The U.S. Department of Defense has proposed a new framework for determining whether a film or television production receiving U.S. military assistance is bowing to the demands of Chinese communist regime censors.
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2023 included a provision barring the U.S. military from providing film production assistance for projects that are likely to or have already complied with censorship requests of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The DoD rulemaking provides multiple revisions to Title 32 of the Code of Federal Regulations. The proposed changes state that an authorized film production representative must certify that the project has not and is not likely to comply with a demand from the CCP or any entity under the direction of the CCP or the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to censor the content of a film, television or computer-based game project “in a material manner to advance the national interest of the PRC.”
Under the new proposed rules, the Office of the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs will be responsible also for inquiring with film production crews if it receives information indicating that a film project is likely to comply with CCP censors.
The DoD historically has attached a project officer to productions receiving the department’s assistance. The new rule change would require DoD project officers to monitor for signs that the CCP is raising censorship demands with a production.
Production companies that enter into agreements with the DoD also will have to agree to notify these DoD project officers about any CCP censorship requests they receive.
The Epoch Times reached out to the Department of Defense for additional comment about the proposed rulemaking. The department did not respond by press time.
The publication of this proposed rulemaking initiates a public comment period until Sept. 16. After that, the DoD may change the proposed rule or proceed to finalize it.
