Title 47 U.S.C. — Telecommunications
432 sections
- § 1 — Repealed. July 16, 1947, ch. 256, § 1, 61 Stat. 327
- § 7 — Omitted
- § 8 — Repealed. July 16, 1947, ch. 256, § 1, 61 Stat. 327
- § 9 — Subsidized companies required to construct and operate lines
- § 10 — Equal facilities to connecting lines; discrimination in rates
- § 11 — Powers of Federal Communications Commission
- § 12 — Interference with liens of United States
- § 13 — Violations; punishment; action for damages
- § 14 — Contracts filed with Federal Communications Commission; reports; failure to make
- § 15 — Reservation of power to alter, amend, or repeal act; power to fix rates and purchase lines
- § 16 — Washington-Alaska Military Cable and Telegraph System; money transfers; portion of receipts withheld
- § 17 — Repealed. Pub. L. 105–119, title VI, § 620, Nov. 26, 1997, 111 Stat. 2519
- § 21 — Submarine cables; willful injury to; punishment
- § 22 — Negligent injury to submarine cables; punishment
- § 23 — Injury to submarine cables in efforts to save life excepted
- § 24 — Vessels laying cables; signals; avoidance of buoys
- § 25 — Fishing vessels; duty to keep nets from cables
- § 26 — Duties of commanders of warships
- § 27 — Offending vessels to show nationality
- § 28 — Penalties not to bar suits for damages
- § 29 — Master of offending vessel punishable
- § 30 — Definitions
- § 31 — Summary trials
- § 32 — Application
- § 33 — Jurisdiction and venue of actions and offenses
- § 34 — Licenses for landing or operating cables connecting United States with foreign country; necessity for
- § 35 — Withholding or revoking of licenses by President; terms and conditions of licenses
- § 36 — Preventing landing or operating of cables; injunction
- § 37 — Violations; punishment
- § 38 — “United States” defined
- § 39 — Amendment, modification, etc., of rights granted
- § 51 — Repealed. Feb. 23, 1927, ch. 169, § 39, 44 Stat. 1174
- § 81 — Repealed. June 19, 1934, ch. 652, § 602(a), 48 Stat. 1102
- § 83a — Omitted
- § 84 — Repealed. June 19, 1934, ch. 652, § 602(a), 48 Stat. 1102
- § 84a, — Repealed. Pub. L. 89–554, § 8(a), Sept. 6, 1966, 80 Stat. 647
- § 85 — Repealed. June 19, 1934, ch. 652, § 602(a), 48 Stat. 1102
- § 120, — Omitted
- § 151 — Purposes of chapter; Federal Communications Commission created
- § 152 — Application of chapter
- § 153 — Definitions
- § 154 — Federal Communications Commission
- § 155 — Commission
- § 155a — Authority of Chief Information Officer
- § 156 — Authorization of appropriations
- § 157 — New technologies and services
- § 158 — Application fees
- § 159 — Regulatory fees
- § 159a — Provisions applicable to application and regulatory fees
- § 160 — Competition in provision of telecommunications service
- § 161 — Regulatory reform
- § 162 — Additional research authorities of the FCC
- § 163 — Communications marketplace report
- § 201 — Service and charges
- § 202 — Discriminations and preferences
- § 203 — Schedules of charges
- § 204 — Hearings on new charges; suspension pending hearing; refunds; duration of hearing; appeal of order concluding hearing
- § 205 — Commission authorized to prescribe just and reasonable charges; penalties for violations
- § 206 — Carriers’ liability for damages
- § 207 — Recovery of damages
- § 208 — Complaints to Commission; investigations; duration of investigation; appeal of order concluding investigation
- § 209 — Orders for payment of money
- § 210 — Franks and passes; free service to governmental agencies in connection with national defense
- § 211 — Contracts of carriers; filing with Commission
- § 212 — Interlocking directorates; officials dealing in securities
- § 213 — Valuation of property of carrier
- § 214 — Extension of lines or discontinuance of service; certificate of public convenience and necessity
- § 215 — Examination of transactions relating to furnishing of services, equipment, etc.; reports to Congress
- § 216 — Receivers and trustees; application of chapter
- § 217 — Agents’ acts and omissions; liability of carrier
- § 218 — Management of business; inquiries by Commission
- § 219 — Reports by carriers; contents and requirements generally
- § 220 — Accounts, records, and memoranda
- § 221 — Consolidations and mergers of telephone companies
- § 222 — Privacy of customer information
- § 223 — Obscene or harassing telephone calls in the District of Columbia or in interstate or foreign communications
- § 223a — Notice and removal of nonconsensual intimate visual depictions
- § 224 — Pole attachments
- § 225 — Telecommunications services for hearing-impaired and speech-impaired individuals
- § 226 — Telephone operator services
- § 227 — Restrictions on use of telephone equipment
- § 227a — Consumer education materials on how to avoid scams that rely upon misleading or inaccurate caller identification information
- § 227b — Call authentication
- § 227b–1 — Access to number resources
- § 227b–2 — Provision of evidence of certain robocall violations to Attorney General
- § 228 — Regulation of carrier offering of pay-per-call services
- § 229 — Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act compliance
- § 230 — Protection for private blocking and screening of offensive material
- § 231 — Restriction of access by minors to materials commercially distributed by means of World Wide Web that are harmful to minors
- § 251 — Interconnection
- § 251a — State authority over fees
- § 252 — Procedures for negotiation, arbitration, and approval of agreements
- § 253 — Removal of barriers to entry
- § 254 — Universal service
- § 255 — Access by persons with disabilities
- § 256 — Coordination for interconnectivity
- § 257 — Market entry barriers proceeding
- § 258 — Illegal changes in subscriber carrier selections
- § 259 — Infrastructure sharing
- § 260 — Provision of telemessaging service
- § 261 — Effect on other requirements
- § 262 — Ensuring the integrity of voice communications
- § 271 — Bell operating company entry into interLATA services
- § 272 — Separate affiliate; safeguards
- § 273 — Manufacturing by Bell operating companies
- § 274 — Electronic publishing by Bell operating companies
- § 275 — Alarm monitoring services
- § 276 — Provision of payphone service
- § 301 — License for radio communication or transmission of energy
- § 302 — Repealed. June 5, 1936, ch. 511, § 1, 49 Stat. 1475
- § 302a — Devices which interfere with radio reception
- § 303 — Powers and duties of Commission
- § 303a — Standards for children’s television programming
- § 303b — Consideration of children’s television service in broadcast license renewal
- § 303c — Television program improvement
- § 304 — Waiver by license of claims to particular frequency or of electromagnetic spectrum
- § 305 — Government owned stations
- § 306 — Foreign ships; application of section 301
- § 307 — Licenses
- § 308 — Requirements for license
- § 309 — Application for license
- § 309a — Reports related to spectrum auctions
- § 310 — License ownership restrictions
- § 311 — Requirements as to certain applications in broadcasting service
- § 312 — Administrative sanctions
- § 312a — Revocation of operator’s license used in unlawful distribution of controlled substances
- § 313 — Application of antitrust laws to manufacture, sale, and trade in radio apparatus
- § 314 — Competition in commerce; preservation
- § 315 — Candidates for public office
- § 316 — Modification by Commission of station licenses or construction permits; burden of proof
- § 317 — Announcement of payment for broadcast
- § 318 — Transmitting apparatus; operator’s license
- § 319 — Construction permits
- § 320 — Stations liable to interfere with distress signals; designation and regulation
- § 321 — Distress signals and communications; equipment on vessels; regulations
- § 322 — Exchanging radio communications between land and ship stations and from ship to ship
- § 323 — Interference between Government and commercial stations
- § 324 — Use of minimum power
- § 325 — False, fraudulent, or unauthorized transmissions
- § 326 — Censorship
- § 327 — Naval stations; use for commercial messages; rates
- § 328 — Repealed. Pub. L. 103–414, title III, § 304(a)(10), Oct. 25, 1994, 108 Stat. 4297
- § 329 — Administration of radio laws in Territories and possessions
- § 330 — Prohibition against shipment of certain television receivers
- § 331 — Very high frequency stations and AM radio stations
- § 332 — Mobile services
- § 333 — Willful or malicious interference
- § 334 — Limitation on revision of equal employment opportunity regulations
- § 335 — Direct broadcast satellite service obligations
- § 336 — Broadcast spectrum flexibility
- § 337 — Allocation and assignment of new public safety services licenses and commercial licenses
- § 338 — Carriage of local television signals by satellite carriers
- § 339 — Carriage of distant television stations by satellite carriers
- § 340 — Significantly viewed signals permitted to be carried
- § 341 — Carriage of television signals to certain subscribers
- § 342 — Process for issuing qualified carrier certification
- § 343 — Conditions on commercial terrestrial operations
- § 344 — Repealed. Pub. L. 117–58, div. F, title VI, § 60602(b), Nov. 15, 2021, 135 Stat. 1249
- § 345 — Protection of survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, and related crimes
- § 351 — Ship radio stations and operations
- § 352 — Exemptions
- § 353 — Radio equipment and operators
- § 353a — Operators and watches on radiotelephone equipped ships
- § 354 — Technical requirements of equipment on radiotelegraph equipped ships
- § 354a — Technical requirements of equipment on radiotelephone equipped ships
- § 355 — Survival craft
- § 356 — Approval of installations by Commission
- § 357 — Safety information
- § 358 — Master’s control over operations
- § 359 — Certificates of compliance; issuance, modification, and cancellation
- § 360 — Station licenses; inspection of equipment by Commission
- § 361 — Control by Commission; review of decisions
- § 362 — Forfeitures; recovery
- § 363 — Automated ship distress and safety systems
- § 381 — Vessels transporting more than six passengers for hire required to be equipped with radiotelephone
- § 382 — Vessels excepted from radiotelephone requirement
- § 383 — Exemptions by Commission
- § 384 — Authority of Commission; operations, installations, and additional equipment
- § 385 — Inspections
- § 386 — Forfeitures
- § 390 — Declaration of purpose
- § 391 — Authorization of appropriations
- § 392 — Grants for construction
- § 392a — Repealed. Pub. L. 95–567, title II, § 201, Nov. 2, 1978, 92 Stat. 2409
- § 393 — Criteria for approval and expenditures by Secretary
- § 393a — Long-range planning for facilities
- § 394 — Establishment of National Endowment
- § 395 — Assistance for demonstration projects
- § 396 — Corporation for Public Broadcasting
- § 397 — Definitions
- § 398 — Federal interference or control
- § 399 — Support of political candidates prohibited
- § 399a — Use of business or institutional logograms
- § 399b — Offering of certain services, facilities, or products by public broadcast station
- § 401 — Enforcement provisions
- § 402 — Judicial review of Commission’s orders and decisions
- § 403 — Inquiry by Commission on its own motion
- § 404 — Reports of investigations
- § 405 — Petition for reconsideration; procedure; disposition; time of filing; additional evidence; time for disposition of petition for reconsideration of order concluding hearing or investigation; appeal of order
- § 406 — Compelling furnishing of facilities; mandamus; jurisdiction
- § 407 — Order for payment of money; petition for enforcement; procedure; order of Commission as prima facie evidence; costs; attorneys’ fees
- § 408 — Order not for payment of money; when effective
- § 409 — Hearings
- § 410 — Joint boards and commissions
- § 411 — Joinder of parties
- § 412 — Documents filed with Commission as public records; prima facie evidence; confidential records
- § 413 — Designation of agent for service; method of service
- § 414 — Exclusiveness of chapter
- § 415 — Limitations of actions
- § 416 — Orders of Commission
- § 501 — General penalty
- § 502 — Violation of rules, regulations, etc.
- § 503 — Forfeitures
- § 504 — Forfeitures
- § 505 — Venue of trials
- § 506 — Repealed. Pub. L. 96–507, § 1, Dec. 8, 1980, 94 Stat. 2747
- § 507 — Violation of Great Lakes Agreement
- § 508 — Disclosure of payments to individuals connected with broadcasts
- § 509 — Prohibited practices in contests of knowledge, skill, or chance
- § 510 — Forfeiture of communications devices
- § 511 — Enhanced penalties for pirate radio broadcasting; enforcement sweeps; reporting
- § 521 — Purposes
- § 522 — Definitions
- § 531 — Cable channels for public, educational, or governmental use
- § 532 — Cable channels for commercial use
- § 533 — Ownership restrictions
- § 534 — Carriage of local commercial television signals
- § 535 — Carriage of noncommercial educational television
- § 536 — Regulation of carriage agreements
- § 537 — Sales of cable systems
- § 537a — Carriage of certain programming
- § 541 — General franchise requirements
- § 542 — Franchise fees
- § 543 — Regulation of rates
- § 544 — Regulation of services, facilities, and equipment
- § 544a — Consumer electronics equipment compatibility
- § 545 — Modification of franchise obligations
- § 546 — Renewal
- § 547 — Conditions of sale
- § 548 — Development of competition and diversity in video programming distribution
- § 549 — Competitive availability of navigation devices
- § 551 — Protection of subscriber privacy
- § 552 — Consumer protection and customer service
- § 553 — Unauthorized reception of cable service
- § 554 — Equal employment opportunity
- § 555 — Judicial proceedings
- § 555a — Limitation of franchising authority liability
- § 556 — Coordination of Federal, State, and local authority
- § 557 — Existing franchises
- § 558 — Criminal and civil liability
- § 559 — Obscene programming
- § 560 — Scrambling of cable channels for nonsubscribers
- § 561 — Scrambling of sexually explicit adult video service programming
- § 562 — Requirements relating to charges for covered services
- § 571 — Regulatory treatment of video programming services
- § 572 — Prohibition on buy outs
- § 573 — Establishment of open video systems
- § 601 — Interstate Commerce Commission and Postmaster General; duties, powers, and functions transferred to Commission
- § 602, — Repealed. Pub. L. 103–414, title III, § 304(a)(13), Oct. 25, 1994, 108 Stat. 4297
- § 604 — Effect of transfer
- § 605 — Unauthorized publication or use of communications
- § 606 — War powers of President
- § 607 — Effective date of chapter
- § 608 — Separability
- § 609 — Short title
- § 610 — Telephone service for disabled
- § 611 — Closed-captioning of public service announcements
- § 612 — Syndicated exclusivity
- § 613 — Video programming accessibility
- § 614 — Telecommunications Development Fund
- § 615 — Support for universal emergency telephone number
- § 615a — Service provider parity of protection
- § 615a–1 — Duty to provide 9–1–1 and enhanced 9–1–1 service
- § 615b — Definitions
- § 615c — Emergency Access Advisory Committee
- § 616 — Internet protocol-based relay services
- § 617 — Access to advanced communications services and equipment
- § 618 — Enforcement and recordkeeping obligations
- § 619 — Internet browsers built into telephones used with public mobile services
- § 620 — Relay services for deaf-blind individuals
- § 621 — Rulemaking on loud commercials required
- § 622 — Optional electronic labeling of communications equipment
- § 623 — Configuration of multi-line telephone systems for direct dialing of 9–1–1.
- § 624 — Disclosure requirements for United States-based foreign media outlets
- § 641 — Definitions
- § 642 — Broadband maps
- § 643 — Enforcement
- § 644 — Improving data accuracy
- § 645 — Cost
- § 646 — Other provisions
- § 701 — Omitted
- § 702 — Definitions
- § 703 — Repealed. Pub. L. 115–141, div. P, title IV, § 402(b), Mar. 23, 2018, 132 Stat. 1089
- § 721 — Implementation of policy
- § 731 — Omitted
- § 741 — Omitted
- § 751, — Omitted
- § 753 — Implementation of policy
- § 754 — Repealed. Pub. L. 103–414, title III, § 304(b)(5), Oct. 25, 1994, 108 Stat. 4298
- § 757 — Definitions
- § 761 — Federal Communications Commission licensing
- § 761a — Incentives; limitation on expansion pending privatization
- § 763 — General criteria to ensure a pro-competitive privatization of INTELSAT and Inmarsat
- § 763a — Specific criteria for INTELSAT
- § 763b — Repealed. Pub. L. 109–34, § 2, July 12, 2005, 119 Stat. 377
- § 763c — Space segment capacity of the GMDSS
- § 763d — Encouraging market access and privatization
- § 765 — Access to INTELSAT
- § 765a — Signatory role
- § 765b — Elimination of procurement preferences
- § 765c — ITU functions
- § 765d — Termination of provisions of this chapter
- § 765e — Repealed. Pub. L. 115–141, div. P, title IV, § 402(a), Mar. 23, 2018, 132 Stat. 1089
- § 765f — Satellite auctions
- § 765g — Exclusivity arrangements
- § 767 — Methods to pursue privatization
- § 769 — Definitions
- § 801 — Repealed. Pub. L. 93–443, title II, § 205(b), Oct. 15, 1974, 88 Stat. 1278
- § 901 — Definitions; findings; policy
- § 902 — Establishment; assigned functions
- § 903 — Spectrum management activities
- § 904 — General administrative provisions
- § 905 — Omitted
- § 906 — Wireless supply chain innovation and multilateral security
- § 921 — Definitions
- § 922 — National spectrum allocation planning
- § 923 — Identification of reallocable frequencies
- § 924 — Withdrawal or limitation of assignment to Federal Government stations
- § 925 — Distribution of frequencies by Commission
- § 926 — Authority to recover reassigned frequencies
- § 927 — Existing allocation and transfer authority retained
- § 928 — Spectrum Relocation Fund
- § 929 — National security and other sensitive information
- § 941 — Child-friendly second-level Internet domain
- § 942 — Coordination of 9–1–1, E9–1–1, and Next Generation 9–1–1 implementation
- § 1001 — Definitions
- § 1002 — Assistance capability requirements
- § 1003 — Notices of capacity requirements
- § 1004 — Systems security and integrity
- § 1005 — Cooperation of equipment manufacturers and providers of telecommunications support services
- § 1006 — Technical requirements and standards; extension of compliance date
- § 1007 — Enforcement orders
- § 1008 — Payment of costs of telecommunications carriers to comply with capability requirements
- § 1009 — Authorization of appropriations
- § 1010 — Reports
- § 1021 — Department of Justice Telecommunications Carrier Compliance Fund
- § 1101 — Repealed. Pub. L. 115–334, title VI, § 6603(2), Dec. 20, 2018, 132 Stat. 4777
- § 1201 — Federal Communications Commission duties
- § 1202 — Commercial Mobile Service Alert Advisory Committee
- § 1203 — Research and development
- § 1204 — Grant program for remote community alert systems
- § 1205 — Funding
- § 1206 — Reliable emergency alert distribution improvement
- § 1301 — Findings
- § 1302 — Advanced telecommunications incentives
- § 1303 — Improving Federal data on broadband
- § 1304 — Encouraging State initiatives to improve broadband
- § 1305 — Broadband Technology Opportunities Program
- § 1306 — Connecting minority communities
- § 1307 — Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth
- § 1308 — Interagency agreement
- § 1401 — Definitions
- § 1402 — Rule of construction
- § 1403 — Enforcement
- § 1404 — National security restrictions on use of funds and auction participation
- § 1411 — Reallocation of D block to public safety
- § 1412 — Flexible use of narrowband spectrum
- § 1413 — Repealed. Pub. L. 116–260, div. FF, title IX, § 902(b)(1), Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 3206
- § 1421 — Single public safety wireless network licensee
- § 1422 — Public safety broadband network
- § 1423 — Public safety Interoperability Board
- § 1424 — Establishment of the First Responder Network Authority
- § 1425 — Advisory committees of the First Responder Network Authority
- § 1426 — Powers, duties, and responsibilities of the First Responder Network Authority
- § 1427 — Initial funding for the First Responder Network Authority
- § 1428 — Permanent self-funding; duty to assess and collect fees for network use
- § 1429 — Audit and report
- § 1430 — Annual report to Congress
- § 1431 — Public safety roaming and priority access
- § 1432 — Prohibition on direct offering of commercial telecommunications service directly to consumers
- § 1433 — Provision of technical assistance
- § 1441 — State and Local Implementation Fund
- § 1442 — State and local implementation
- § 1443 — Public safety wireless communications research and development
- § 1451 — Deadlines for auction of certain spectrum
- § 1452 — Special requirements for incentive auction of broadcast TV spectrum
- § 1453 — Unlicensed use in the 5 GHZ band
- § 1454 — Guard bands and unlicensed use
- § 1455 — Wireless facilities deployment
- § 1456 — System certification
- § 1457 — Public Safety Trust Fund
- § 1471 — Definitions
- § 1472 — Parity of protection for provision or use of Next Generation 9–1–1 services
- § 1473 — Commission proceeding on autodialing
- § 1501 — Definitions
- § 1502 — Identifying 255 megahertz
- § 1503 — Millimeter wave spectrum
- § 1504 — Broadband infrastructure deployment
- § 1505 — Unlicensed services in guard bands
- § 1506 — Rulemaking related to partitioning or disaggregating licenses
- § 1507 — Unlicensed spectrum policy
- § 1508 — National plan for unlicensed spectrum
- § 1509 — Spectrum Challenge Prize
- § 1510 — Wireless telecommunications tax and fee collection fairness
- § 1511 — Rules of construction
- § 1512 — Relationship to Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012
- § 1513 — No additional funds authorized
- § 1601 — Determination of communications equipment or services posing national security risks
- § 1602 — Prohibition on use of certain Federal subsidies
- § 1603 — Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program
- § 1604 — Reports on covered communications equipment or services
- § 1605 — Hold harmless
- § 1606 — Enforcement
- § 1607 — NTIA program for preventing future vulnerabilities
- § 1608 — Definitions
- § 1609 — Severability
- § 1701 — Findings
- § 1702 — Grants for broadband deployment
- § 1703 — Broadband DATA maps
- § 1704 — Broadband Deployment Locations Map
- § 1705 — Grants for broadband connectivity
- § 1721 — Definitions
- § 1722 — Sense of Congress
- § 1723 — State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program
- § 1724 — Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program
- § 1725 — Policy research, data collection, analysis and modeling, evaluation, and dissemination
- § 1726 — General provisions
- § 1741 — Enabling middle mile broadband infrastructure
- § 1751 — Definitions
- § 1752 — Benefit for broadband service
- § 1753 — Adoption of consumer broadband labels
- § 1754 — Digital discrimination