Title 22, Foreign Relations and IntercourseRelease 119-110
§1465bb Television Broadcasting to Cuba
Title 22 › CHAPTER 18 — UNITED STATES INFORMATION AND EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGE PROGRAMS › SUBCHAPTER V–B — TELEVISION BROADCASTING TO CUBA › § 1465bb
Summary
The Broadcasting Board of Governors must run U.S. television broadcasts to Cuba that give people open access to information and ideas and that provide reliable, accurate news. These broadcasts must follow Voice of America rules so programs are fair, correct, balanced, and show different viewpoints. The broadcasts will be called the “Television Marti Program.” The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) must pick a suitable broadcast frequency under the Communications Act, but it cannot force a U.S. TV station to change its frequency. The FCC will set technical limits to prevent harmful interference with U.S. stations, watch the broadcasts, and order Television Marti to stop if the broadcasts cause problems until those problems are fixed. The FCC must help any U.S. stations harmed by interference, may allow power increases to protect their signals, and must tell Congress when it orders a stop and report on progress. The FCC must also keep monitoring and reporting on interference from Cuban stations and from the U.S. broadcasts. Congress urges the President to create a task force to study interference from Cuban stations and find political and technical solutions.
Full Legal Text
Title 22, §1465bb
Foreign Relations and Intercourse, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)Television broadcasting to Cuba
In order to carry out the purposes set forth in section 1465aa of this title and notwithstanding the limitation of section 1461 of this title with respect to the dissemination in the United States of information prepared for dissemination abroad to the extent such dissemination is inadvertent, the Broadcasting Board of Governors (hereafter in this subchapter referred to as the “Agency” shall provide for the open communication of information and ideas through the use of television broadcasting to Cuba. Television broadcasting to Cuba shall serve as a consistently reliable and authoritative source of accurate, objective, and comprehensive news.
(b)Voice of America standards
Television broadcasting to Cuba under this subchapter shall be in accordance with all Voice of America standards to ensure the broadcast of programs which are objective, accurate, balanced, and which present a variety of views.
(c)Television Marti
Any program of United States Government television broadcasts to Cuba authorized by this section shall be designated the “Television Marti Program”.
(d)Frequency assignment
(1)Subject to the Communications Act of 1934 [47 U.S.C. 151 et seq.], the Federal Communications Commission shall assign by order a suitable frequency to further the national interests expressed in this subchapter, except that no such assignment shall result in objectionable interference with the broadcasts of any domestic licensee.
(2)No Federal branch or agency shall compel an incumbent domestic licensee to change its frequency in order to eliminate objectionable interference caused by broadcasting of the Service.
(3)For purposes of section 305 of the Communications Act of 1934 [47 U.S.C. 305], a television broadcast station established for purposes of this subchapter shall be treated as a government station, but the Federal Communications Commission shall exercise the authority of the President under such section to assign a frequency to such station.
(e)Interference with domestic broadcasting
(1)Broadcasting by the Television Marti Service shall be conducted in accordance with such parameters as shall be prescribed by the Federal Communications Commission to preclude objectionable interference with the broadcasts of any domestic licensee. The Television Marti Service shall be governed by the same standards regarding objectionable interference as any domestic licensee. The Federal Communications Commission shall monitor the operations of television broadcasting to Cuba pursuant to subsection (f). If, on the basis of such monitoring or a complaint from any person, the Federal Communications Commission determines, in its discretion, that broadcasting by the Television Marti Service is causing objectionable interference with the transmission or reception of the broadcasts of a domestic licensee, the Federal Communications Commission shall direct the Television Marti Service to cease broadcasting and to eliminate the objectionable interference. Broadcasts by the Service shall not be resumed until the Federal Communications Commission finds that the objectionable interference has been eliminated and should not recur.
(2)The Federal Communications Commission shall take such actions as are necessary and appropriate to assist domestic licensees in overcoming the adverse effects of objectionable interference caused by broadcasting by the Television Marti Service. Such assistance may include the authorization of nondirectional increases in the effective radiated power of a domestic television station so that its coverage is equivalent to the maximum allowable for such facilities, to avoid any adverse effect on such stations of the broadcasts of the Television Marti Service.
(3)If the Federal Communications Commission directs the Television Marti Service to cease broadcasting pursuant to paragraph (1), the Commission shall, as soon as practicable, notify the appropriate committees of Congress of such action and the reasons therefor. The Federal Communications Commission shall continue to notify the appropriate committees of Congress of progress in eliminating the objectionable interference and shall assure that Congress is fully informed about the operation of the Television Marti Service.
(f)Monitoring of interference
The Federal Communications Commission shall continually monitor and periodically report to the appropriate committees of the Congress interference to domestic broadcast licensees—
(1)from the operation of Cuban television and radio stations; and
(2)from the operations of the television broadcasting to Cuba.
(g)Task force
It is the sense of the Congress that the President should establish a task force to analyze the level of interference from the operation of Cuban television and radio stations experienced by broadcasters in the United States and to seek a practical political and technical solution to this problem.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Repeal of Section Section repealed upon transmittal of determination by President under section 6063(c)(3) of this title that democratically elected government in Cuba is in power, see section 6037(c) of this title.
Editorial Notes
References in Text
The Communications Act of 1934, referred to in subsec. (d)(1), is act June 19, 1934, ch. 652, 48 Stat. 1064, which is classified principally to chapter 5 (§ 151 et seq.) of Title 47, Telecommunications. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 609 of Title 47 and Tables. Codification Section was enacted as part of the Television Broadcasting to Cuba Act which comprises this subchapter, and not as part of the United States Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 which comprises this chapter.
Amendments
1998—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 105–277, § 1325(1), substituted “Broadcasting Board of Governors” for “United States Information Agency”. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 105–277, § 1325(2), in heading struck out “USIA” before “Television” and in text substituted “the ‘Television” for “ ‘USIA Television”.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Change of Name
Broadcasting Board of Governors renamed United States Agency for Global Media pursuant to section 6204(a)(21) of this title. The renaming was effectuated by notice to congressional appropriations committees dated May 24, 2018, and became effective Aug. 22, 2018.
Effective Date
of 1998 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 105–277 effective Oct. 1, 1999, see section 1301 of Pub. L. 105–277, set out as an
Effective Date
note under section 6531 of this title. Termination of Reporting RequirementsFor termination, effective May 15, 2000, of provisions of law requiring submittal to Congress of any annual, semiannual, or other regular periodic report listed in House Document No. 103–7 (in which a report required under subsec. (f) of this section is listed on page 167), see section 3003 of Pub. L. 104–66, as amended, set out as a note under section 1113 of Title 31, Money and Finance.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
22 U.S.C. § 1465bb
Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse
Last Updated
Sep 22, 2026
Release point: 119-110