(a) AuthoritiesThe Chief Executive Officer shall have the following authorities:
(1)
To direct and supervise all broadcasting activities conducted pursuant to this chapter, the Radio Broadcasting to Cuba Act [22 U.S.C. 1465 et seq.],,[1] the Television Broadcasting to Cuba Act [22 U.S.C. 1465aa et seq.], and Worldnet Television, except as provided in section 6205(b) of this title.
(2)
To review and evaluate the mission and operation of, and to assess the quality, effectiveness, and professional integrity of, all such activities within the context of the broad foreign policy objectives of the United States.
(3)
To ensure that United States international broadcasting is conducted in accordance with the standards and principles contained in section 6202 of this title.
(4)
To review, evaluate, and determine, at least annually, after consultation with the Secretary of State, the addition or deletion of language services.
(5)
To make and supervise grants and cooperative agreements for broadcasting and related activities in furtherance of the purposes of this chapter and on behalf of other agencies, accordingly.
(6)
To allocate funds appropriated for international broadcasting activities among the various elements of the Board and grantees, subject to reprogramming notification requirements in law for the reallocation of funds.
(7)
To review engineering activities to ensure that all broadcasting elements receive the highest quality and cost-effective delivery services.
(8)
To undertake such studies as may be necessary to identify areas in which broadcasting activities under its authority could be made more efficient and economical.
(9)
To submit to the President and the Congress an annual report which summarizes and evaluates activities under this chapter, the Radio Broadcasting to Cuba Act [22 U.S.C. 1465 et seq.], and the Television Broadcasting to Cuba Act [22 U.S.C. 1465aa et seq.]. Each annual report shall place special emphasis on the assessment described in paragraph (2).
(10)
To the extent considered necessary to carry out the functions of the Chief Executive Officer, procure, rent, or lease supplies, services, and other property for journalism, media, production, and broadcasting, and related support services, notwithstanding any other provision of law relating to such acquisition, rental, or lease, and under the same terms and conditions as authorized under section 501(b) of the United States Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 (22 U.S.C. 1461(b)), and for multiyear contracts and leases for periods of up to 20 years subject to the requirements of subsections (b) through (f) of section 3903 of title 41.
(11)
To appoint such personnel for the Chief Executive Officer as the Chief Executive Officer may determine to be necessary, which shall not be subject to the provisions of title 5 governing appointments in the competitive service, and to fix their compensation in accordance with the provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of such title relating to classification and General Schedule pay rates.
(12)
To obligate and expend, for official reception and representation expenses, such amount as may be made available through appropriations (which for each of the fiscal years 1998 and 1999 may not exceed the amount made available to the Chief Executive Officer and the International Broadcasting Bureau for such purposes for fiscal year 1997).
(13)
To make available in the annual report required by paragraph (9) information on funds expended on administrative and managerial services by the Board and by grantees and the steps the Chief Executive Officer has taken to reduce unnecessary overhead costs for each of the broadcasting services.
(14)
The Chief Executive Officer may provide for the use of United States Government transmitter capacity for transmission or relay of Radio Free Asia or any other grantee authorized under this chapter.
(15)
(A)
To procure personal services at rates not to exceed the daily equivalent of the rate provided for positions classified above grade GS–15 of the General Schedule under section 5108 of title 5.
(B)
To allow those providing such services, while away from their homes or their regular places of business, travel expenses (including per diem in lieu of subsistence) as authorized by section 5703 of title 5 for persons in the Government service employed intermittently, while so employed.
(16)
To procure, pursuant to section 1535 of title 31 (commonly known as the “Economy Act”), such goods and services from other departments or agencies for the Chief Executive Officer and the International Broadcasting Bureau as the Chief Executive Officer determines are appropriate.
(17)
To utilize the provisions of titles III, IV, V, VII, VIII, IX, and X of the United States Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 [22 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.], and section 6 of Reorganization Plan Number 2 of 1977, as in effect on the day before the effective date of title XIII of the Foreign Affairs Agencies Consolidation Act of 1998, to the extent the Chief Executive Officer considers necessary in carrying out the provisions and purposes of this chapter.
(18)
To utilize the authorities of any other statute, reorganization plan, Executive order, regulation, agreement, determination, or other official document or proceeding that had been available to the Director of the United States Information Agency, the Chief Executive Officer, or the Chief Executive Officer [2] before the effective date of title XIII of the Foreign Affairs Consolidation Act of 1998 for carrying out the broadcasting activities covered by this chapter.
(19)
(A)
To provide for the payment of primary and secondary school expenses for dependents of personnel stationed in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) at a cost not to exceed expenses authorized by the Department of Defense for such schooling for dependents of members of the Armed Forces stationed in the Commonwealth, if the Chief Executive Officer determines that schools available in the Commonwealth are unable to provide adequately for the education of the dependents of such personnel.
(20)
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, including section 6207(a) of this title, to condition, if appropriate, any grant or cooperative agreement to RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Asia, or the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, or any organization that is established through the consolidation of such entities, on authority to determine membership of their respective boards, and the consolidation of such grantee entities into a single grantee organization under terms and conditions established by the Board.
(21)
To redirect or reprogram funds within the scope of any grant or cooperative agreement, or between grantees, as necessary (and not later than 15 days before any such redirection of funds between language services, to notify the Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate regarding such redirection), and to condition grants or cooperative agreements, if appropriate, on such grants or cooperative agreements or any similar amendments as authorized under section 6207(a) of this title, including authority to name and replace the board of any grantee authorized under this chapter, including with Federal officials, to meet the purposes of this chapter.
(b) Professional independence of broadcasters
The Secretary of State and the Chief Executive Officer, in carrying out their functions, shall respect the professional independence and integrity of the Board, its broadcasting services, and the grantees of the Board.
(Pub. L. 103–236, title III, § 305, Apr. 30, 1994, 108 Stat. 435; Pub. L. 103–415, § 1(s)(1), Oct. 25, 1994, 108 Stat. 4302; Pub. L. 105–277, div. G, subdiv. A, title XIII, § 1323(e)–(i), Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2681–778, 2681–779; Pub. L. 107–228, div. A, title V, § 507(1), Sept. 30, 2002, 116 Stat. 1394; Pub. L. 109–140, § 8, Dec. 22, 2005, 119 Stat. 2652; Pub. L. 114–328, div. A, title XII, § 1288(2), Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2549.)