FCC Adopts Revised Foreign Government Sponsorship ID Rules

On June 10, 2024, the FCC released a Second Report and Order (Second R&O) revising and expanding requirements to identify and disclose whether any "leased" broadcast programming is sponsored by an agent of a foreign government. The Second R&O follows, and addresses, a decision in 2022 by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit that struck down a component of the original FCC rules that required broadcast licensees to check federal sources to verify sponsors' identities. The revised rules continue to impose diligence, certification, and recordkeeping requirements regarding certain leases of programming time, as well as political issue advertisements and paid public service announcements (PSAs). The revised foreign government sponsorship ID rules (FGSID Rules) will now provide broadcasters with two options for determining whether programming is sponsored by a foreign governmental entity. The new rules will take effect 30 days after they are published in the