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S 259
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Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency Act

S. 259 To direct the Federal Communications Commission to publish a list of entities that hold authorizations, licenses, or other grants of authority issued by the Commission and that have certain foreign ownership, and for other purposes.

Introduced Jan 27, 2025

Latest action (Oct 24, 2025) Held at the desk.

Issues
Foreign PolicyTechnology & Privacy

Summary

The bill requires the Federal Communications Commission to publish and maintain a publicly available list of entities that hold FCC licenses or authorizations and that have certain foreign ownership or control by entities from designated foreign adversary countries. The FCC must initially publish a list within 120 days covering radio and cable landing licenses where foreign adversary entities hold reportable ownership interests or exercise control. The bill also requires the FCC to establish rules within 18 months to identify and list other FCC authorization holders with foreign adversary ownership interests, with such entities added to the list within one year of the rules being issued. The FCC must update the list at least annually.

AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.

Sponsor (1)

Actions (10)

  1. Oct 24, 2025 Held at the desk. · house
  2. Oct 24, 2025 Received in the House. · house
  3. Oct 23, 2025 Message on Senate action sent to the House. · senate
  4. Oct 23, 2025 Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote. (consideration: CR S7734; text: CR S7734) · senate
  5. Oct 23, 2025 Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
  6. Jul 9, 2025 Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 110. · senate
  7. Jul 9, 2025 Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Cruz without amendment. With written report No. 119-36. · senate
  8. Apr 30, 2025 Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably. · senate
  9. Jan 27, 2025 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. · senate
  10. Jan 27, 2025 Introduced in Senate

Similar bills (6)

Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.

Full text

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

January 27, 2025

Mrs. Fischer (for herself, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Cornyn, and Mr. Lujan) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

July 9, 2025

Reported by Mr. Cruz, without amendment

A BILL

To direct the Federal Communications Commission to publish a list of entities that hold authorizations, licenses, or other grants of authority issued by the Commission and that have certain foreign ownership, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the “Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency Act”.

SEC. 2. LIST OF ENTITIES HOLDING FCC AUTHORIZATIONS, LICENSES, OR OTHER GRANTS OF AUTHORITY AND HAVING CERTAIN FOREIGN OWNERSHIP.

(a) Definitions.—In this section:

(1) Appropriate national security agency.—The term “appropriate national security agency” has the meaning given such term in section 9 of the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019 (47 U.S.C. 1608).

(2) Commission.—The term “Commission” means the Federal Communications Commission.

(3) Covered country.—The term “covered country” means a country specified in section 4872(f)(2) of title 10, United States Code.

(4) Covered entity.—The term “covered entity” means—

(A) the government of a covered country;

(B) an entity organized under the laws of a covered country; and

(C) a subsidiary of an entity described in subparagraph (B), regardless of whether the subsidiary is organized under the laws of a covered country.

(b) Publication of List.—Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commission shall publish on the internet website of the Commission a list of each entity—

(1) that holds a license issued by the Commission pursuant to—

(A) section 309(j) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 309(j)); or

(B) the Act of May 27, 1921 (47 U.S.C. 34 et seq.; commonly known as the “Cable Landing Licensing Act”) and Executive Order 10530 (3 U.S.C. 301 note; relating to the performance of certain functions vested in or subject to the approval of the President); and

(2) with respect to which—

(A) a covered entity holds an equity or voting interest that is required to be reported to the Commission under the ownership rules of the Commission; or

(B) an appropriate national security agency has determined that a covered entity exerts control, regardless of whether such covered entity holds an equity or voting interest as described in subparagraph

(A).

(c) Rulemaking.—

(1) In general.—Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commission shall issue rules to obtain information to identify each entity—

(A) that holds any authorization, license, or other grant of authority issued by the Commission (other than a license described in subsection (b)(1)); and

(B) with respect to which a covered entity holds an equity or voting interest that is required to be reported to the Commission under the ownership rules of the Commission.

(2) Placement on list.—Not later than 1 year after the Commission issues the rules required by paragraph (1), the Commission shall place each entity described in such paragraph on the list published under subsection (b).

(d) Paperwork Reduction Act Exemption.—A collection of information conducted or sponsored by the Commission to implement this section does not constitute a collection of information for the purposes of subchapter I of chapter 35 of title 44, United States Code (commonly referred to as the “Paperwork Reduction Act”).

(e) Annual Updates.—The Commission shall, not less frequently than annually, update the list published under subsection (b), including with respect to any entity required to be placed on such list by subsection (c)(2). Calendar No. 110

119th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. 259

[Report No. 119-36]

A BILL

To direct the Federal Communications Commission to publish a list of entities that hold authorizations, licenses, or other grants of authority issued by the Commission and that have certain foreign ownership, and for other purposes.

July 9, 2025

Reported without amendment

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