Summary

Originating out of Washington, D.C., TV Marti broadcasts a mix of news on Cuba and Cuban-American issues to the Havana area. This report examines TV Marti's (1) costs since inception, including the value of support services provided by other agencies; (2) compliance with Voice of America broadcast standards; and (3) compliance with international agreements. Two of the three consultants GAO employed to watch broadcasts expressed concern that the program content lacked balance and did not meet established Voice of America standards. Both of TV Marti's in-house critics also observed that some broadcasts might not meet standards. A monitoring agency has reported that TV Marti broadcasts interfere with Cuban broadcasts and do not comply with radio regulations requiring countries to broadcast only within their national boundaries in frequencies associated with AM and FM radio and television. TV Marti's recent expansion of its daily broadcasts has led to further Cuban complaints and counterbroadcasting into the United States.

GAO found that: (1) during fiscal years (FY) 1989 through 1992, TV Marti had $52.6 million available for operations; (2) of the $52.6 million, TV Marti obligated $35.7 million, including $7.8 million for services from other government agencies; (3) as of March 1992, TV Marti had expended $28.7 million of the obligated funds and had $16.7 million in unobligated funds remaining; (4) 3 of the 4 consultants employed to review TV Marti's compliance with broadcast standards believed that the broadcasts related to Cuba and the Cuban-American community lacked balance and did not meet established Voice of America standards, and the fourth consultant believed that the broadcasts generally met standards but that improvements were needed; (5) the State Department maintains that TV Marti's broadcasts do not violate the International Telecommunication Convention and its associated radio regulations as long as the broadcasts do not interfere with the Cuban station operating on the same channel; (6) the International Frequency Registration Board found that the broadcasts interfered with Cuban broadcasts and did not comply with a regulation requiring countries to broadcast only within their national boundaries; (7) it is not clear what TV Marti's ultimate impact on U.S. international commitments will be; and (8) in response to further Cuban complaints and counterbroadcasting into the United States as a result of TV Marti's recent extension of its daily broadcast, the United States filed several complaints with the Cuban government and the International Frequency Registration Board.