WASHINGTON, D.C. — The deadline for United States-based foreign media outlets to submit their next John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act report to the FCC has been set by the Media Bureau.
A report containing the name of the outlet and a description of the relationship of such outlet to the foreign principal of such outlet, including a description of the legal structure of such relationship and any funding that such outlet receives from such principal, is due by October 11.
Where should the reports be sent? A dedicated email address: [email protected].
Respondents should format the reports as Adobe Acrobat (PDF) or Microsoft Word documents and attach them to the e-mail.
The e-mail submitting the report should include a subject or caption referring to the NDAA disclosure requirement and the name of the outlet.
A U.S.-based foreign media outlet is defined as an entity that produces or distributes video programming (as defined in section 602 of the Communications Act) that is transmitted, or intended for transmission, by a MVPD to consumers in the United States; and would be a foreign agent under regulatory policy.
This includes the parties behind Sputnik, the English-language service of the Voice of Russia, which airs 24/7 in the Washington, D.C., market and for select hours of the broadcast day in Kansas City.
The National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2019 amended the Communications Act of 1934 to require all U.S.-based foreign media outlets submit reports every six months to the Commission regarding the outlets’ relations to their foreign principals.
