{"database": "openregs", "table": "congressional_record", "rows": [["CREC-2026-02-26-pt1-PgE170", "2026-02-26", 119, 2, null, null, "CELEBRATING THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SAIGON BROADCASTING TELEVISION NETWORK", "HOUSE", "EXTENSIONS", "CELEBRATING", "E170", "E170", "[{\"name\": \"Derek Tran\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}]", null, "172 Cong. Rec. E170", "Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 38 (Thursday, February 26, 2026)\n\n[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 38 (Thursday, February 26, 2026)]\n[Extensions of Remarks]\n[Page E170]\nFrom the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]\n\nCELEBRATING THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SAIGON BROADCASTING TELEVISION\n                                NETWORK\n\n                                 ______\n\n                            HON. DEREK TRAN\n\n                             of california\n\n                    in the house of representatives\n\n                      Thursday, February 26, 2026\n\n  Mr. TRAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 25th anniversary\nof the Saigon Broadcasting Television Network, otherwise known as SBTN.\nSBTN, the first 24-hour Vietnamese-language television channel\nspecifically for overseas audiences, provides premier news coverage and\nentertainment programs to millions of Vietnamese people abroad. For 25\nyears, SBTN has served as an example of the importance of a free press\nand the strength of the Vietnamese diaspora community.\n  Headquartered in Garden Grove, California, SBTN was founded in 2001\nby Truc Ho4, a Vietnamese American musician, producer, and human-rights\nadvocate. The network provided programming for the rapidly growing\nVietnamese community in the United States, and it soon established\nitself in Southern California before spreading to cities such as\nBoston, Dallas, and Washington, D.C. This growth eventually led SBTN to\nexpand internationally, becoming one of the primary television networks\nfor Vietnamese audiences living outside Vietnam. Today, SBTN offers\nboth original programming and acquired content, including news, dramas,\nmovies, documentaries, variety shows, music, talk shows, kids'\nprogramming, and more.\n  What sets SBTN apart is its staunch support for free expression and\ndemocratic values. Since the network's founding, it has stood as a\ncounter-narrative to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam's state-run\nmedia, refusing to air programs produced under the communist\ngovernment's control. Rather than allow Vietnamese media to be\ndominated by an oppressive regime, SBTN has reported on human rights\nabuses and political dissent, providing critical coverage to millions\nof its international Vietnamese viewers. The network's belief system is\ndeeply rooted in the experiences of the Vietnamese diaspora, as much of\nits original audience and leadership fled persecution from communist\nVietnam in search of freedom and democracy. Amid ongoing repression and\ncensorship by the Communist Party of Vietnam, SBTN remains essential in\ndelivering trusted, independent reporting to Vietnamese-speaking\naudiences around the world.\n  I am thrilled to represent such an exemplary television network in my\ndistrict, especially one whose accomplishments are so dear to my\nfamily's own experiences. The network's commitment to providing\ndependable news, preserving the Vietnamese language and culture, and\nenriching the lives and experiences of the Vietnamese community is\ncommendable. I congratulate SBTN on its 25th anniversary and continue\nto be grateful for its invaluable service to our Nation.\n\n                          ____________________"]], "columns": ["granule_id", "date", "congress", "session", "volume", "issue", "title", "chamber", "granule_class", "sub_granule_class", "page_start", "page_end", "speakers", "bills", "citation", "full_text"], "primary_keys": ["granule_id"], "primary_key_values": ["CREC-2026-02-26-pt1-PgE170"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.9293681252747774, "source": "Federal Register API & Regulations.gov API", "source_url": "https://www.federalregister.gov/developers/api/v1", "license": "Public Domain (U.S. Government data)", "license_url": "https://www.regulations.gov/faq"}