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Russian Lawmakers Mull Blocking Foreign Media Broadcasts


FILE - Employees of the "Russia Today" television channel prepare for a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to RT's headquarters in Moscow, Russia.
FILE - Employees of the "Russia Today" television channel prepare for a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to RT's headquarters in Moscow, Russia.

Russian lawmakers are considering ways to block foreign media broadcasts in Russian if they break the law.

The proposal is a tit-for-tat response to a bill introduced to the U.S. Congress in March that would give the Justice Department authority to investigate Russia's English-language RT for potential violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act. RT figured in a U.S. intelligence report about Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential election.

Andrei Klimov, the head of a newly created panel of the upper house of the Russian parliament, said Wednesday it is pondering ways to oblige foreign media broadcasting in Russian to account for their activities in line with a Russian law on foreign agents.

Klimov added that new legislation could authorize Russia's communications watchdog to block broadcasts if they violate the law.

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