TITLE 22 - US CODE - SUBCHAPTER V - DISSEMINATION ABROAD OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE UNITED STATES

22 USC 1461 - General authorization

(a) Dissemination of information abroad 
The Secretary is authorized, when he finds it appropriate, to provide for the preparation, and dissemination abroad, of information about the United States, its people, and its policies, through press, publications, radio, motion pictures, and other information media, and through information centers and instructors abroad. Subject to subsection (b) of this section, any such information (other than Problems of Communism and the English Teaching Forum which may be sold by the Government Printing Office) shall not be disseminated within the United States, its territories, or possessions, but, on request, shall be available in the English language at the Department of State, at all reasonable times following its release as information abroad, for examination only by representatives of United States press associations, newspapers, magazines, radio systems, and stations, and by research students and scholars, and, on request, shall be made available for examination only to Members of Congress.
(b) Dissemination of information within United States 

(1) The Director of the United States Information Agency shall make available to the Archivist of the United States, for domestic distribution, motion pictures, films, videotapes, and other material prepared for dissemination abroad 12 years after the initial dissemination of the material abroad or, in the case of such material not disseminated abroad, 12 years after the preparation of the material.
(2) The Director of the United States Information Agency shall be reimbursed for any attendant expenses. Any reimbursement to the Director pursuant to this subsection shall be credited to the applicable appropriation of the United States Information Agency.
(3) The Archivist shall be the official custodian of the material and shall issue necessary regulations to ensure that persons seeking its release in the United States have secured and paid for necessary United States rights and licenses and that all costs associated with the provision of the material by the Archivist shall be paid by the persons seeking its release. The Archivist may charge fees to recover such costs, in accordance with section 2116 (c) of title 44. Such fees shall be paid into, administered, and expended as part of the National Archives Trust Fund.
[1] Actually transmitted Oct. 12, 1977.
[2] As amended Nov. 1, 1977, and Nov. 3, 1977.

22 USC 14611 - Mission of United States Information Agency

The mission of the United States Information Agency shall be to further the national interest by improving United States relations with other countries and peoples through the broadest possible sharing of ideas, information, and educational and cultural activities. In carrying out this mission, the United States Information Agency shall, among other activities
(1) conduct Government-sponsored information, educational, and cultural activities designed
(A) to provide other peoples with a better understanding of the policies, values, institutions, and culture of the United States; and
(B) within the statutory limits governing domestic activities of the Agency, to enhance understanding on the part of the Government and people of the United States of the history, culture, attitudes, perceptions, and aspirations of others;
(2) encourage private institutions in the United States to develop their own exchange activities, and provide assistance for those exchange activities which are in the broadest national interest;
(3) coordinate international informational, educational, or cultural activities conducted or planned by departments and agencies of the United States Government;
(4) assist in the development of a comprehensive national policy on international communications; and
(5) promote United States participation in international events relevant to the mission of the Agency.

22 USC 14611a - Ban on domestic activities by United States Information Agency

Except as provided in section 1461 of this title and this section, no funds authorized to be appropriated to the United States Information Agency shall be used to influence public opinion in the United States, and no program material prepared by the United States Information Agency shall be distributed within the United States. This section shall not apply to programs carried out pursuant to the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2451 et seq.). The provisions of this section shall not prohibit the United States Information Agency from responding to inquiries from members of the public about its operations, policies, or programs.

22 USC 1461a - Omitted

22 USC 1461b - Indemnification of owners of short-wave radio facilities against loss or damage

Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 1341, 1342, 1349 to 1351 and subchapter II of chapter 15 of title 31, the United States Information Agency is authorized, in making contracts for the use of international shortwave radio stations and facilities, to agree on behalf of the United States to indemnify the owners and operators of said radio stations and facilities from such funds as may be hereafter appropriated for the purpose against loss or damage on account of injury to persons or property arising from such use of said radio stations and facilities.

22 USC 1461c - Omitted

22 USC 1462 - Policies governing information activities

In authorizing international information activities under this chapter, it is the sense of the Congress
(1)  that the Secretary shall reduce such Government information activities whenever corresponding private information dissemination is found to be adequate;
(2)  that nothing in this chapter shall be construed to give the Department a monopoly in the production or sponsorship on the air of short-wave broadcasting programs, or a monopoly in any other medium of information.

22 USC 1463 - Repealed. Pub. L. 103236, title III, 315(a), Apr. 30, 1994, 108 Stat. 445

Section, act Jan. 27, 1948, ch. 36, title V, 503, as added July 12, 1976, Pub. L. 94–350, title II, § 206, 90 Stat. 831; amended 1977 Reorg. Plan No. 2, 5, 7 (a)(1), 42 F.R. 62461, 91 Stat. 1636, 1637; Aug. 24, 1982, Pub. L. 97–241, title III, § 303(b), 96 Stat. 291, related to principles governing communications of Voice of America broadcasts.

22 USC 1464 - Voice of America/Europe

As part of its duties and programs under this subchapter, Voice of America/Europe shall
(1) target news and features in accordance with the findings and recommendations of the Young European Survey;
(2) conduct periodic audience evaluations and measurements; and
(3) promote and advertise Voice of America/Europe.

22 USC 1464a - Broadcasting Board of Governors satellite and television

(a) In general 
The Broadcasting Board of Governors is authorized to lease or otherwise acquire time on commercial or United States Government satellites for the purpose of transmitting materials and programs to posts and other users abroad.
(b) Broadcast principles 
The Congress finds that the long-term interests of the United States are served by communicating directly with the peoples of the world by television. To be effective, the Broadcasting Board of Governors must win the attention and respect of viewers. These principles will therefore govern the television broadcasts of the United States International Television Service:
(1) The United States International Television Service will serve as a consistently reliable and authoritative source of news. The United States International Television Service news will be accurate and objective.
(2) The United States International Television Service will represent the United States, not any single segment of American society and will, therefore, present a balanced and comprehensive projection of significant American thought and institutions.
(3) The United States International Television Service will present the policies of the United States clearly and effectively and will also present responsible discussions and opinion on these policies.
(c) Programs 
The Broadcasting Board of Governors is authorized to produce, acquire, or broadcast television programs, via satellite, only if such programs
(1) are interactive, consisting of interviews among participants in different locales;
(2) cover news, public affairs, or other current events;
(3) cover official activities of government, Federal or State, including congressional proceedings and news briefings of any agency of the Executive branch; or
(4) are of an artistic or scientific character or are otherwise representative of American culture.
(d) Costs 
When a comparable program produced by United States public or commercial broadcasters and producers is available at a cost which is equal to or less than the cost of production by the United States International Television Service, the Broadcasting Board of Governors shall use such materials in preference to the United States International Television Service produced materials.
(e) Allocation of funds 

(1) Of the funds authorized to be appropriated to the Broadcasting Board of Governors not more than $12,000,000 for the fiscal year 1990 and not more than $12,480,000 for the fiscal year 1991 may be obligated or expended for the United States International Television Service.
(2) The Broadcasting Board of Governors shall prepare and submit to the Congress quarterly reports which contain a detailed explanation of expenditures for the United States International Television Service during the fiscal years 1990 and 1991. Such reports shall contain specific justification and supporting information pertaining to all programs, particularly those described in subsection (c)(4) of this section, that were produced in-house by the United States International Television Service. Each such report shall include a statement by the Broadcasting Board of Governors that, according to the best information available to the Broadcasting Board of Governors, no comparable United States commercially-produced or public television program is available at a cost which is equal to or less than the cost of production by the United States International Television Service.
(3) Of the funds authorized to be appropriated to the Broadcasting Board of Governors, $1,500,000 for the fiscal year 1990 and $1,500,000 for the fiscal year 1991 shall be available only for the purchase or use of programs produced with grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting or produced by United States public broadcasters.

22 USC 1464b - Voice of America hiring practices

(a) Prohibition 
After February 16, 1990, the Voice of America shall not select candidates for employment who must be or are preapproved for employment at the Voice of America by a foreign government or an entity controlled by a foreign government.
(b) Exception 
The prohibition referred to in this section shall not apply to
(1) participants in the Voice of Americas exchange programs; or
(2) clerical, technical, or maintenance staff at Voice of America offices in foreign countries.
(c) Report 
If the Broadcasting Board of Governors determines that the prohibition under subsection (a) of this section would require the termination of a specific Voice of America foreign language service, then, not less than 90 days before the Board begins to recruit such candidates, the Board shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives a report concerning
(1) the number and location of speakers of the applicable foreign language who could be recruited by the Voice of America without violating this section; and
(2) the efforts made by the Voice of America to recruit such individuals for employment.