“The U.S. Federal Communications Commission said on Thursday it had voted unanimously to adopt rules requiring public disclosure of broadcast television and radio content sponsored or provided by foreign governments. The disclosure would be required 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. We know that foreign entities are purchasing time on broadcast stations in markets across the country, including Chinese government-sponsored programming and Russian government-sponsored programming right here in our nation’s capital,” said Jessica Rosenworcel, the Biden appointed acting chairwoman of the FCC.

Reuters reports that “[W]hen broadcasters lease a portion of their airwaves, they must ask the lessee if it or its programming is from a foreign government entity…If the answer is yes, a sponsorship identification will need to be placed on air and documented in the station’s public file…the broadcaster will need to independently verify the leasee using the Justice Department’s Foreign Agent Registration Act website and the FCC’s foreign media outlet reports…”

There is no word yet on the exact penalties that will be assessed, and if it will be extended to cable tv operators like Newsmax, which regularly promotes content that was produced by Republican Party politicians and activists while they were overseas collaborating with foreign intelligence agencies to dig up “dirt” on their political opponents.