term of 
years. That is, over the course of the lease, not only might the lessee 
in fact become, due to actions on its part, a ``foreign governmental 
entity,'' for example, by entering into an agency relationship pursuant 
to FARA, but it may also be the case that the lessee contests the 
Department of Justice's designation of the lessee as a FARA agent such 
that the lessee's name only appears on the FARA list subsequent to the 
establishment of the lease agreement. Moreover, the Commission requires 
the licensee to memorialize the results of its diligence in some manner 
for its own records and maintain this documentation for the remainder 
of the then-current license term or one year, whichever is longer. In 
this manner, the licensee will have the necessary documentation should 
the Commission inquire about a particular lease agreement or particular 
programming aired on the licensee's station pursuant to the lease of 
time.
    45. In addition, the Commission strongly encourages licensees to 
include a provision in their lease agreements requiring the lessee to 
notify the licensee about any change in the lessee's status such as to 
trigger the foreign sponsorship identification rules. The Commission 
expects that inclusion of such a provision will impress upon the lessee 
the importance of its rules and result in a statement to the licensee 
if there is a change in status. Some commenters assert that in lieu of 
the clear objective steps laid out above for meeting the statutory 
``reasonable diligence'' requirement, the Commission should instead 
require broadcasters to engage in ``reasonable diligence'' only if they 
have reason to believe that their lessee is affiliated with a foreign 
governmental entity. The Act does not, however, contain a threshold 
showing of ``reason to believe'' in advance of requiring that 
broadcasters engage in ``reasonable diligence.'' Moreover, the adoption 
of such a subjective standard would make the rules adopted in the 
instant Order virtually ineffectual and unenforceable by leaving it up 
to the broadcasters' discretion whether to check the status of a 
lessee, rather than relying on quick objective searches of reliable 
government databases. Some of those that propose this ``reason to 
believe'' standard assert by way of example that there is no reason to 
believe that a church or school group with whom a licensee has had an 
extended relationship is likely to be, or have any connection with, a 
foreign governmental entity, and, hence there is no reason to inquire 
about such a lessee's status or its programming. The practical 
implication of linking the ``reasonable diligence'' steps described 
above to a broadcaster's belief based on its previous long-term 
relationships with given lessees, however, is that only new lessees or 
perhaps those with characteristics unknown to the broadcaster will be 
subject to ``reasonable diligence,'' an approach that would seem to 
favor existing lessees at the expense of new and diverse entrants and 
to jeopardize the Commission's efforts to ensure broadcast audiences 
know who is seeking to persuade them.
    46. Some commenters suggest that the requirement to check the FARA 
list is unduly burdensome. The Commission finds that limiting the 
application of its foreign sponsorship disclosure rules to situations 
involving leasing agreements and also narrowing the scope of the term 
``political program'' to align with prior interpretations, should 
greatly diminish the overall compliance burden on licensees by limiting 
the circumstances in which such searches will be necessary to those 
areas that raise important issues of public concern--as compared to the 
proposal laid out in the NPRM, which applied to all programming 
arrangements and required a special disclosure for all programming 
provided by a foreign governmental entity--while taking necessary steps 
to ensure broadcasters will identify those instances where foreign 
sponsorship identification is necessary. In addition, the objective 
tests laid out above should facilitate compliance, by specifying what 
licensees have to do to comply with the ``reasonable diligence'' 
requirement in terms of straightforward and limited search requirements 
that minimize the burden on broadcasters and are necessary to ensure 
that the public is adequately informed about the true identity of a 
programmer's ties to a foreign government. Thus, the Commission finds 
that these reasonable diligence inquiries do not pose undue burden on 
broadcast licensees and, more importantly, will help ensure that the 
licensee is cognizant of whether the entity seeking to lease time on 
its station is a foreign governmental entity.
    47. Lessee's Obligations. As previously discussed, pursuant to 
section 507, the lessee also holds an independent obligation to 
communicate information to the licensee relevant to determining whether 
a disclosure is needed. In this regard, the Commission adopts the 
tentative conclusion contained in the NPRM that sections 507(b) and (c) 
of the Act impose a duty on the broker/lessee to inform the licensee to 
the extent it is aware of any payments (or other valuable 
consideration) associated with the programming such as to trigger a 
disclosure. No party commented on the Commission's tentative conclusion 
that sections 507(b) and (c) of the Act impose a duty on the broker/
lessee to inform the licensee to the extent it is aware of any payments 
(or other valuable consideration) associated with the programming. As 
stated in the NPRM, in its 1960 amendments to the Act, Congress imposed 
on non-licensees associated with the transmission or production of 
programming a requirement to disclose any knowledge of consideration 
paid as an inducement to air particular material. Congress added this 
provision in recognition that individuals other than the licensee were 
increasingly involved in programming decisions. Thus, consistent with 
the statute, the Commission concludes that it is incumbent on a lessee 
to convey to the licensee its knowledge of any payment or consideration 
provided by, or unpaid programming received as an inducement from, an 
entity or individual that triggers the foreign sponsorship 
identification rules laid out in this Order.

[[Page 32230]]

    48. The Commission emphasizes here that the reach of sections 
507(b) and (c) of the Act is not limited only to those entities or 
individuals who have entered into lease agreements with the licensee. 
Rather, these provisions impose a disclosure obligation on any person 
who, in connection with the production or preparation of any program or 
who supplies to any other person any program to convey any information 
such person may have about the provision of any inducement to broadcast 
the program in order to necessitate a sponsorship identification 
disclosure by the licensee. Specifically, such non-licensees must 
disclose to their employer, the person for which such program is being 
produced (e.g., the next individual involved in the chain of 
transmitting the programming to the licensee), or the licensee itself, 
their knowledge of any payment or ``valuable consideration'' provided 
or accepted by a foreign governmental entity. Section 507(a) of the Act 
imposes a similar disclosure obligation on the licensee's own 
employees. Likewise, section 317(b) of the Act imposes a parallel 
requirement on licensees to make a required disclosure to the public at 
the time of broadcast if they learn of the need for a disclosure via 
the mechanism laid out in section 507 of the Act.
    49. Reasonable Diligence Requirements to Apply on a Prospective 
Basis. Some commenters have asked that any new rules only apply on a 
going forward basis. Recognizing that some lease agreements may last 
for several years, the Commission declines to delay application of its 
rules to only new lease agreements. Rather, the Commission believes 
that the public interest is best served if audiences are notified of 
foreign sponsorship as soon as reasonably possible. Thus, in addition 
to applying the rules to new lease agreements and renewals of existing 
agreements, the Commission requires that lease agreements in place when 
the changes to the rules adopted herein become effective come into 
compliance with the new requirements, including undertaking reasonable 
diligence, within six months. In this manner, the transparency the 
Commission seeks to achieve can be accomplished in a way that does not 
unduly burden licensees.
    50. Contents and Frequency of Required Disclosure of Foreign 
Sponsorship. Consistent with the NPRM, the Commission adopts 
standardized language to inform audiences at the time of broadcast that 
the program material has been provided by a foreign governmental 
entity. Such standardized language will avoid confusion and ensure that 
the information is conveyed clearly and concisely to the audience. 
Accordingly, as discussed below, the Commissions adopts the disclosure 
language proposed in the NPRM with two modifications, one to provide 
greater flexibility in the language used and the other to harmonize its 
labeling requirements with those imposed pursuant to FARA. In addition, 
the Commission adopts a requirement that stations airing programming 
subject to the proposed disclosure requirement must place copies of the 
disclosures in their OPIFs, in a standalone folder marked as ``Foreign 
Government-Provided Programming Disclosures'' so that the material is 
readily identifiable to the public pursuant to the timing requirements 
discussed below.
    51. Labeling Requirement. First, as requested by NAB, the 
Commission allows licensees the flexibility to use any of three terms 
(sponsored, paid for, or furnished) in an on-air foreign sponsorship 
disclosure statement, rather than mandate the use of ``paid for, or 
furnished'' as proposed, in order to conform the new requirement more 
closely to existing sponsorship identification requirements. The 
Commission notes that the language proposed by the National Association 
of Broadcasters (NAB) is consistent with existing sponsorship 
identification requirements. To the extent that the foreign sponsorship 
identification rules comport with existing rules and with how broadcast 
station personnel are accustomed to operating, the Commission finds 
that such allowances should facilitate compliance by licensees and 
minimize the burden on them. Hence, at the time a station broadcasts 
programming that was provided by a foreign governmental entity, the 
Commission requires a disclosure identifying that fact and the origin 
of the programming as follows:

    The [following/preceding] programming was [sponsored, paid for, 
or furnished,] either in whole or in part, by [name of foreign 
governmental entity] on behalf of [name of foreign country].

    52. In establishing this disclosure language, the Commission 
recognizes that FARA also has a labelling requirement and clarify that 
the programming need not have two separate labels--both the FARA label 
and the Commission's full disclosure. Rather, for those entities that 
are subject to FARA, the Commission accepts for compliance purposes the 
contents of the FARA label as long as it is modified to include the 
country associated with the foreign governmental entity named in the 
label and comports with the format and frequency requirements described 
below. As discussed further below, the Commission notes that FARA 
requires only that FARA agents label materials, including broadcast 
programming, with a conspicuous statement identifying the FARA agent 
and its principal when distributed in the United States; therefore, 
unless the licensee has registered under FARA, the licensee may not 
have the required FARA label. Thus, for those entities not registered 
under FARA, the Commission requires the disclosure language the 
Commission adopts in this document. Moreover, the Commission finds that 
its disclosure statement--or, alternatively, the passthrough of 
modified FARA labels--provides audiences of broadcast stations greater 
insight about the source of foreign government-provided programming 
than may exist with existing FARA labeling practices. As described 
above, the language the Commission adopts in this document requires 
that the country associated with the foreign governmental entity be 
named in the disclosure, which will provide additional information when 
that entity is a foreign political party or an agent registered under 
FARA.
    53. In the interest of ensuring transparency for the intended 
viewers and listeners of foreign government-provided programming, the 
Commission also requires that, if the primary language of the 
programming is other than English, the disclosure statement should be 
presented in the primary language of the programming. Although the NPRM 
sought comment on this issue, no commenters addressed this point. For 
programming that contains a ``conspicuous statement'' required by FARA, 
and such a conspicuous statement is in a language other than English, 
an additional disclosure in English is not needed.
    54. With regard to the format of the disclosure, for televised 
programming, the Commission requires the disclosure to be in letters 
equal to or greater than four percent of the vertical picture height 
and be visible for not less than four seconds to ensure readability. 
The NPRM sought comment on this format, but no commenters addressed 
this point. As this format convention replicates the existing format 
rule for a televised political advertisement concerning a candidate for 
public office, the Commission anticipates minimal compliance burden on 
licensees. For radio broadcasts, the Commission incorporates into the 
rules the Department of Justice guidance provided to FARA registrants 
that the disclosure shall be audible. Once again,

[[Page 32231]]

although the NPRM sought comment on this issue, no commenters addressed 
this point.
    55. With regard to the frequency of the disclosure, consistent with 
the NPRM and the existing rules for political broadcast matter or any 
broadcast matter involving the discussion of a controversial issue of 
public importance, the Commission requires that the disclosure be made 
at both the beginning and conclusion of the broadcast station 
programming to ensure the audience is aware of the source of its 
programming. Also consistent with its existing rules for political 
broadcast matter or any broadcast matter involving the discussion of a 
controversial issue of public importance, the Commission requires that 
for any broadcast of 5 minutes duration or less, only one such 
announcement must be made at either the beginning or conclusion of the 
program.
    56. The Commission deviates from its existing sponsorship 
identification rules in one respect. The Commission adopts its 
tentative conclusion from the NPRM that for programming of greater than 
sixty minutes in duration, an announcement must be made at regular 
intervals during the broadcast, but no less frequently than once every 
60 minutes. Sponsorship announcements at regular intervals are not 
explicitly required under the current rules. While NAB urges the 
Commission not to deviate from the existing timing and frequency rules, 
the Commission believes that this one additional requirement is 
necessary given the importance of disclosure related to foreign 
government-provided programming. While APTS notes that NCE stations are 
prohibited by statute from interrupting programming to identify funding 
sources, which could override and nullify the proposed frequency 
requirement in the context of NCE stations, as stated above, the 
Commission believes that NCE stations will rarely, if ever, fall within 
the ambit of the new rules. To the extent an issue does arise, the 
Commission will address such situations on a case-by-case basis through 
either its waiver process or the means that appear appropriate at that 
time. As discussed in the NPRM, the Commission finds that periodic 
announcements are necessary, particularly in those instances where a 
foreign governmental entity is continually broadcasting programming 
without an identifiable beginning or end, such as through a lease of a 
100% of a station's airtime. No commenter objected to the Commission's 
reasoning for this finding nor commented on the burden of recurring 
announcements. The Commission notes that in the case of a political 
broadcast matter or any broadcast matter involving the discussion of a 
controversial issue of public importance--which typically does not have 
an obvious sponsor--the current rules require a sponsorship 
identification both at the beginning and conclusion of any such 
broadcast of greater than 5 minutes. Similarly, here the Commission 
believes that periodic announcements (once every 60 minutes) are 
necessary for any foreign government-provided programming with a 
duration of greater than one hour because of the lack of transparency 
regarding the true sponsor of such programming. The Commission notes 
that periodic announcements (i.e., once every hour versus at the 
beginning and conclusion of the program) are also necessary because of 
the longer blocks of programming time foreign governmental entities 
typically purchase in connection with leasing arrangements.
    57. Finally, consistent with the proposal in the NPRM, the 
Commission finds that its standardized disclosure requirements apply 
equally to any programming transmitted on a broadcast station's 
multicast streams. The Commission received no objections to this 
proposal, and consequently finds no reason to exclude multicast 
streams. As such, multicast streams are subject to all the disclosure 
requirements pertaining to foreign government-provided programming that 
the Commission adopts in this document.
    58. Public File. Consistent with the NPRM, the Commission adopts a 
requirement that stations airing programming subject to the proposed 
disclosure requirement must place copies of the disclosures in their 
OPIFs, in a standalone folder marked as ``Foreign Government-Provided 
Programming Disclosures'' so that the material is readily identifiable 
to the public, as well as a requirement with regard to the frequency of 
placing such material in the public file. For broadcast stations that 
do not have obligations to maintain OPIFs, the Commission recommends 
such stations retain a record of their disclosures in their station 
files consistent with previous Commission guidance. The Commission does 
not, however, require licensees to submit additional information to 
their OPIFs concerning the list of persons operating the foreign 
governmental entity providing programming.
    59. Specifically, the Commission finds that licensees must place in 
their OPIFs the actual disclosure and the name of the program to which 
the disclosure was appended. In addition, the licensee must state the 
date and time the program aired. If there were repeat airings of the 
program, then those additional dates and times should also be included 
in the OPIF. With regard to the frequency with which licensees must 
update their OPIFs with this disclosure information, the Commission 
aligns this requirement with its existing requirement to update the TV 
Issues/Programs Lists on a quarterly basis, as this will minimize the 
need for licensees to track different public filing requirements. The 
Commission also establishes the same OPIF two-year retention period for 
disclosures related to foreign government-provided programming as 
currently exists for the retention of lists regarding the executives of 
any entity that sponsored programming concerning a political or 
controversial matter.
    60. The Commission does not adopt the ``as soon as possible'' 
disclosure standard contained in Sec.  73.1943 of its rules or require 
posting to occur ``within twenty-four hours of the material being 
broadcast'' as proposed in the NPRM. The Commission is persuaded by 
NAB's comments that the ``as soon as possible'' standard contained in 
Sec.  73.1943(c) of the rules need not apply to disclosures associated 
with foreign governmental entities. As NAB notes, the immediacy 
requirement in the political advertising context stems from the need to 
ensure that candidates can exercise their statutory rights to equal 
opportunities at statutorily mandated rates and the time-sensitive need 
to reach potential voters before an election. The Commission finds no 
corresponding need to respond within an expedited timeframe in the case 
of foreign government-provided programming.
    61. The Commission concludes that, to the extent the foreign 
programming consists of a political matter or matter involving the 
discussion of a controversial issue of public importance, licensees 
obtain and disclose in their OPIFs a list of the persons operating the 
entity providing the programming, as currently required. The Commission 
clarifies that licensees can satisfy the required OPIF disclosures by 
identifying the officers and directors of the lessee in a single filing 
per lessee (rather than separate filings concerning each individual 
program sponsored by the same lessee) together with other filings 
required by the foreign sponsorship identification rules. The 
Commission is not persuaded by NAB's contention--that, in the case of 
foreign-government-provided programming, the on-air and OPIF 
disclosures will provide the necessary

[[Page 32232]]

information to the American public identifying the foreign governmental 
entity that provided the programming and the foreign country with which 
it is affiliated--to grant what effectively would be an exemption to 
existing sponsorship identification rules for political programming 
provided by foreign governmental entities. However, the Commission 
determines at this time that the licensee need not provide any 
additional information in its OPIF, as considered in the NPRM, 
regarding the relationship between the foreign governmental entity and 
the foreign country that the foreign governmental entity represents, 
having no evidence to support the need for such information to enhance 
public disclosure at this time.
    62. Finally, the Commission adopts the unopposed tentative 
conclusion contained in the NPRM that licensees maintain in their OPIFs 
the disclosures associated with foreign government-provided programming 
rather than giving them the option of maintaining such information at 
the network headquarters if the programming was originated by a 
network.
    63. Concerns About Overlap with Other Statutory or Regulatory 
Requirements. The Commission rejects any suggestion that its foreign 
sponsorship identification rules are either duplicative of requirements 
imposed under FARA or unnecessary given the Commission's current 
sponsorship identification rules. Rather, as discussed above and 
consistent with the admonitions of commenters, the Commission adopts 
disclosure requirements that further the its statutory mandate to 
provide transparency to audiences of broadcast stations regarding the 
source of sponsored programming, while avoiding unnecessary duplication 
with the FARA requirements.
    64. As a preliminary matter, the Commission emphasizes that 
although the requirements laid out in the NPRM and the instant Order 
look to FARA for assistance in determining what qualifies as a 
``foreign governmental entity,'' section 317 of the Act and FARA each 
cover different types of entities with respect to their labeling 
requirements. Section 317 and the Commission's sponsorship 
identification rules speak specifically to the obligations of licensees 
of broadcast stations, imposing transparency requirements regarding the 
origin of sponsored content as an element of the licensee's stewardship 
of the public airwaves. In contrast, FARA imposes an obligation on 
agents required to register under FARA to label materials with a 
conspicuous statement identifying the FARA agent and its principal when 
it is distributing relevant materials within the United States by any 
means or media. Accordingly, unless the licensee of a broadcast station 
itself is a registered agent under FARA, the label required by FARA may 
not appear. Even if such labels are being passed through in some 
instances, as discussed above and in the NPRM, the reports about 
incidents of undisclosed foreign government programming indicate the 
need for greater action to ensure transparency. Consistent with the 
Commission's own statutory mandate, the requirements adopted in the 
instant Order focus specifically on broadcast licensees to ensure they 
disclose foreign government provided-programming consistent with the 
intent and language of section 317 of the Act.
    65. Further, as noted above, the rules the Commission adopts in 
this document require identification of the country associated with the 
foreign governmental entity that provided the programming, whereas the 
FARA disclosure statement does not require this information. Rather, 
FARA requires identification of only the foreign principal, whose name 
may not identify its connection to a foreign country. In addition, 
while FARA requires that covered materials that are televised or 
broadcast, or which are caused to be televised or broadcast shall be 
introduced by a statement which is reasonably adapted to convey to the 
viewers or listeners thereof such information as is required under 
FARA, it does not dictate whether such information should be repeated 
during a broadcast or at what frequency. In contrast, the foreign 
sponsorship identification rules the Commission adopts in this document 
contain specific guidance for broadcast licensees as to the frequency 
and content of the required label to increase transparency and ensure 
audiences are aware of the foreign sources of such programming.
    66. Given the key differences between the FARA requirements and 
those the Commission adopts in this document, the Commission rejects 
NPR's assertion that enforcement of Sec.  73.1212(e) of the 
Commission's rules could achieve the Commission's goals in this 
proceeding. As REC Networks notes, compliance with the Commission's 
existing sponsorship identification rules does not currently result in 
the identification of a foreign government as the ultimate provider of 
programming to the extent this is the case.
    67. Section 325(c) Permits. The Commission adopts the NPRM's 
tentative conclusion that the proposed foreign sponsorship 
identification rules should apply expressly, to the extent applicable, 
to any programming broadcast pursuant to a section 325(c) permit, in 
addition to U.S.-licensed broadcast stations. A section 325(c) permit 
is required when an entity produces programming in the United States 
but, rather than broadcasting the programming from a U.S.-licensed 
station, transmits or delivers the programming from a U.S. studio to a 
non-U.S. licensed station in a foreign country and broadcasts the 
programming from the foreign station with a sufficient transmission 
power or from a geographic location that enables the material to be 
received consistently in the United States.
    68. The Commission finds that applying the same disclosure 
requirements to programming broadcast pursuant to a section 325(c) 
permit serves the public interest because, like programming from a 
U.S.-licensed station, programming from a section 325(c) station is 
received by audiences in the United States. In this context, the 
section 325(c) permit holder has full control over its programming 
content and whether and how any programming provided by foreign 
governmental entities should be incorporated in the programming 
broadcast pursuant to its section 325(c) permit and broadcasted by the 
foreign station. Accordingly, any programming agreement with a section 
325(c) holder will be subject to the foreign sponsorship disclosure if 
material aired on the foreign station has been sponsored, paid for, or 
furnished for free as an inducement to air by a foreign governmental 
entity. Under the rules the Commission adopts herein, a section 325(c) 
permit holder must ensure that the foreign station will broadcast the 
disclosure along with the programming provided under its section 325(c) 
permit. The Commission finds that treating U.S.-licensed broadcast 
station licensees and section 325(c) permittees in the same manner with 
respect to foreign government-provided programming would serve the 
public interest and could avoid creating a potential loophole in the 
regulatory framework with respect to the identification of foreign 
government-provided programming.
    69. The Commission received no comment on its tentative conclusion 
regarding programming provided pursuant to section 325(c) permits, 
including regarding whether any aspect of the foreign sponsorship 
identification requirements should be modified for section 325(c) 
permit holders. The Commission therefore finds no reason to depart from 
its tentative conclusion in this regard and find that the foreign

[[Page 32233]]

sponsorship identification rules will apply to any programming 
broadcast pursuant to a section 325(c) permit. The Commission notes, 
however, that the section 325(c) permit holders are not required to 
maintain an online public inspection file. Accordingly, a section 
325(c) permit holder shall place copies of the disclosures required 
along with the name of the program to which the disclosures were 
appended in the International Bureau's public filing System (IBFS) 
under the relevant IBFS section 325(c) permit file. The filing must 
state the date and time the program aired. In the case of repeat 
airings of the program, those additional dates and times should also be 
included. Where an aural announcement was made, its contents must be 
reduced to writing and placed in the IBFS in the same manner.
    70. First Amendment Considerations. Consistent with the NPRM, the 
Commission finds that the foreign sponsorship identification rules the 
Commission adopts in this document comport with the strictures of the 
First Amendment to the Constitution, even under the highest level of 
scrutiny. As discussed above and at length in the NPRM, the Government 
has a compelling interest in ensuring that the public is aware of when 
a party has sponsored content on a broadcast station. The Commission 
finds that interest is even more important when a foreign governmental 
entity is involved in the sponsorship of the programming material, and 
that transparency to American audiences as to the sponsorship of such 
programming is a compelling interest. Having narrowed the rules even 
further than initially proposed, the Commission finds the final rules 
to be ``narrowly tailored'' to fulfill a ``compelling'' government 
interest using the ``least restrictive means'' to serve that goal. That 
being said, consistent with the NPRM's further tentative conclusion, 
the Commission believes the disclosure requirement the Commission 
adopts in this document will be evaluated under a less restrictive, 
intermediate scrutiny standard applied to content neutral restrictions 
on broadcasters and thus will be upheld if narrowly tailored to achieve 
a substantial government interest. Moreover, because the disclosure 
requirement is content neutral--that is, it does not ban any type of 
speech but merely requires factual disclosure of the source of certain 
of programming--the Commission believes that the rules comply with the 
First Amendment as they are narrowly tailored to achieve a substantial 
Government interest. Thus, the Commission finds that, regardless of the 
level of scrutiny applied, its foreign sponsorship identification rules 
satisfy the First Amendment.
    71. In addition, the Commission has significantly narrowed the 
scope of the programming covered by this rule and minimized both the 
amount of speech potentially affected and the compliance burdens placed 
on broadcast licensees to focus on the context in which the record 
shows there are significant transparency concerns. As discussed above, 
the disclosure will now be required only for programming aired pursuant 
to a lease of airtime if directly or indirectly provided by a foreign 
governmental entity. By focusing the foreign sponsorship identification 
rules on leased programming, the Commission excludes from coverage 
programming that does not raise the same level of transparency concerns 
and a significant number of broadcast stations that do not engage in 
such leasing agreements and virtually all non-commercial, educational 
broadcasters, which rarely lease time to third parties in the manner 
discussed.
    72. Additionally, based on comments in the record, the Commission 
has clarified above how broadcast stations can comply with the narrowed 
scope of the rules to ensure that they are no more burdensome than 
necessary to serve the vital need for transparency about who is 
attempting to influence viewers. For example, the Commission has 
adopted the commenters' suggestion that if the programming already 
contains an appropriate disclosure pursuant to FARA that conveys the 
same information required by the Commission's rules and that is aired 
with at least the same frequency, then the station need not apply an 
additional disclosure.
    73. Ultimately, the rules the Commission adopts in this document 
are a minimal extension of the long-standing sponsorship identification 
rules required by Sec.  73.1212 of its rules and well within the 
authority granted under section 317 of the Act. Similarly, the 
Commission believes its rules are consistent with, and not duplicative 
of, the equally long-standing labeling requirement contained in FARA. 
As such, the Commission finds that the modification of the sponsorship 
identification rules the Commission adopts herein is entirely 
consistent with the existing statutes and precedent in this area and 
complies with the First Amendment.
    74. Broadcasters have stated that focusing the rules on the type of 
programming subject to FARA disclosures and exempting inconsequential 
programming would appropriately focus the Commission's rules on foreign 
propaganda, rather than the broad array of broadcast content that 
raised a host of concerns, including First Amendment issues, for NAB 
and other commenters. Fox similarly states that the rules should apply 
to longer programming provided by a FARA registrant and aired pursuant 
to a lease agreement. NAB based its previous claim that the rules would 
not withstand either intermediate or strict scrutiny on the assertion 
that they are duplicative of FARA obligations and thus fail to serve a 
compelling or substantial Government interest. As the Commission has 
discussed above, its foreign sponsorship identification rules apply to 
entities and programming not necessarily covered by FARA because they 
impose obligations directly on broadcasters and their programming 
suppliers. Further, the rules the Commission adopts herein promote 
greater transparency by requiring identification of the specific 
foreign government attempting to influence American viewers rather than 
referring viewers to a Government website to review. For these reasons, 
the Commission concludes that its modified foreign sponsorship 
identification rules comply with the First Amendment.
    75. Cost-Benefit Analysis. The NPRM sought comment on the benefits 
and costs associated with adopting foreign sponsorship identification 
rules. The NPRM also requested specific data and analysis in support of 
any claimed costs and benefits. No commenter provided quantified 
calculations of the benefits or costs of the proposed rules. 
Nevertheless, the Commission finds that by limiting the proposed rules 
to the circumstances stated above, the costs associated with the rules 
are reduced significantly from the initial proposal. Research reviewed 
by Commission staff also suggests that there are measurable benefits to 
sponsorship identification disclosures. Moreover, the lack of 
transparency regarding foreign influence and foreign government 
sponsored media has become a major public concern, including in 
Congress and for the United States Department of State. The public 
filing requirement will provide data on the extent of foreign 
government sponsored programming airing on broadcast stations. 
Therefore, the Commission finds that the costs associated with adopting 
the foreign sponsorship identification rules, as modified herein, do 
not outweigh the public benefits the Commission has identified 
regarding transparency of the

[[Page 32234]]

source of programming heard or viewed by the American public.
    76. Regulatory Flexibility Act. As required by the Regulatory 
Flexibility Act of 1980 (RFA), as amended, an Initial Regulatory 
Flexibility Certification was incorporated into the NPRM. Pursuant to 
the RFA, the Commission has prepared a Final Regulatory Flexibility 
Certification relating to this Report and Order.
    77. Paperwork Reduction Act. This Report and Order contains 
proposed new or revised information collection requirements subject to 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3501-
3520). The requirements will be submitted to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for review under section 3507(d) of the PRA. OMB, the 
general public, and other Federal agencies will be invited to comment 
on the new or modified information collection requirements contained in 
this proceeding. In addition, the Commission notes that pursuant to the 
Small Business Paperwork Relief Act of 2002, Public Law 107-198, see 44 
U.S.C. 3506(c)(4), the Commission previously sought specific comment on 
how the Commission might further reduce the information collection 
burden for small business concerns with fewer than 25 employees.
    78. Congressional Review Act. The Commission has determined, and 
Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, 
Office of Management and Budget, concurs, that this rule is ``non-
major'' under the Congressional Review Act, 5 U.S.C. 804(2). The 
Commission will send a copy of this Report & Order to Congress and the 
Government Accountability Office pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 801(a)(1)(A). The 
Commission will send a copy of this Report and Order to Congress and 
the Government Accountability Office pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 801(a)(1)(A).
    79. Final Regulatory Flexibility Act Analysis. As required by the 
Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980, as amended (RFA), an Initial 
Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (IRFA) was incorporated in the NPRM in 
this proceeding. The Federal Communications Commission (Commission) 
sought written public comment on the proposals in the NPRM, including 
comment on the IRFA. The Commission received no comments on the IRFA. 
This present Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (FRFA) conforms to 
the RFA.
    80. Need for, and Objectives of, the Proposed Rules. As stated in 
the IRFA, broadcast programming viewers and listeners deserve to know 
when a foreign governmental entity has provided programming so that 
they can better evaluate the value and accuracy of such programming. 
Broadcast stations are entrusted with using the public airwaves to 
benefit their local communities and this obligation includes ensuring 
that any foreign government-provided programming is clearly identified. 
The rules the Commission adopts in this document update its sponsorship 
identification rules to provide specific guidance on the language and 
frequency of the necessary disclosures, provide clarity about how to 
identify a foreign governmental entity, and specify the steps 
broadcasters should take to ensure compliance with the ``reasonable 
diligence'' standard contained in section 317(c) of the Communications 
Act of 1934, as amended (Act).
    81. While the NPRM proposed that the foreign sponsorship 
identification rules would apply in any circumstance in which a foreign 
governmental entity directly or indirectly provided material for 
broadcast or furnished material to a station free of charge (or at 
nominal cost) as an inducement to broadcast such material, the Report 
and Order (R&O) narrows the rule to address specifically those 
circumstances in which a foreign governmental entity is programming a 
U.S. broadcast station pursuant to the lease of airtime. The rules 
adopted in the R&O require a specific disclosure at the time of 
broadcast if material aired pursuant to the lease of time on the 
station has been sponsored, paid for, or, in the case of political 
programming or programming involving a controversial issue, furnished 
for free as an inducement to air by a foreign governmental entity. The 
focus on leasing agreements narrows the application of the disclosure 
rules significantly, thereby minimizing the burden on broadcasters 
while ensuring that viewers and listeners are sufficiently informed as 
to the origin of material broadcast on stations when foreign 
governmental entities are providing programming. For example, the 
Commission anticipates that most, and possibly all, NCE station 
programming arrangements will fall outside the ambit of the rules given 
limitations on the ability of NCE stations to engage in leasing 
agreements. The foreign sponsorship identification rules apply to any 
programming broadcast pursuant to a section 325(c) permit. A section 
325(c) permit is required when an entity produces programming in the 
United States but, rather than broadcasting the programming from a 
U.S.-licensed station, transmits or delivers the programming from a 
U.S. studio to a non-U.S. licensed station in a foreign country and 
broadcasts the programming from the foreign station with a sufficient 
transmission power or from a geographic location that enables the 
material to be received consistently in the United States.
    82. The R&O defines foreign governmental entities by referring to 
existing statutory definitions included in the Foreign Agents 
Registration Act of 1938, as amended (FARA) and the Communications Act. 
The definition adopted in the R&O includes:
    (1) A ``government of a foreign country'' as defined by FARA;
    (2) A ``foreign political party'' as defined by FARA;
    (3) An individual or entity registered as an ``agent of a foreign 
principal,'' under section 611(c) of FARA, whose ``foreign principal'' 
is a ``government of a foreign country,'' a ``foreign political 
party,'' or is directly or indirectly operated, supervised, directed, 
owned, controlled, financed, or subsidized by a ``government of a 
foreign country'' or by a ``foreign political party'' as defined by 
FARA, and that is acting in its capacity as an agent of such ``foreign 
principal;''
    (4) An entity meeting the definition of a ``U.S.-based foreign 
media outlet'' pursuant to section 722 of the Act that has filed a 
report with the Commission.
    83. Based on broadcaster concerns regarding the difficulty of 
determining whether an entity is a ``foreign mission'' as included in 
the proposed definition of ``foreign governmental entity,'' the final 
definition the Commission adopts in this R&O excludes ``foreign 
missions.''
    84. The revised required standard foreign sponsorship 
identification disclosure must state:

    The [following/preceding] programming was [sponsored, paid for, 
or furnished,] either in whole or in part, by [name of foreign 
governmental entity] on behalf of [name of foreign country].

In establishing this disclosure language, the R&O first adjusts the 
language proposed in the NPRM to allow including the word ``sponsored'' 
as one of the options that can be used. Broadcasters sought this change 
because it is consistent with existing sponsorship identification 
language. In addition, recognizing that FARA requires a standard 
disclosure, the R&O simplifies compliance by allowing broadcasters, 
including small broadcasters, to pass through any required FARA label 
included with the programming, so long as it also adds the name of the 
foreign country involved in

[[Page 32235]]

providing the programming and comports with the format and frequency 
requirements described below. The R&O concludes that the FARA 
disclosure with the addition of the country name satisfies the need to 
provide viewers and listeners greater insight regarding the source of 
foreign government-provided programming.
    85. The R&O details what is required of broadcasters to meet the 
``reasonable diligence'' standard contained in section 317(c) of the 
Act so that broadcasters can determine if a foreign sponsorship 
identification disclosure is needed. The R&O concludes that such 
diligence at a minimum requires the broadcaster to at the time of 
agreement and at renewal:
    (1) Inform the lessee of the foreign sponsorship disclosure 
requirement;
    (2) Inquire of the lessee whether it falls into any of the 
categories that qualify it as a ``foreign governmental entity'';
    (3) Inquire of the lessee whether it knows if anyone further back 
in the chain of producing/distributing the programming that will be 
aired pursuant to the lease agreement, or a sub-lease, qualifies as a 
foreign governmental entity and has provided some type of inducement to 
air the programming;
    (4) Independently confirm the lessee's status, by consulting the 
Department of Justice's FARA website and the Commission's semi-annual 
U.S.-based foreign media outlets reports. This need only be done if the 
lessee states that it does not fall into one of the covered categories 
and that there is no separate need for a disclosure because no one 
further back in the chain of producing/transmitting the programming 
falls into one of the covered categories and has provided some form of 
service or consideration as an inducement to broadcast the programming; 
and
    (5) Memorialize the above-listed inquiries and investigations to 
track compliance in the event documentation is required to respond to 
any future Commission inquiry on the issue.
    86. The R&O specifies that the licensee must memorialize the 
results of its diligence in some manner for its own records and 
maintain this documentation for the remainder of the then-current 
license term or one year, whichever is longer. In addition, the R&O 
clarifies that, under the revised rules, the lessee of airtime, in 
accordance with sections 507(b) and (c) of the Act, also holds an 
independent obligation to communicate information to the licensee 
relevant to determining whether a disclosure is needed.
    87. In the interest of ensuring transparency for viewers and 
listeners of foreign government-provided programming, the R&O requires 
that, if the primary language of the programming is other than English, 
the disclosure statement should be presented in the primary language of 
the programming. The disclosure for televised programming should be in 
letters equal to or greater than four percent of the vertical picture 
height and be visible for not less than four seconds to ensure 
readability. As this requirement tracks existing rules for televised 
political advertisements, television licensees are familiar with this 
format. For radio broadcasts, the R&O incorporates the existing DOJ 
interpretation for programming provided by FARA registrants: That the 
disclosure shall be audible. The R&O requires that the disclosure be 
made at both the beginning and end of the programming, and, consistent 
with an existing requirement for ``political broadcast matter,'' for 
any broadcast of 5 minutes or less, only once. Finally, for programming 
longer than sixty minutes, the disclosure must be made at regular 
intervals during the broadcast, but no less frequently than once every 
sixty minutes. The R&O finds that periodic announcements are necessary, 
particularly in those instances where a foreign governmental entity is 
continually broadcasting programming without an identifiable beginning 
or end, such as through a lease of a 100% of a station's airtime. Other 
than this final requirement for longer programming, the new size, 
frequency and duration requirements of the new foreign sponsorship 
identification rules are consistent existing sponsorship identification 
rules and are thus familiar to broadcasters.
    88. Consistent with the NPRM, the R&O adopts a requirement that 
stations airing foreign government-provided programming must place 
copies of the disclosures in their Online Public Information Files 
(OPIFs), in a standalone folder marked as ``Foreign Government-Provided 
Programming Disclosures'' so that the material is readily identifiable 
to the public. The R&O adopts the proposal discussed in the NPRM, that, 
to the extent the foreign programming consists of a political matter or 
matter involving the discussion of a controversial issue of public 
importance, licensees obtain and disclose in their OPIFs a list of the 
persons operating the foreign governmental entity that has provided the 
programming. The R&O rules require licensees to place in their OPIFs 
the actual disclosure and the name of the program to which the 
disclosure was appended. In addition, the licensee must state the date 
and time the program aired. If there are repeat airings of the program, 
then those additional dates and times should also be included in the 
OPIF. In response to broadcaster concerns about burdens, the R&O does 
not adopt the NPRM's ``as soon as possible'' standard for updating 
OPIFs contained in Sec.  73.1943 of existing rules, nor interpret this 
phrase to mean ``within twenty-four hours of the material being 
broadcast.'' Rather, for frequency of updating OPIFs, the R&O adopts 
rules that align with an existing requirement to update the TV Issues/
Programs Lists on a quarterly basis, as this will minimize the need for 
licensees to track different public filing requirements. The R&O also 
adopts the same OPIF two-year retention period as currently exists for 
the retention of lists of the executives of any entity that sponsored 
programming concerning a political or controversial matter. For 
broadcast stations that do not have obligations to maintain OPIFs, the 
Commission recommends such stations retain a record of their 
disclosures in their station files consistent with previous Commission 
guidance. The R&O rules also require section 325(c) permit holders must 
place copies of the disclosures required along with the name of the 
program to which the disclosures were appended in the International 
Bureau's public filing System (IBFS) under the relevant IBFS section 
325(c) permit file. The filing must state the date and time the program 
aired. In the case of repeat airings of the program, those additional 
dates and times should also be included. Where an aural announcement 
was made, its contents must be reduced to writing and placed in the 
IBFS in the same manner.
    89. Summary of Significant Issues Raised by Public Comments in 
Response to the IRFA. There were no comments filed in response to the 
IRFA.
    90. Response to Comments by the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the 
Small Business Administration. Pursuant to the Small Business Jobs Act 
of 2010, which amended the RFA, the Commission is required to respond 
to a comments filed by the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small 
Business Administration (SBA), and to provide a detailed statement of 
any change made to the proposed rules as a result of those comments. 
The Chief Counsel did not file any comments in response to the proposed 
rules in this proceeding.
    91. Description and Estimate of the Number of Small Entities to 
Which the Rules Apply. The RFA directs agencies to provide a 
description of, and where feasible, an estimate of the number of

[[Page 32236]]

small entities that may be affected by the proposed rule revisions, if 
adopted. The RFA generally defines the term ``small entity'' as having 
the same meaning as the terms ``small business,'' ``small 
organization,'' and ``small governmental jurisdiction.'' In addition, 
the term ``small business'' has the same meaning as the term ``small 
business concern'' under the Small Business Act (SBA). A small business 
concern is one which: (1) Is independently owned and operated; (2) is 
not dominant in its field of operation; and (3) satisfies any 
additional criteria established by the SBA. Below, the Commission 
provides a description of such small entities, as well as an estimate 
of the number of such small entities, where feasible.
    92. Television Broadcasting. This U.S. Economic Census category 
comprises establishments primarily engaged in broadcasting images 
together with sound. These establishments operate television broadcast 
studios and facilities for the programming and transmission of programs 
to the public. These establishments also produce or transmit visual 
programming to affiliated broadcast television stations, which in turn 
broadcast the programs to the public on a predetermined schedule. 
Programming may originate in their own studio, from an affiliated 
network, or from external sources. The SBA has created the following 
small business size standard for such businesses: Those having $41.5 
million or less in annual receipts. The 2012 Economic Census reports 
that 751 firms in this category operated in that year. Of that number, 
656 had annual receipts of $25 million or less, 25 had annual receipts 
between $25 million and $49,999,999 and 70 had annual receipts of $50 
million or more. Based on these data, the Commission estimates that the 
majority of commercial television broadcast stations are small entities 
under the applicable size standard.
    93. Additionally, the Commission has estimated the number of 
licensed commercial television stations to be 1,374. Of this total, 
1,269 stations (or 92%) had revenues of $41.5 million or less in 2020, 
according to Commission staff review of the BIA Kelsey Inc. Media 
Access Pro Television Database (BIA) on April 20, 2021, and therefore 
these stations qualify as small entities under the SBA definition. In 
addition, the Commission estimates the number of noncommercial 
educational stations to be 384. The Commission does not compile and 
does not have access to information on the revenue of NCE stations that 
would permit it to determine how many such stations would qualify as 
small entities. There are also 386 Class A stations. Given the nature 
of this service, the Commission presumes that all of these stations 
qualify as small entities under the applicable SBA size standard.
    94. Radio Stations. This U.S. Economic Census category comprises 
establishments primarily engaged in broadcasting aural programs by 
radio to the public. Programming may originate in the establishment's 
own studio, from an affiliated network, or from external sources. The 
SBA has created the following small business size standard for such 
businesses: Those having $41.5 million or less in annual receipts. 
Economic Census data for 2012 show that 2,849 firms in this category 
operated in that year. Of that number, 2,806 operated with annual 
receipts of less than $25 million per year, 17 with annual receipts 
between $25 million and $49,999,999 million and 26 with annual receipts 
of $50 million or more. Based on these data, the Commission estimates 
that the majority of commercial radio broadcast stations were small 
under the applicable SBA size standard.
    95. The Commission has estimated the number of licensed commercial 
AM radio stations to be 4,546 and the number of commercial FM radio 
stations to be 6,682 for a total of 11,228 commercial stations. Of this 
total, 11,227 stations (or 99%) had revenues of $41.5 million or less 
in 2020, according to Commission staff review of the BIA Kelsey Inc. 
Media Access Pro Television Database (BIA) on April 20, 2021, and 
therefore these stations qualify as small entities under the SBA 
definition. In addition, there were 4,213 noncommercial educational FM 
stations. The Commission does not compile and does not have access to 
information on the revenue of NCE radio stations that would permit it 
to determine how many such stations would qualify as small entities.
    96. In assessing whether a business concern qualifies as small 
under the above definition, business (control) affiliations must be 
included. The Commission's estimate, therefore, likely overstates the 
number of small entities that might be affected by its action because 
the revenue figure on which it is based does not include or aggregate 
revenues from affiliated companies. In addition, an element of the 
definition of ``small business'' is that the entity not be dominant in 
its field of operation. The Commission is unable at this time to define 
or quantify the criteria that would establish whether a specific radio 
or television station is dominant in its field of operation. 
Accordingly, the estimate of small businesses to which the proposed 
rules may apply does not exclude any radio or television station from 
the definition of small business on this basis and is therefore 
possibly over-inclusive.
    97. Description of Projected Reporting, Recordkeeping, and Other 
Compliance Requirements. The R&O adopts rules that require a specific 
disclosure at the time of broadcast if material aired pursuant to the 
lease of time on the station has been sponsored, paid for, or, in the 
case of political programming or programming involving a controversial 
issue, furnished for free as an inducement to air by a ``foreign 
governmental entity.'' As described above, the term ``foreign 
governmental entity'' is defined by reference to existing definitions 
in the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 as amended (FARA) and 
Section 722 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended (the Act). 
The R&O requires that stations use the following standard disclosure:

    The [following/preceding] programming was [sponsored, paid for, 
or furnished,] either in whole or in part, by [name of foreign 
governmental entity] on behalf of [name of foreign country].

In addition, recognizing that FARA requires a standard disclosure, the 
R&O simplifies compliance by allowing broadcasters, including small 
broadcasters, to pass through any required FARA label included with the 
programming, so long as it also adds the name of the foreign country 
involved in providing the programming. The R&O concludes that the FARA 
disclosure with the addition of the country name satisfies the need to 
provide viewers and listeners greater insight regarding the source of 
foreign government-provided programming. To further reduce compliance 
burdens for broadcasters, including small broadcasters, the size, 
frequency, and duration of the required disclosure generally matches 
size, frequency and duration requirements for other types of 
programming requiring sponsorship identification.
    98. In response to requests from broadcasters, including small 
broadcasters, the R&O details what is required of broadcasters to meet 
the ``reasonable diligence'' standard contained in section 317(c) of 
the Act so that broadcasters can determine if a foreign sponsorship 
identification disclosure is needed. As described above, the R&O lists 
five specific steps broadcasters must take to satisfy the standard. The 
R&O states that searches of the FARA database may require more than 
simply reviewing the initial

[[Page 32237]]

screens that appear on the list, but rather may also necessitate 
reviewing materials filed as part of an agent's registration and using 
whatever search features are available to investigate the list's 
contents. Licensees should also check if the lessee's name appears in 
the Commission's semi-annual reports of U.S.-based foreign media 
outlets. The R&O also requires, that, at regular intervals, the 
licensee should memorialize the results of its diligence in some manner 
for its own records and maintain this documentation for the remainder 
of the then-current license term or one year, whichever is longer. The 
R&O clarifies that, under the revised rules, the lessee of the airtime, 
in accordance with sections 507(b) and (c) of the Act, also holds an 
independent obligation to communicate information to the licensee 
relevant to determining whether a disclosure is needed.
    99. In the interest of ensuring transparency for viewers and 
listeners of foreign government-provided programming, the R&O requires 
that, if the primary language of the programming is other than English, 
the disclosure statement should be presented in the primary language of 
the programming. The disclosure for televised programming should be in 
letters equal to or greater than four percent of the vertical picture 
height and be visible for not less than four seconds to ensure 
readability. As this requirement tracks existing rules for televised 
political advertisements, television licensees are familiar with this 
format, minimizing their compliance burdens. For radio broadcasts, the 
R&O incorporates the existing DOJ interpretation for programming 
provided by FARA registrants: That the disclosure shall be audible. The 
R&O requires that the disclosure be made at both the beginning and end 
of the programming, and, consistent with an existing requirement for 
``political broadcast matter,'' for any broadcast of 5 minutes or less, 
only once. Finally, for programming longer than sixty minutes, the 
disclosure must be made at regular intervals during the broadcast, but 
no less frequently than once every sixty minutes. The R&O finds that 
periodic announcements are necessary, particularly in those instances 
where a foreign governmental entity is continually broadcasting 
programming without an identifiable beginning or end, such as through a 
lease of 100% of a station's airtime. Other than this final requirement 
for longer programming, the new rules are consistent with existing 
sponsorship identification rules and are thus familiar to broadcasters 
to reduce compliance burdens.
    100. Consistent with the NPRM, the R&O adopts a requirement that 
stations airing foreign government-provided programming must place 
copies of the disclosures in their Online Public Information Files 
(OPIFs), in a standalone folder marked as ``Foreign Government-Provided 
Programming Disclosures'' so that the material is readily identifiable 
to the public. The R&O adopts the proposal discussed in the NPRM, that, 
to the extent the foreign programming consists of a political matter or 
matter involving the discussion of a controversial issue of public 
importance, licensees obtain and disclose in their OPIFs a list of the 
persons operating the foreign governmental entity providing the 
programming. In response to broadcaster concerns about burdens, the R&O 
also does not adopt the NPRM's ``as soon as possible'' standard for 
updating OPIFs contained in Sec.  73.1943 of existing rules, nor 
interpret this phrase to mean ``within twenty-four hours of the 
material being broadcast.'' Rather, for frequency of updating OPIFs, 
the R&O adopts rules that align with an existing requirement to update 
the TV Issues/Programs Lists on a quarterly basis, as this will 
minimize the need for licensees to track different public filing 
requirements. The R&O also adopts the same OPIF two-year retention 
period as currently exists for the retention of lists of the executives 
of any entity that sponsored programming concerning a political or 
controversial matter.
    101. Steps Taken to Minimize Significant Economic Impact on Small 
Entities, and Significant Alternatives Considered. The RFA requires an 
agency to describe any significant alternatives that it has considered 
in adopting its rules, which may include the following four 
alternatives (among others): (1) The establishment of differing 
compliance or reporting requirements or timetables that take into 
account the resources available to small entities; (2) the 
clarification, consolidation, or simplification of compliance or 
reporting requirements under the rule for small entities; (3) the use 
of performance, rather than design, standards; and (4) an exemption 
from coverage of the rule, or any part thereof, for small entities.
    102. While the NPRM proposed that foreign sponsorship disclosure 
rules should apply in any circumstances in which a foreign governmental 
entity directly or indirectly provided material for broadcast or 
furnished material to a station free of charge (or at nominal cost) as 
an inducement to broadcast such material, the R&O narrows the rule to 
address specifically those circumstances in which a foreign 
governmental entity is programming a U.S. broadcast station pursuant to 
the lease of airtime. The rules adopted in the R&O require a specific 
disclosure at the time of broadcast if material aired pursuant to the 
lease of time on the station has been sponsored, paid for, or, in the 
case of political programming or programming involving a controversial 
issue, furnished for free as an inducement to air by a foreign 
governmental entity. The focus on leasing agreements narrows the 
application of the disclosure rules significantly, thereby minimizing 
the burden on broadcasters while ensuring that viewers and listeners 
are sufficiently informed as to the origin of material broadcast on 
stations when foreign governmental entities are providing programming. 
Most, and possibly all, noncommercial educational NCE programming 
arrangements will fall outside the ambit of the narrowed rules given 
limitations on the ability of NCE stations to engage in leasing 
arrangements. Also, while the NPRM proposed to include ``foreign 
missions,'' as designated pursuant to the Foreign Missions Act, within 
the definition of foreign governmental entities that would trigger 
foreign sponsorship identification, based on broadcaster concerns 
regarding the difficulty and compliance burden of including these 
entities, the R&O eliminates then from the definition.
    103. Additionally, based on comments from broadcasters, including 
small broadcasters, the R&O clarifies compliance obligations to ensure 
that, under the narrowed scope of the rules, they are no more 
burdensome than necessary to serve the vital need for transparency 
about who is attempting to influence viewers and listeners. The R&O 
details what is required of broadcasters to meet the ``reasonable 
diligence'' standard contained in section 317(c) of the Act so that 
broadcasters can determine if a foreign sponsorship identification 
disclosure is needed. The R&O lists specific steps broadcasters must 
take to satisfy the standard. The R&O also advises broadcasters to 
include a provision in their lease agreements requiring the lessee to 
notify the broadcaster about any change in the lessee's status such as 
to trigger the foreign sponsorship identification rules. The R&O also 
adopts broadcaster suggestions to reduce compliance burdens by 
matching, to the extent possible, disclosure language, size, frequency 
and duration requirements

[[Page 32238]]

contained in existing sponsorship identification rules and allowing 
broadcasters to satisfy the new foreign sponsorship identification 
requirements by simply passing through existing FARA programming labels 
if they also disclose the country involved with provision of the 
programming and comport with the size and frequency requirements 
contained in the R&O. Similarly, in response to comments from 
broadcasters, including small broadcasters, to the extent possible, the 
Commission matches obligations to place and update disclosures in 
station OPIFs to other broadcaster OPIF obligations. Broadcasters have 
indicated that implementing such changes would mean the burden on 
broadcasters would be considerably less and more appropriate.
    104. The NPRM sought comment on the benefits and costs associated 
with adopting foreign government-provided programming sponsorship 
identification rules and requested specific data and analysis in 
support of any claimed costs and benefits. No commenters provided 
quantified calculations of the benefits or costs of the proposed rules. 
Thus, the R&O finds that by narrowing the scope of the programming for 
which foreign governmental entity sponsorship is required and 
minimizing compliance burdens as described in the preceding paragraphs, 
the costs for broadcasters, including small broadcasters, associated 
with the rules are reduced significantly from the initial proposal. 
Research reviewed by Commission staff also suggests that there are 
measurable benefits to sponsorship identification disclosures. 
Therefore, the R&O finds that the costs, including the costs for small 
businesses, associated with adopting the rules, as modified by the R&O, 
do not outweigh the substantial public benefits associated with 
transparency regarding the source of programming heard or viewed by the 
American public.
    105. Report to Congress. The Commission will send a copy of this 
R&O, including this FRFA, in a report to Congress and the Government 
Accountability Office pursuant to the Small Business Regulatory 
Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996. In addition, the Commission will send 
a copy of the R&O, including the FRFA, to the Chief Counsel for 
Advocacy of the Small Business Administration. A copy of the R&O and 
FRFA (or summaries thereof) will also be published in the Federal 
Register.
    106. Federal Rules that May Duplicate, Overlap, or Conflict with 
the Proposed Rule. The R&O contains requirements that may somewhat 
overlap with, but do not duplicate, DOJ rules for labelling of 
broadcast programming provided by an ``agent of a foreign principal,'' 
as that term is defined in the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
    107. Ordering Clauses. Accordingly, it is ordered that, pursuant to 
the authority found in sections 1, 2, 4(i), 4(j), 303(r), 317, 325(c), 
403, and 507 of the Communications Act, 47 U.S.C. 151, 152, 154(i), 
154(j), 303(r), 317, 325(c), 403, and 508 this Report and Order is 
adopted and shall be effective 30 days after publication in the Federal 
Register.
    108. It is further ordered that part 73 of the Commission's rules 
is amended as set forth in the Final Rules. The rule changes to Sec.  
73.1212 adopted herein contain new or modified information collection 
requirements subject to OMB review under the Paperwork Reduction Act. 
The Commission directs the Media Bureau to announce the effective date 
for those information collections in a document published in the 
Federal Register after the completion of OMB review and directs the 
Media Bureau to cause Sec.  73.1212 to be revised accordingly.
    109. It is further ordered that the Commission's Consumer and 
Governmental Affairs Bureau, Reference Information Center, shall send a 
copy of this Report and Order, including the Final Regulatory 
Flexibility Analysis, to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small 
Business Administration.
    110. It is further ordered that the Commission shall send a copy of 
this Report and Order in a report to be sent to Congress and the 
Government Accountability Office pursuant to the Congressional Review 
Act, see 5 U.S.C. 801(a)(1)(A).

List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 73

    Radio, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Television.

    Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary.

Final Rules

    For the reasons discussed in the preamble, the Federal 
Communications Commission amends 47 CFR part 73 as follows:

PART 73--RADIO BROADCAST SERVICES

0
1. The authority citation for part 73 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 47 U.S.C. 154, 155, 301, 303, 307, 309, 310, 334, 
336, 339.


0
2. Amend Sec.  73.1212 by adding paragraphs (j) through (l) to read as 
follows:


Sec.  73.1212  Sponsorship identification; list retention; related 
requirements.

* * * * *
    (j)(1)(i) Where the material broadcast consistent with paragraph 
(a) or (d) of this section has been aired pursuant to the lease of time 
on the station and has been provided by a foreign governmental entity, 
the station, at the time of the broadcast, shall include the following 
disclosure:

    The [following/preceding] programming was [sponsored, paid for, 
or furnished], either in whole or in part, by [name of foreign 
governmental entity] on behalf of [name of foreign country].

    (ii) If the material broadcast contains a ``conspicuous statement'' 
pursuant to the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 (FARA) (22 
U.S.C. 614(b)), such conspicuous statement will suffice for purposes of 
this paragraph (j)(1) if the conspicuous statement also contains a 
disclosure about the foreign country associated with the individual/
entity that has sponsored, paid for, or furnished the material being 
broadcast.
    (2) The term ``foreign governmental entity'' shall include 
governments of foreign countries, foreign political parties, agents of 
foreign principals, and United States-based foreign media outlets.
    (i) The term ``government of a foreign country'' has the meaning 
given such term in the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 (22 
U.S.C. 611(e)).
    (ii) The term ``foreign political party'' has the meaning given 
such term in the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 (22 U.S.C. 
611(f)).
    (iii) The term ``agent of a foreign principal'' has the meaning 
given such term in the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 (22 
U.S.C. 611(c)), and who is registered as such with the Department of 
Justice, and whose ``foreign principal'' is a ``government of a foreign 
country,'' a ``foreign political party,'' or directly or indirectly 
operated, supervised, directed, owned, controlled, financed, or 
subsidized by a ``government of a foreign country'' or a ``foreign 
political party'' as defined in paragraphs (j)(2)(i) and (ii) of this 
section, and that is acting in its capacity as an agent of such 
``foreign principal''.
    (iv) The term ``United States-based foreign media outlet'' has the 
meaning given such term in section 722(a) of the Communications Act of 
1934 (47 U.S.C. 624(a)).
    (3) The licensee of each broadcast station shall exercise 
reasonable diligence to ascertain whether the

[[Page 32239]]

foreign sponsorship disclosure requirements in paragraph (j)(1) of this 
section apply at the time of the lease agreement and at any renewal 
thereof, including:
    (i) Informing the lessee of the foreign sponsorship disclosure 
requirement in paragraph (j)(1) of this section;
    (ii) Inquiring of the lessee whether the lessee falls into any of 
the categories in paragraph (j)(2) of this section that qualify the 
lessee as a foreign governmental entity;
    (iii) Inquiring of the lessee whether the lessee knows if anyone 
involved in the production or distribution of the programming that will 
be aired pursuant to the lease agreement, or a sub-lease, qualifies as 
a foreign governmental entity and has provided some type of inducement 
to air the programming;
    (iv) Independently confirming the lessee's status, by consulting 
the Department of Justice's FARA website and the Commission's semi-
annual U.S.-based foreign media outlets reports, if the lessee states 
that it does not fall within the definition of ``foreign governmental 
entity'' and that there is no separate need for a disclosure because no 
one further back in the chain of producing/transmitting the programming 
falls within the definition of ``foreign governmental entity'' and has 
provided an inducement to air the programming; and
    (v) Memorializing the inquiries in paragraphs (j)(3)(i) through 
(iv) of this section to track compliance therewith and retaining such 
documentation in the licensee's records for either the remainder of the 
then-current license term or one year, whichever is longer, so as to 
respond to any future Commission inquiry.
    (4) In the case of any video programming, the foreign governmental 
entity and the country represented shall be identified with letters 
equal to or greater than four percent of the vertical picture height 
that air for not less than four seconds.
    (5) At a minimum, the announcement required by paragraph (j)(1) of 
this section shall be made at both the beginning and conclusion of the 
programming. For programming of greater than sixty minutes in duration, 
an announcement shall be made at regular intervals during the 
broadcast, but no less frequently than once every sixty minutes.
    (6) Where the primary language of the programming is other than 
English, the disclosure statement shall be made in the primary language 
of the programming. If the programming contains a ``conspicuous 
statement'' pursuant to the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 (22 
U.S.C. 614(b)), and such conspicuous statement is in a language other 
than English so as to conform to the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 
1938 (22 U.S.C. 611 et seq.), an additional disclosure in English is 
not needed.
    (7) A station shall place copies of the disclosures required by 
this paragraph (j) and the name of the program to which the disclosures 
were appended in its online public inspection file on a quarterly basis 
in a standalone folder marked as ``Foreign Government-Provided 
Programming Disclosures.'' The filing must state the date and time the 
program aired. In the case of repeat airings of the program, those 
additional dates and times should also be included. Where an aural 
announcement was made, its contents must be reduced to writing and 
placed in the online public inspection file in the same manner.
    (k) The requirements in paragraph (j) of this section shall apply 
to programs permitted to be delivered to foreign broadcast stations 
under an authorization pursuant to the section 325(c) of the 
Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 325(c)) if any part of the 
material has been sponsored, paid for, or furnished for free as an 
inducement to air on the foreign station by a foreign governmental 
entity. A section 325(c) permit holder shall place copies of the 
disclosures required along with the name of the program to which the 
disclosures were appended in the International Bureau's public filing 
System (IBFS) under the relevant IBFS section 325(c) permit file. The 
filing must state the date and time the program aired. In the case of 
repeat airings of the program, those additional dates and times should 
also be included. Where an aural announcement was made, its contents 
must be reduced to writing and placed in the IBFS in the same manner.
    (l) Paragraphs (j) and (k) of this section contain information-
collection and recordkeeping requirements. Compliance with paragraphs 
(j) and (k) of this section shall not be required until after review by 
the Office of Management and Budget. The Commission will publish a 
document in the Federal Register announcing compliance dates and 
removing this paragraph (l) accordingly.

0
3. Amend Sec.  73.3526 by adding paragraph (e)(19) to read as follows:


Sec.  73.3526  Online public inspection file of commercial stations.

* * * * *
    (e) * * *
    (19) Foreign sponsorship disclosures. Documentation sufficient to 
demonstrate that the station is continuing to meet the requirements set 
forth at Sec.  73.1212(j)(7).
* * * * *

0
4. Amend Sec.  73.3527 by adding paragraph (e)(15) to read as follows:


Sec.  73.3527  Online public inspection file of noncommercial 
educational stations.

* * * * *
    (e) * * *
    (15) Foreign sponsorship disclosures. Documentation sufficient to 
demonstrate that the station is continuing to meet the requirements set 
forth at Sec.  73.1212(j)(7).
* * * * *
[FR Doc. 2021-12207 Filed 6-16-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P