‘I am not an agent’: Radio Sputnik broadcaster sues DOJ over FARA registration
One of the companies that broadcasts Radio Sputnik in the US is suing the Department of Justice over the requirement to register as a foreign agent, saying the 1930s law does not apply to radio and television media.
RN Broadcasting LLC has filed a lawsuit over the DOJ’s demand to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), due to being a broadcaster of Radio Sputnik.
“I am not an agent,” owner of RM Broadcasting Arnold Ferolito told Sputnik on Monday. “I am not an agent of any government. I'm an independent businessman who has made a business transaction, period.”
FARA simply does not apply to the radio and television broadcasting industry, Ferolito argued, adding that his business does not meet any of the requirements to register under the law.
Ferolito has also argued that the DOJ’s requirement is causing serious damage to his business.
When a number of companies that provide content and services for Sputnik and RT were required to register under FARA a year ago, the DOJ said this was “just a formality,” said Margarita Simonyan, the editor in chief of RT and Sputnik. “Now we know that's not true. Therefore, we will closely follow the process.”
The DOJ demanded that Sputnik and RT America register as foreign agents last year, and have made the same demand of several broadcast partners as well. Congress has also passed a law allowing cable operators to end contracts with “Russian government” media. Since then, several cable operators have chosen not to broadcast RT content, even if that meant shutting off TV content from other countries.
The DOJ has 60 days to respond to Ferolito’s lawsuit.
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