Sec. 5. INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING, INTERNET FREEDOM, AND ACCESS TO INFORMATION IN BELARUS
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## SEC. 5 INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING, INTERNET FREEDOM, AND ACCESS TO INFORMATION IN BELARUS ###
(a)Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that— ####
(1)the President should support and reallocate resources to radio, television, and internet broadcasting conducted by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in languages spoken in Belarus; ####
(2)the United States should also support other independent media providing objective information to the Belarusian people, particularly in the Belarusian language; ####
(3)the President should provide the United States Agency for Global Media with a surge capacity (as such term is defined in section 316 of the United States International Broadcasting Act (22 U.S.C. 6216)) for programs and activities in Belarus; ####
(4)the Chief Executive Officer of the United States Agency for Global Media, working through the Open Technology Fund and in coordination with the Secretary of State, should expand and prioritize efforts to provide anti-censorship technology and services to journalists and civil society in Belarus in order to enhance their ability to safely access or share digital news and information without fear of repercussions or surveillance; and ####
(5)the United States should continue to condemn the Belarusian authorities’ crackdown on independent media, including the harassment and mass detentions of independent and foreign journalists and the denial of accreditation. ###
(b)Strategy to Promote Expanded Broadcasting, Internet Freedom, and Access to Information in Belarus ####
(1)In general Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of the Belarus Democracy, Human Rights, and Sovereignty Act of 2020, the Chief Executive Officer of the United States Agency for Global Media and the Secretary of State shall jointly submit to the appropriate congressional committees a comprehensive strategy, including a cost estimate, to carry out the following: #####
(A)Expand independent radio, television, live stream, and social network broadcasting and communications in Belarus to provide news and information, particularly in the Belarusian language, that is credible, comprehensive, and accurate. #####
(B)Support the development and use of anti-censorship and circumvention technologies by the Open Technology Fund and the Bureau of Democracy Human Rights and Labor that enable the citizens of Belarus to communicate securely and undertake internet activities without interference from the Government of Belarus. #####
(C)Assist efforts to overcome attempts by the Government of Belarus to disrupt internet access and block content online. #####
(D)Monitor the cooperation of the Government of Belarus with any foreign government or organization for purposes related to the censorship or surveillance of the internet, including an assessment of any such cooperation in the preceding ten years. #####
(E)Monitor the purchase or receipt by the Government of Belarus of any technology or training from any foreign government or organization for purposes related to the censorship or surveillance of the internet, including an assessment of any such purchase or receipt in the preceding ten years. #####
(F)Assist with the protection of journalists who have been targeted for free speech activities, including through the denial of accreditation. #####
(G)Provide cyber-attack mitigation services to civil society organizations in Belarus. #####
(H)Provide resources for educational materials and training on digital literacy, bypassing internet censorship, digital safety, and investigative and analytical journalism for independent journalists working in Belarus. #####
(I)Build the capacity of civil society, media, and other nongovernmental and organizations to identify, track, and counter disinformation, including from proxies of the Government of Russia working at Belarusian state television. ####
(2)Form The report required under paragraph
(1)shall be transmitted in unclassified form, but may contain a classified annex.
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Sec. 5
INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING, INTERNET FREEDOM, AND ACCESS TO INFORMATION IN BELARUS
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