8. Media Agencies (USAGM, CPB) · Notable
Fully reinstate USAGM's Office of Internet Freedom
Printed page 242 8. Media Agencies (USAGM, CPB)
“As noted previously, the Open Technology Fund duplicates activities that already existed at the USAGM in the Office of Internet Freedom. … Full reinstatement of OIF would allow full agency and congressional oversight into how so-called “Internet freedom” money is being spent.”
What has happened
- Not started
The Office of Internet Freedom was not reinstated. USAGM's own structure page lists six overseen entities — VOA, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, RFE/RL, RFA, MBN, the Open Technology Fund and a new Frontline Media Fund — and no Office of Internet Freedom; Federal Register full-text "Office of Internet Freedom" since 2025-01-20 returns zero documents. Congress kept funding internet freedom through the existing route instead: the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 lets up to $72,720,000 of the USAGM international broadcasting operations account remain available for satellite transmissions, global network distribution and Internet freedom programs, with no direction to stand the office back up. The Open Technology Fund the Quote says duplicates it is still a grantee, by court order (see #616).
Research log
What was searched, and what didn’t count as evidence
Research notes
- The ask is to reinstate an office, and the named office does not exist, so not started, with the appropriation attached to show what Congress funded instead.
- Action
- reinstate
- Object
- Office of Internet Freedom (OIF)
- ID
- 623