FCC chair proposes requiring new disclosures of foreign funded U.S. broadcasts

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai said on Tuesday he has proposed requiring new public disclosures of broadcast television and radio content sponsored or provided by foreign governments.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai said on Tuesday he has proposed requiring new public disclosures of broadcast television and radio content sponsored or provided by foreign governments. "With some station content coming from the likes of China and Russia, it is time to update our rules and shed more sunlight on these practices," Pai said.

The proposal would require disclosure at the time of a broadcast if a foreign governmental entity paid a radio or television station, directly or indirectly, to air material. Current rules do not specify when and how foreign government sponsorship should be publicly disclosed.