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The embattled Chinese telecom Huawei has retained a small public radio station in Nevada to boost its image in the U.S.

Las Vegas Public Radio Inc. will develop and air programs to advance U.S.-China relations, according to a recent lobbying disclosure. The station will also work with Huawei on a pilot project to extend American public broadcasting to China.

Amid an escalating trade war with China, the Trump administration effectively banned U.S. technology companies from doing business with Huawei in May, citing national security concerns. Members of Congress and U.S. intelligence agencies have long expressed worries about the billion-dollar company’s ties to the Chinese government, allegations that Huawei executives have repeatedly denied.

Proponents of using Huawei equipment in the U.S. argue that the Chinese technology is less expensive, which would make it easier to expand next-generation 5G cellular networks and broadband in rural areas. Some U.S. allies, such as Germany, have allowed Huawei to operate within their borders, contingent upon the telecom’s continued ability to comply with security requirements.

The agreement between Huawei and Las Vegas Public Radio is designed to ameliorate fears about the tech giant’s potential entry into the U.S. market. The station is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that is not affiliated with Nevada Public Radio or National Public Radio.

According to a lobbying disclosure signed July 19 by the station’s president, Gregory LaPorta, the radio station will “address concerns that Members of Congress, Executive branch and American businesses have about Huawei products/services being developed or manufactured in the US for US consumption… via programs developed by Mr. LaPorta/LVPR and aired on KIOF 97.9 FM locally and Internet streams worldwide.”

LaPorta confirmed to OpenSecrets that Las Vegas Public Radio will not engage in direct lobbying advocacy on behalf of Huawei but decided to register lobbyists anyway “for transparency.”

Grassroots communications, such as radio programming, do not typically fall under the Lobbying Disclosure Act, said Joshua Rosenstein, an attorney with Sandler Reiff Lamb Rosenstein & Birkenstock. Public communications on behalf of a foreign interests are generally governed by the Department of Justice under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

Huawei occupies an unusual place under these regulations because it straddles the line between a private company and a foreign actor. Lobbyists for private companies may claim an exemption that enables them to register under LDA rather than FARA so long as they actually engage in lobbying activities and their client is not controlled or backed by a foreign government.

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However, Huawei’s close ties to the Chinese government have raised questions as to whether FARA registration should be required. Lobbyists for Huawei have mostly registered with Congress, but two lobbying firms representing the telecom giant registered under FARA earlier this year. Those registrations came after the Department of Justice announced in March that it would increase enforcement of FARA violations in the wake of Russian meddling during the 2016 election.

“It is our understanding that Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. is a private, employee-owned company,” wrote BCW, one of the firms lobbying on Huawei’s behalf, in its FARA registration in March. “We have requested, but have not obtained, confirmation of this information from Huawei.”

In addition to these contracts, Huawei spent more than $200,000 lobbying the federal government during the first half of 2019.

Las Vegas Public Radio’s lobbying disclosure also states that Huawei will assist the radio station through a pilot project located in a Chinese city, with the goal of making American public broadcasting available in China.

The station also plays music and airs several talk shows.

The Washington Post reported Monday that Huawei might have helped North Korea build a 3G wireless network, a violation of U.S.-imposed sanctions because the Chinese telecom uses some American technology. Huawei reportedly worked with a Chinese state-owned firm, Panda International Information Technology Co. Ltd., on the project. In a statement, Huawei denied having a presence in North Korea.

Executives from several major tech companies, including Qualcomm and Google, also met with White House economic advisers Monday to discuss Huawei. Tech companies successfully lobbied the Trump administration to allow them to sell to Huawei earlier this month. The meeting was scheduled before the Post’s North Korea story broke.

Editor’s note, 7/24/2019 at 5:13 p.m.: This article was updated to include a confirmation of certain details from Las Vegas Public Radio.



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