Cruz to introduce legislation targeting Chinese state-owned propaganda station

Senator Ted Cruz will soon unveil legislation meant to stop a media outlet controlled by the Chinese government from beaming propaganda directly into the United States.

The law is motivated by the activities of Phoenix Television, a news outlet controlled by the propaganda wing of the Chinese Communist Party. That outlet is being beamed into the United States via a radio station in Mexico that was purchased by a Chinese-affiliated third party in 2018. 

Cruz's law would bar applicants to the FCC from receiving a license if they will be broadcasting across the United States border and if they intend to later change the language of the entity for which they are applying, according to the Washington Free Beacon, which obtained a copy of the legislation. Exceptions would be made if the FCC could determine that the broadcaster is free from the influence of a foreign government. 

The Mexican radio station at the center of the controversy initially began broadcasting in Spanish before switching to Chinese. That station currently has a temporary license from the FCC; Cruz's bill would essentially shut the station's American broadcasts down by ensuring its license does not become permanent. 

Cruz told the Beacon that he "look[s] forward to introducing this legislation when Congress returns and closing FCC loopholes that allow China to wage their information warfare from across the border in Mexico."