22 U.S.C. § 6208 — Radio Free Asia

Page 1777 TITLE 22—FOREIGN RELATIONS AND INTERCOURSE § 6208 tion 6204(a)(21) of this title was redesignated as section 6204(a)(20) of this title. This chapter, referred to in subsecs. (a)(2) and (e), was in the original ‘‘this title’’, meaning title III of Pub. L. 103–236, Apr. 30, 1994, 108 Stat. 432, known as the United States International Broadcasting Act of 1994, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of title III to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 6201 of this title and Tables. The Board for International Broadcasting Act, re- ferred to in subsecs. (f) and (j)(3), is Pub. L. 93–129, Oct. 19, 1973, 87 Stat. 456, which was classified generally to chapter 43 (§ 2871 et seq.) of this title prior to repeal by Pub. L. 103–236, title III, § 310(e), Apr. 30, 1994, 108 Stat. 442. CODIFICATION Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XII, § 1299Q(e)(3), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4025, which amended this section, was itself amended by Pub. L. 116–260, div. O, title XIII, § 1301, Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 2158, to make it effective 90 days after Jan. 1, 2021. However, the amendment by Pub. L. 116–260 could not be executed because it was en- acted before the provision from Pub. L. 116–283 that it amended. AMENDMENTS 2023—Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 118–31, § 6602(2), redesignated pars. (2) and (4) as (1) and (2), respectively. Former par. (1) struck out. Pub. L. 118–31, § 6602(1), which directed amendment of subsec. (h) by striking out ‘‘subparagraphs (1), (3), and (5)’’, was executed by striking out pars. (1), (3), and (5), to reflect the probable intent of Congress. Prior to amendment, pars. (1), (3), and (5) read as follows: ‘‘(1)(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B) or (C), to pay any salary or other compensation, or enter into any contract providing for the payment of salary or compensation in excess of the rates established for comparable positions under title 5 or the foreign rela- tions laws of the United States, except that no em- ployee may be paid a salary or other compensation in excess of the rate of pay payable for level IV of the Ex- ecutive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5. ‘‘(B) Salary and other compensation limitations under subparagraph (A) shall not apply prior to October 1, 1995, with respect to any employee covered by a union agreement requiring a salary or other compensa- tion in excess of such limitations. ‘‘(C) Notwithstanding the limitations under subpara- graph (A), grant funds provided under this section may be used by RFE/RL, Incorporated, to pay up to three employees employed in Washington, D.C., salary or other compensation not to exceed the rate of pay pay- able for level III of the Executive Schedule under sec- tion 5314 of title 5. ‘‘(3) To enter into a contract or obligation to pay sev- erance payments for voluntary separation for employ- ees hired after December 1, 1990, except as may be re- quired by United States law or the laws of the country where the employee is stationed. ‘‘(5) To compensate freelance contractors without the approval of the Agency.’’ 2022—Subsec. (j)(3). Pub. L. 117–286 substituted ‘‘chap- ter 4 of title 5’’ for ‘‘the Inspector General Act of 1978’’. 2021—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 116–283, § 1299Q(e)(3)(A), sub- stituted ‘‘Agency’’ for ‘‘Board’’ in introductory provi- sions. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 116–283, § 1299Q(e)(3)(B), sub- stituted ‘‘Agency’’ for ‘‘Board’’ wherever appearing. Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 116–283, § 1299Q(e)(3)(C), sub- stituted ‘‘Agency’’ for ‘‘Board’’. Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 116–283, § 1299Q(e)(3)(D), sub- stituted ‘‘Agency’’ for ‘‘Board’’ wherever appearing. Subsec. (h)(5). Pub. L. 116–283, § 1299Q(e)(3)(E), sub- stituted ‘‘Agency’’ for ‘‘Board’’. Subsec. (i). Pub. L. 116–283, § 1299Q(e)(3)(F), sub- stituted ‘‘Agency’’ for ‘‘Board’’. 2016—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 114–328, § 1288(5)(A), which directed substitution of ‘‘authorized under section 6204(a)(20) of this title’’ for ‘‘of the Broadcasting Board of Governors established under section 6203 of this title and no other members’’, was executed by making the substitution for ‘‘of the Broadcasting Board of Gov- ernors established under section 6203 of this title and of no other members’’, to reflect the probable intent of Congress. Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 114–328, § 1288(5)(B), amended sub- sec. (d) generally. Prior to amendment, text read as fol- lows: ‘‘If the Board determines at any time that RFE/ RL, Incorporated, is not carrying out the functions de- scribed in section 6208 of this title in an effective and economical manner, the Board may award the grant to carry out such functions to another entity after solic- iting and considering applications from eligible entities in such manner and accompanied by such information as the Board may reasonably require.’’ Subsec. (g)(4). Pub. L. 114–328, § 1288(5)(C), substituted ‘‘any other grantee of the Board’’ for ‘‘International Broadcasting Bureau’’ and ‘‘by the Chief Executive Of- ficer’’ for ‘‘by the Board’’. Subsec. (i). Pub. L. 114–328, § 1288(5)(D), struck out par. (1) designation before ‘‘Effective’’. 2004—Subsec. (j)(1), (2). Pub. L. 108–271 substituted ‘‘Government Accountability Office’’ for ‘‘General Ac- counting Office’’. 2002—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 107–228, § 501, amended sub- sec. (c) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (c) read as follows: ‘‘The total amount of grants made by the Board for the operating costs of Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty may not exceed $75,000,000 for any fiscal year after fiscal year 1995.’’ Subsec. (h)(1)(A). Pub. L. 107–228, § 502(2), substituted ‘‘subparagraph (B) or (C),’’ for ‘‘subparagraph (B),’’. Subsec. (h)(1)(C). Pub. L. 107–228, § 502(1), added sub- par. (C). 1998—Subsec. (i)(1). Pub. L. 105–277, § 1314(d), sub- stituted ‘‘Inspector General of the Department of State and the Foreign Service’’ for ‘‘Inspector General of the United States Information Agency’’ in two places and struck out ‘‘, the Director of the United States Infor- mation Agency,’’ after ‘‘shall submit to the Board’’. Subsec. (j)(3). Pub. L. 105–277, § 1314(d)(1), substituted ‘‘Inspector General of the Department of State and the Foreign Service’’ for ‘‘Inspector General of the United States Information Agency’’. Subsecs. (k), (l). Pub. L. 105–277, § 1323(l)(1), struck out subsecs. (k) and (l), which listed conditions placed upon plan for relocation of offices or operations of RFE/RL, Incorporated from Munich, Germany, and required re- port to Congress on classification of personnel not later than 90 days after confirmation of all members of Board, respectively. Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries EFFECTIVE DATE OF 1998 AMENDMENT Amendment by Pub. L. 105–277 effective Oct. 1, 1999, see section 1301 of Pub. L. 105–277, set out as an Effec- tive Date note under section 6531 of this title. LIAISON WITH RFE/RL, INCORPORATED; REPRESENTATION AT BOARD MEETINGS Pub. L. 99–93, title III, § 305(b), Aug. 16, 1985, 99 Stat. 436, provided that: ‘‘The Secretary of State shall— ‘‘(1) establish an office within the United States Consulate in Munich, Federal Republic of Germany, which shall be responsible for the daily liaison oper- ations of the Department of State with RFE/RL, In- corporated; and ‘‘(2) be represented by an observer at each meeting of the Board for International Broadcasting and of the Board of Directors of RFE/RL, Incorporated.’’ § 6208. Radio Free Asia (a) Authority (1) Grants authorized under section 6204 of this title shall be available to make annual grants Page 1778 TITLE 22—FOREIGN RELATIONS AND INTERCOURSE § 6208 for the purpose of carrying out radio broad- casting to Asia. (2) Such broadcasting service shall be referred to as ‘‘Radio Free Asia’’. (b) Functions Radio Free Asia shall— (1) provide accurate and timely information, news, and commentary about events in Asia and elsewhere; and (2) be a forum for a variety of opinions and voices from within Asian nations whose people do not fully enjoy freedom of expression. (c) Grant agreement Any grant agreement or grants under this sec- tion shall be subject to the following limitations and restrictions: (1) The Agency may not make any grant to Radio Free Asia unless the headquarters of Radio Free Asia and its senior administrative and managerial staff are in a location which ensures economy, operational effectiveness, and accountability to the Agency. (2) Any grant agreement under this section shall require that any contract entered into by Radio Free Asia shall specify that all obliga- tions are assumed by Radio Free Asia and not by the United States Government. (3) Any grant agreement shall require that any lease agreements entered into by Radio Free Asia shall be, to the maximum extent possible, assignable to the United States Gov- ernment. (4) Grants made for the operating costs of Radio Free Asia may not exceed $30,000,000 in each of the fiscal years 2000 and 2001. (5) Grants awarded under this section shall be made pursuant to a grant agreement which requires that grant funds be used only for ac- tivities consistent with this section, and that failure to comply with such requirements shall permit the grant to be terminated with- out fiscal obligation to the United States. (d) Limitations on administrative and manage- rial costs It is the sense of the Congress that adminis- trative and managerial costs for operation of Radio Free Asia should be kept to a minimum and, to the maximum extent feasible, should not exceed the costs that would have been incurred if Radio Free Asia had been operated as a Fed- eral entity rather than as a grantee. (e) Assessment of effectiveness of Radio Free Asia Not later than 3 years after the date on which initial funding is provided for the purpose of op- erating Radio Free Asia, the Agency shall sub- mit to the appropriate congressional commit- tees a report on— (1) whether Radio Free Asia is technically sound and cost-effective, (2) whether Radio Free Asia consistently meets the standards for quality and objec- tivity established by this chapter, (3) whether Radio Free Asia is received by a sufficient audience to warrant its continu- ation, (4) the extent to which such broadcasting is already being received by the target audience from other credible sources; and (5) the extent to which the interests of the United States are being served by maintaining broadcasting of Radio Free Asia. (f) Notification and consultation regarding dis- placement of Voice of America broadcasting (1) Notification The Agency shall notify the appropriate con- gressional committees before— (A) entering into any agreements for the utilization of Voice of America transmitters, equipment, or other resources that will sig- nificantly reduce the broadcasting activities of the Voice of America in Asia or any other region in order to accommodate the broad- casting activities of Radio Free Asia; or (B) entering into any agreements in regard to the utilization of Radio Free Asia trans- mitters, equipment, or other resources that will significantly reduce the broadcasting activities of Radio Free Asia. (2) Consultation The Chief Executive Officer of the Agency shall consult with such committees on the im- pact of any such reduction in Voice of Amer- ica broadcasting activities or Radio Free Asia broadcasting activities. (g) Alternative grantee If the Chief Executive Officer determines at any time that Radio Free Asia is not carrying out the functions described in this section in an effective and economical manner, the Agency may award the grant to carry out such functions to another entity. (h) Not a Federal agency or instrumentality Nothing in this chapter may be construed to make Radio Free Asia a Federal agency or in- strumentality. (Pub. L. 103–236, title III, § 309, Apr. 30, 1994, 108 Stat. 439; Pub. L. 103–415, § 1(s)(2), Oct. 25, 1994, 108 Stat. 4302; Pub. L. 106–113, div. B, § 1000(a)(7) [div. A, title V, § 501], Nov. 29, 1999, 113 Stat. 1536, 1501A–450; Pub. L. 110–321, § 4, Sept. 19, 2008, 122 Stat. 3535; Pub. L. 111–71, § 1, Oct. 9, 2009, 123 Stat. 2058; Pub. L. 111–202, § 3, July 13, 2010, 124 Stat. 1374; Pub. L. 114–323, title VII, § 703(a), Dec. 16, 2016, 130 Stat. 1941; Pub. L. 114–328, div. A, title XII, § 1288(6), Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2553; Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XII, § 1299Q(e)(4), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4025.) Editorial Notes REFERENCES IN TEXT This chapter, referred to in subsecs. (e)(2) and (h), was in the original ‘‘this title’’, meaning title III of Pub. L. 103–236, Apr. 30, 1994, 108 Stat. 432, known as the United States International Broadcasting Act of 1994, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of title III to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 6201 of this title and Tables. CODIFICATION Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XII, § 1299Q(e)(4), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4025, which amended this section, was itself amended by Pub. L. 116–260, div. O, title XIII, § 1301, Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 2158, to make it effective 90 days after Jan. 1, 2021. However, the amendment by Pub. L. 116–260 could not be executed because it was en- acted before the provision from Pub. L. 116–283 that it amended. Page 1779 TITLE 22—FOREIGN RELATIONS AND INTERCOURSE § 6208 AMENDMENTS 2021—Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 116–283, § 1299Q(e)(4)(A), substituted ‘‘Agency’’ for ‘‘Board’’ in two places. Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 116–283, § 1299Q(e)(4)(B), sub- stituted ‘‘Agency’’ for ‘‘Board’’ in introductory provi- sions. Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 116–283, § 1299Q(e)(4)(C), sub- stituted ‘‘Agency’’ for ‘‘Board’’ in introductory provi- sions of par. (1) and in par. (2). Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 116–283, § 1299Q(e)(4)(D), sub- stituted ‘‘Agency’’ for ‘‘Board’’. 2016—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 114–323, § 703(a)(1), sub- stituted ‘‘Asia.’’ for ‘‘the following countries: The Peo- ple’s Republic of China, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, North Korea, Tibet, and Vietnam.’’ Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 114–323, § 703(a)(2), struck out ‘‘the respective countries of’’ before ‘‘Asia’’. Subsec. (f)(2). Pub. L. 114–328, § 1288(6)(A), substituted ‘‘Chief Executive Officer of the Board’’ for ‘‘Chairman of the Board’’. Subsecs. (g), (h). Pub. L. 114–328, § 1288(6)(B), (C), added subsec. (g) and redesignated former subsec. (g) as (h). 2010—Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 111–202, § 3(1), struck out ‘‘, and shall further specify that funds to carry out the activities of Radio Free Asia may not be available after September 30, 2010’’ after ‘‘Government’’. Subsecs. (f) to (h). Pub. L. 111–202, § 3(2)–(4), redesig- nated subsecs. (g) and (h) as (f) and (g), respectively, designated first sentence of subsec. (f) as par. (1), in- serted heading, inserted subpar. (A) designation before ‘‘entering into any agreements for the utilization of Voice of America’’, added subpar. (B), designated sec- ond sentence of subsec. (f) as par. (2), inserted heading, inserted ‘‘or Radio Free Asia broadcasting activities’’ before period at end, and struck out former subsec. (f) which related to sunset provisions. 2009—Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 111–71 substituted ‘‘2010’’ for ‘‘2009’’. 2008—Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 110–321 substituted ‘‘2010’’ for ‘‘2009’’. 1999—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 106–113, § 1000(a)(7) [div. A, title V, § 501(1), (2)], redesignated subsec. (d) as (c) and struck out heading and text of former subsec. (c), which required the Board, through the Director of the United States Information Agency, to submit to Congress a de- tailed plan for the establishment and operation of Radio Free Asia prior to the awarding of a grant to carry out this section. Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 106–113, § 1000(a)(7) [div. A, title V, § 501(3)(A)], struck out ‘‘(A)’’ after ‘‘(1)’’ and struck out subpar. (B) which read as follows: ‘‘Not later than 90 days after confirmation of all members of the Board, the Board shall provide a report to Congress on the number of administrative, managerial, and technical staff of Radio Free Asia who will be located within the metropolitan area of Washington, D.C., and the number of employees whose principal place of business will be located outside the metropolitan area of Washington, D.C.’’ Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 106–113, § 1000(a)(7) [div. A, title V, § 501(3)(B)], substituted ‘‘September 30, 2009’’ for ‘‘September 30, 1999’’. Subsec. (c)(4). Pub. L. 106–113, § 1000(a)(7) [div. A, title V, § 501(3)(C)], substituted ‘‘$30,000,000 in each of the fis- cal years 2000 and 2001’’ for ‘‘$22,000,000 in any fiscal year’’. Subsec. (c)(5), (6). Pub. L. 106–113, § 1000(a)(7) [div. A, title V, § 501(3)(D), (E)], redesignated par. (6) as (5) and struck out former par. (5) which read as follows: ‘‘The total amount of grant funds made available for one- time capital costs of Radio Free Asia may not exceed $8,000,000.’’ Subsecs. (d), (e). Pub. L. 106–113, § 1000(a)(7) [div. A, title V, § 501(2)], redesignated subsecs. (e) and (f) as (d) and (e), respectively. Former subsec. (d) redesignated (c). Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 106–113, § 1000(a)(7) [div. A, title V, § 501(4)], reenacted subsec. heading without change and amended text generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: ‘‘The Board may not make any grant for the purpose of operating Radio Free Asia after September 30, 1998, unless the President of the United States deter- mines in the President’s fiscal year 1999 budget submis- sion that continuation of funding for Radio Free Asia for 1 additional year is in the interest of the United States.’’ Pub. L. 106–113, § 1000(a)(7) [div. A, title V, § 501(2)], re- designated subsec. (g) as (f). Former subsec. (f) redesig- nated (e). Subsecs. (g) to (i). Pub. L. 106–113, § 1000(a)(7) [div. A, title V, § 501(2)], redesignated subsecs. (h) and (i) as (g) and (h), respectively. Former subsec. (g) redesignated (f). 1994—Subsec. (d)(1)(B). Pub. L. 103–415 inserted ‘‘of all members’’ after ‘‘confirmation’’. Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries FINDINGS Pub. L. 111–202, § 1, July 13, 2010, 124 Stat. 1373, pro- vided that: ‘‘Congress finds the following: ‘‘(1) Radio Free Asia (referred to in this Act [amending this section] as ‘RFA’)— ‘‘(A) was authorized under section 309 of the United States International Broadcasting Act of 1994 (22 U.S.C. 6208); ‘‘(B) was incorporated as a private, non-profit cor- poration in March 1996 in the hope that its oper- ations would soon be obviated by the global ad- vancement of democracy; and ‘‘(C) is headquartered in Washington, DC, with ad- ditional offices in Bangkok, Hong Kong, Phnom Penh, Seoul, Ankara, and Taipei. ‘‘(2) RFA broadcasts serve as substitutes for indige- nous free media in regions lacking free media outlets. ‘‘(3) The mission of RFA is ‘to provide accurate and timely news and information to Asian countries whose governments prohibit access to a free press’ in order to enable informed decisionmaking by the peo- ple within Asia. ‘‘(4) RFA provides daily broadcasts of news, com- mentary, analysis, and cultural programming to Asian countries in several languages, including— ‘‘(A) 12 hours per day in Mandarin; ‘‘(B) 8 hours per day in 3 Tibetan dialects, Uke, Kham, and Amdo; ‘‘(C) 4 hours per day in Korean and Burmese; ‘‘(D) 2 hours per day in Cantonese, Vietnamese, Laotian, Khmer (Cambodian), and Uyghur; and ‘‘(E) 11⁄2 hours per week in Wu (local Shanghai dialect). ‘‘(5) The governments of the countries targeted for these broadcasts have consistently denied and blocked attempts at Medium Wave and FM trans- missions into their countries, forcing RFA to rely on Shortwave broadcasts and the Internet. ‘‘(6) RFA has provided continuous online news to its Asian audiences since 2004, although some countries— ‘‘(A) routinely and aggressively block RFA’s website; ‘‘(B) monitor access to RFA’s website; and ‘‘(C) discourage online users by making it illegal to access RFA’s website. ‘‘(7) Despite these attempts, RFA has successfully managed to reach its online audiences through prox- ies, cutting-edge software, and active republication and repostings by its audience. ‘‘(8) RFA also provides forums for local opinions and experiences through message boards, podcasts, web logs (blogs), cell phone-distributed newscasts, and new media, including Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, and YouTube. ‘‘(9) Freedom House has documented that freedom of the press is in decline in nearly every region of the world, particularly in Asia, where none of the coun- tries served by RFA have increased their freedom of the press during the past 5 years. Page 1780 TITLE 22—FOREIGN RELATIONS AND INTERCOURSE § 6208a ‘‘(10) In fiscal year 2010, RFA is operating on a $37,000,000 budget, less than $400,000 of which is avail- able to fund Internet censorship circumvention. ‘‘(11) Congress currently provides grant funding for RFA’s operations on a fiscal year basis.’’ § 6208a. Open Technology Fund (a) Authority (1) In general Grants authorized under section 6204 of this title shall be available to make annual grants for the purpose of promoting, consistent with United States law, unrestricted access to un- censored sources of information via the inter- net to enable journalists, including journalists employed by or affiliated with the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, or any entity funded by or partnering with the United States Agency for Global Media, to cre- ate and disseminate, and for their audiences to receive, news and information consistent with the purposes, standards, and principles speci- fied in sections 6201 and 6202 of this title. (2) Establishment There is established a grantee entity to be known as the ‘‘Open Technology Fund’’, which shall carry out the provisions of this section. (b) Functions of the grantee In furtherance of the mission set forth in sub- section (a), the Open Technology Fund shall seek to advance freedom of the press and unre- stricted access to the internet in repressive en- vironments oversees, and shall— (1) research, develop, implement, and main- tain— (A) technologies that circumvent tech- niques used by authoritarian governments, nonstate actors, and others to block or cen- sor access to the internet, including cir- cumvention tools that bypass internet blocking, filtering, and other censorship techniques used to limit or block legitimate access to content and information; and (B) secure communication tools and other forms of privacy and security technology that facilitate the creation and distribution of news and enable audiences to access media content on censored websites; (2) advance internet freedom by supporting private and public sector research, develop- ment, implementation, and maintenance of technologies that provide secure and uncen- sored access to the internet to counter at- tempts by authoritarian governments, nonstate actors, and others to improperly re- strict freedom online; (3) research and analyze emerging technical threats and develop innovative solutions through collaboration with the private and public sectors to maintain the technological advantage of the United States Government over authoritarian governments, nonstate ac- tors, and others; (4) develop, acquire, and distribute requisite internet freedom technologies and techniques for the United States Agency for Global Media, including as set forth in paragraph (1), and digital security interventions, to fully en- able the creation and distribution of digital content between and to all users and regional audiences; (5) prioritize programs for countries the gov- ernments of which restrict freedom of expres- sion on the internet, and that are important to the national interest of the United States, and are consistent with section 7050(b)(2)(C) of the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (Public Law 116–94); and (6) carry out any other effort consistent with the purposes of this chapter or press freedom overseas if requested or approved by the United States Agency for Global Media. (c) Methodology In carrying out subsection (b), the Open Tech- nology Fund shall— (1) support fully open-source tools, code, and components, to the extent practicable, to en- sure such supported tools and technologies are as secure, transparent, and accessible as pos- sible, and require that any such tools, compo- nents, code, or technology supported by the Open Technology Fund remain fully open- source, to the extent practicable; (2) support technologies that undergo com- prehensive security audits to ensure that such technologies are secure and have not been compromised in a manner detrimental to the interest of the United States or to individuals and organizations benefitting from programs supported by the Open Technology Fund; (3) review and update periodically as nec- essary security auditing procedures used by the Open Technology Fund to reflect current industry security standards; (4) establish safeguards to mitigate the use of such supported technologies for illicit pur- poses; (5) solicit project proposals through an open, transparent, and competitive application proc- ess to attract innovative applications and re- duce barriers to entry; (6) seek input from technical, regional, and subject matter experts from a wide range of relevant disciplines, to review, provide feed- back, and evaluate proposals to ensure the most competitive projects are funded; (7) implement an independent review proc- ess, through which proposals are reviewed by such experts to ensure the highest degree of technical review and due diligence; (8) maximize cooperation with the public and private sectors, as well as foreign allies and partner countries, to maximize effi- ciencies and eliminate duplication of efforts; and (9) utilize any other methodology approved by the United States Agency for Global Media in furtherance of the mission of the Open Technology Fund. (d) Grant agreement Any grant agreement with or grants made to the Open Technology Fund under this section shall be subject to the following limitations and restrictions: (1) The headquarters of the Open Technology Fund and its senior administrative and mana- gerial staff shall be located in a location