RT Television Network Goes Dark in Washington D.C. Area

Rt Television Network, backed by the Kremlin, has ceased broadcasting in the Washington D.C. area, a significant market for the English-language news channel in the United States. While RT remains accessible via satellite, its removal from local cable systems stems from the operational suspension of two Washington-area stations that previously carried it.

MHz Networks, a Virginia-based distributor of international programming, including RT, confirmed the termination of distribution following the station operator’s decision to auction their broadcasting licenses. This compels area cable providers like Comcast and Cox Communications, obligated to carry channels with “must-carry rights,” to drop the affected stations. Frederick Thomas, CEO of MHz Networks, stated that all international news channels distributed through these stations would be dropped due to the loss of broadcast license access after March 31st.

RT’s U.S. arm, T&R Productions, attributed the channel’s removal, which occurred in early February, to the Justice Department. They linked it to RT’s mandatory registration as a “foreign agent” in the U.S., a designation enforced last year despite RT’s objections. The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) mandates registration and activity disclosure for agents of foreign governments or political parties. Three other Russian-linked media entities were subsequently required to register under FARA: RTTV America, Reston Translator LLC, and RIA Global LLC.

T&R Productions contends that the “foreign agent” label, while not explicitly restricting reporting, has placed undue burdens on operations and strained partnerships, highlighting the discriminatory nature of FARA.

However, MHz Networks CEO, Frederick Thomas, insists the decision to drop the channels is unrelated to political pressures or the Justice Department’s scrutiny. He attributes the change to evolving technology and the television business landscape, emphasizing the coincidence of the FARA situation. The Justice Department has not yet responded to requests for comment.

RT Television Network Faces Distribution Challenges

Formerly known as Russia Today, RT television network has faced consistent challenges in securing cable distribution within the United States. Washington D.C. represented one of the few major metropolitan areas where the channel enjoyed cable accessibility. Scrutiny of RT intensified following a 2017 U.S. intelligence report concluding that RT and Sputnik were instrumentalized in a Kremlin-led campaign to interfere with the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Last year, MHz Networks engaged with the Justice Department to clarify its potential FARA registration obligations due to its distribution of international news channels, including RT. According to Thomas, Justice Department lawyers suggested that distributors of such content might indeed be required to register. This interpretation would be unprecedented, as no American distributor of foreign news has previously registered under FARA.

Potential Implications for Foreign News Distributors

The Justice Department’s increasingly broad interpretation of FARA raises concerns about the future of foreign news distribution in the U.S. Legal experts suggest that while a passive conduit for content, like a website hosting paid ads without government control, is unlikely to be targeted, distributors with significant foreign government control or funding could face FARA scrutiny. The key determinant, according to FARA expert Joshua Ian Rosenstein, lies in the nature of control and funding exerted by foreign entities.

While MHz Networks will no longer carry RT television network, it plans to continue broadcasting three hours of government-funded news content from France, Germany, and China on its MHz Worldview channel. This raises questions about MHz Networks’ own potential FARA registration requirements. Thomas, however, argues that the limited three-hour daily broadcast should not necessitate registration. The situation underscores the evolving landscape of foreign news distribution in the U.S. and the potential implications of FARA enforcement.