Title 47 — Telecommunications
407 sections across 15 chapters.
Click a chapter to expand its sections, or click a section to view its full text and change history.
Ch. 1— Subsidized companies required to construct and operate lines4 inactive8 sections
- § 6Repealed. July 16, 1947, ch. 256, § 1 , 61 Stat. 327Repealed
- § 7OmittedOmitted
- § 8Repealed. July 16, 1947, ch. 256, § 1 , 61 Stat. 327Repealed
- § 9Subsidized companies required to construct and operate lines
- § 10Equal facilities to connecting lines; discrimination in rates
- § 11Powers of Federal Communications Commission
- § 12Interference with liens of United States
- § 13Violations; punishment; action for damages
- § 14Contracts filed with Federal Communications Commission; reports; failure to make
- § 15Reservation of power to alter, amend, or repeal act; power to fix rates and purchase lines
- § 16Washington-Alaska Military Cable and Telegraph System; money transfers; portion of receipts withheld
- § 17Repealed. Pub. L. 105–119, title VI, § 620 , Nov. 26, 1997 , 111 Stat. 2519Repealed
Ch. 2— Submarine cables19 sections
- § 21Submarine cables; willful injury to; punishment
- § 22Negligent injury to submarine cables; punishment
- § 23Injury to submarine cables in efforts to save life excepted
- § 24Vessels laying cables; signals; avoidance of buoys
- § 25Fishing vessels; duty to keep nets from cables
- § 26Duties of commanders of warships
- § 27Offending vessels to show nationality
- § 28Penalties not to bar suits for damages
- § 29Master of offending vessel punishable
- § 30Definitions
- § 31Summary trials
- § 32Application
- § 33Jurisdiction and venue of actions and offenses
- § 34Licenses for landing or operating cables connecting United States with foreign country; necessity for
- § 35Withholding or revoking of licenses by President; terms and conditions of licenses
- § 36Preventing landing or operating of cables; injunction
- § 37Violations; punishment
- § 38“United States” defined
- § 39Amendment, modification, etc., of rights granted
Ch. 31 inactive0 sections
Ch. 46 inactive0 sections
- § 83Repealed. June 19, 1934, ch. 652, § 602(a) , 48 Stat. 1102Repealed
- § 83eOmittedOmitted
- § 84Repealed. June 19, 1934, ch. 652, § 602(a) , 48 Stat. 1102Repealed
- § 84bRepealed. Pub. L. 89–554, § 8(a) , Sept. 6, 1966 , 80 Stat. 647Repealed
- § 119Repealed. June 19, 1934, ch. 652, § 602(a) , 48 Stat. 1102Repealed
- § 121OmittedOmitted
Ch. 5— Duty to provide 9–1–1 and enhanced 9–1–1 service5 inactive243 sections
- § 1Duty to provide 9–1–1 and enhanced 9–1–1 service
- § 2Provision of evidence of certain robocall violations to Attorney General
- § 151Purposes of chapter; Federal Communications Commission created
- § 152Application of chapter
- § 153Definitions
- § 154Federal Communications Commission
- § 155Commission
- § 155aAuthority of Chief Information Officer
- § 156Authorization of appropriations
- § 157New technologies and services
- § 158Application fees
- § 159Regulatory fees
- § 159aProvisions applicable to application and regulatory fees
- § 160Competition in provision of telecommunications service
- § 161Regulatory reform
- § 162Additional research authorities of the FCC
- § 163Communications marketplace report
- § 201Service and charges
- § 202Discriminations and preferences
- § 203Schedules of charges
- § 204Hearings on new charges; suspension pending hearing; refunds; duration of hearing; appeal of order concluding hearing
- § 205Commission authorized to prescribe just and reasonable charges; penalties for violations
- § 206Carriers’ liability for damages
- § 207Recovery of damages
- § 208Complaints to Commission; investigations; duration of investigation; appeal of order concluding investigation
- § 209Orders for payment of money
- § 210Franks and passes; free service to governmental agencies in connection with national defense
- § 211Contracts of carriers; filing with Commission
- § 212Interlocking directorates; officials dealing in securities
- § 213Valuation of property of carrier
- § 214Extension of lines or discontinuance of service; certificate of public convenience and necessity
- § 215Examination of transactions relating to furnishing of services, equipment, etc.; reports to Congress
- § 216Receivers and trustees; application of chapter
- § 217Agents’ acts and omissions; liability of carrier
- § 218Management of business; inquiries by Commission
- § 219Reports by carriers; contents and requirements generally
- § 220Accounts, records, and memoranda
- § 221Consolidations and mergers of telephone companies
- § 222Privacy of customer information
- § 223Obscene or harassing telephone calls in the District of Columbia or in interstate or foreign communications
- § 224Pole attachments
- § 225Telecommunications services for hearing-impaired and speech-impaired individuals
- § 226Telephone operator services
- § 227Restrictions on use of telephone equipment
- § 227aConsumer education materials on how to avoid scams that rely upon misleading or inaccurate caller identification information
- § 227bCall authentication
- § 228Regulation of carrier offering of pay-per-call services
- § 229Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act compliance
- § 230Protection for private blocking and screening of offensive material
- § 231Restriction of access by minors to materials commercially distributed by means of World Wide Web that are harmful to minors
- § 251Interconnection
- § 251aState authority over fees
- § 252Procedures for negotiation, arbitration, and approval of agreements
- § 253Removal of barriers to entry
- § 254Universal service
- § 255Access by persons with disabilities
- § 256Coordination for interconnectivity
- § 257Market entry barriers proceeding
- § 258Illegal changes in subscriber carrier selections
- § 259Infrastructure sharing
- § 260Provision of telemessaging service
- § 261Effect on other requirements
- § 262Ensuring the integrity of voice communications
- § 271Bell operating company entry into interLATA services
- § 272Separate affiliate; safeguards
- § 273Manufacturing by Bell operating companies
- § 274Electronic publishing by Bell operating companies
- § 275Alarm monitoring services
- § 276Provision of payphone service
- § 301License for radio communication or transmission of energy
- § 302Repealed. June 5, 1936, ch. 511, § 1 , 49 Stat. 1475Repealed
- § 302aDevices which interfere with radio reception
- § 303Powers and duties of Commission
- § 303aStandards for children’s television programming
- § 303bConsideration of children’s television service in broadcast license renewal
- § 303cTelevision program improvement
- § 304Waiver by license of claims to particular frequency or of electromagnetic spectrum
- § 305Government owned stations
- § 306Foreign ships; application of section 301
- § 307Licenses
- § 308Requirements for license
- § 309Application for license
- § 309aReports related to spectrum auctions
- § 310License ownership restrictions
- § 311Requirements as to certain applications in broadcasting service
- § 312Administrative sanctions
- § 312aRevocation of operator’s license used in unlawful distribution of controlled substances
- § 313Application of antitrust laws to manufacture, sale, and trade in radio apparatus
- § 314Competition in commerce; preservation
- § 315Candidates for public office
- § 316Modification by Commission of station licenses or construction permits; burden of proof
- § 317Announcement of payment for broadcast
- § 318Transmitting apparatus; operator’s license
- § 319Construction permits
- § 320Stations liable to interfere with distress signals; designation and regulation
- § 321Distress signals and communications; equipment on vessels; regulations
- § 322Exchanging radio communications between land and ship stations and from ship to ship
- § 323Interference between Government and commercial stations
- § 324Use of minimum power
- § 325False, fraudulent, or unauthorized transmissions
- § 326Censorship
- § 327Naval stations; use for commercial messages; rates
- § 328Repealed. Pub. L. 103–414, title III, § 304(a)(10) , Oct. 25, 1994 , 108 Stat. 4297Repealed
- § 329Administration of radio laws in Territories and possessions
- § 330Prohibition against shipment of certain television receivers
- § 331Very high frequency stations and AM radio stations
- § 332Mobile services
- § 333Willful or malicious interference
- § 334Limitation on revision of equal employment opportunity regulations
- § 335Direct broadcast satellite service obligations
- § 336Broadcast spectrum flexibility
- § 337Allocation and assignment of new public safety services licenses and commercial licenses
- § 338Carriage of local television signals by satellite carriers
- § 339Carriage of distant television stations by satellite carriers
- § 340Significantly viewed signals permitted to be carried
- § 341Carriage of television signals to certain subscribers
- § 342Process for issuing qualified carrier certification
- § 343Conditions on commercial terrestrial operations
- § 351Ship radio stations and operations
- § 352Exemptions
- § 353Radio equipment and operators
- § 353aOperators and watches on radiotelephone equipped ships
- § 354Technical requirements of equipment on radiotelegraph equipped ships
- § 354aTechnical requirements of equipment on radiotelephone equipped ships
- § 355Survival craft
- § 356Approval of installations by Commission
- § 357Safety information
- § 358Master’s control over operations
- § 359Certificates of compliance; issuance, modification, and cancellation
- § 360Station licenses; inspection of equipment by Commission
- § 361Control by Commission; review of decisions
- § 362Forfeitures; recovery
- § 363Automated ship distress and safety systems
- § 381Vessels transporting more than six passengers for hire required to be equipped with radiotelephone
- § 382Vessels excepted from radiotelephone requirement
- § 383Exemptions by Commission
- § 384Authority of Commission; operations, installations, and additional equipment
- § 385Inspections
- § 386Forfeitures
- § 390Declaration of purpose
- § 391Authorization of appropriations
- § 392Grants for construction
- § 392aRepealed. Pub. L. 95–567, title II, § 201 , Nov. 2, 1978 , 92 Stat. 2409Repealed
- § 393Criteria for approval and expenditures by Secretary
- § 393aLong-range planning for facilities
- § 394Establishment of National Endowment
- § 395Assistance for demonstration projects
- § 396Corporation for Public Broadcasting
- § 397Definitions
- § 398Federal interference or control
- § 399Support of political candidates prohibited
- § 399aUse of business or institutional logograms
- § 399bOffering of certain services, facilities, or products by public broadcast station
- § 401Enforcement provisions
- § 402Judicial review of Commission’s orders and decisions
- § 403Inquiry by Commission on its own motion
- § 404Reports of investigations
- § 405Petition 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
- § 406Compelling furnishing of facilities; mandamus; jurisdiction
- § 407Order for payment of money; petition for enforcement; procedure; order of Commission as prima facie evidence; costs; attorneys’ fees
- § 408Order not for payment of money; when effective
- § 409Hearings
- § 410Joint boards and commissions
- § 411Joinder of parties
- § 412Documents filed with Commission as public records; prima facie evidence; confidential records
- § 413Designation of agent for service; method of service
- § 414Exclusiveness of chapter
- § 415Limitations of actions
- § 416Orders of Commission
- § 501General penalty
- § 502Violation of rules, regulations, etc.
- § 503Forfeitures
- § 504Forfeitures
- § 505Venue of trials
- § 506Repealed. Pub. L. 96–507, § 1 , Dec. 8, 1980 , 94 Stat. 2747Repealed
- § 507Violation of Great Lakes Agreement
- § 508Disclosure of payments to individuals connected with broadcasts
- § 509Prohibited practices in contests of knowledge, skill, or chance
- § 510Forfeiture of communications devices
- § 511Enhanced penalties for pirate radio broadcasting; enforcement sweeps; reporting
- § 521Purposes
- § 522Definitions
- § 531Cable channels for public, educational, or governmental use
- § 532Cable channels for commercial use
- § 533Ownership restrictions
- § 534Carriage of local commercial television signals
- § 535Carriage of noncommercial educational television
- § 536Regulation of carriage agreements
- § 537Sales of cable systems
- § 537aCarriage of certain programming
- § 541General franchise requirements
- § 542Franchise fees
- § 543Regulation of rates
- § 544Regulation of services, facilities, and equipment
- § 544aConsumer electronics equipment compatibility
- § 545Modification of franchise obligations
- § 546Renewal
- § 547Conditions of sale
- § 548Development of competition and diversity in video programming distribution
- § 549Competitive availability of navigation devices
- § 551Protection of subscriber privacy
- § 552Consumer protection and customer service
- § 553Unauthorized reception of cable service
- § 554Equal employment opportunity
- § 555Judicial proceedings
- § 555aLimitation of franchising authority liability
- § 556Coordination of Federal, State, and local authority
- § 557Existing franchises
- § 558Criminal and civil liability
- § 559Obscene programming
- § 560Scrambling of cable channels for nonsubscribers
- § 561Scrambling of sexually explicit adult video service programming
- § 562Requirements relating to charges for covered services
- § 571Regulatory treatment of video programming services
- § 572Prohibition on buy outs
- § 573Establishment of open video systems
- § 601Interstate Commerce Commission and Postmaster General; duties, powers, and functions transferred to Commission
- § 603Repealed. Pub. L. 103–414, title III, § 304(a)(13) , Oct. 25, 1994 , 108 Stat. 4297Repealed
- § 604Effect of transfer
- § 605Unauthorized publication or use of communications
- § 606War powers of President
- § 607Effective date of chapter
- § 608Separability
- § 609Short title
- § 610Telephone service for disabled
- § 611Closed-captioning of public service announcements
- § 612Syndicated exclusivity
- § 613Video programming accessibility
- § 614Telecommunications Development Fund
- § 615Support for universal emergency telephone number
- § 615aService provider parity of protection
- § 615bDefinitions
- § 615cEmergency Access Advisory Committee
- § 616Internet protocol-based relay services
- § 617Access to advanced communications services and equipment
- § 618Enforcement and recordkeeping obligations
- § 619Internet browsers built into telephones used with public mobile services
- § 620Relay services for deaf-blind individuals
- § 621Rulemaking on loud commercials required
- § 622Optional electronic labeling of communications equipment
- § 623Configuration of multi-line telephone systems for direct dialing of 9–1–1.
- § 624Disclosure requirements for United States-based foreign media outlets
- § 641Definitions
- § 642Broadband maps
- § 643Enforcement
- § 644Improving data accuracy
- § 645Cost
- § 646Other provisions
Ch. 6— Implementation of policy8 inactive19 sections
- § 701OmittedOmitted
- § 702Definitions
- § 703Repealed. Pub. L. 115–141, div. P, title IV, § 402(b) , Mar. 23, 2018 , 132 Stat. 1089Repealed
- § 721Implementation of policy
- § 735OmittedOmitted
- § 744OmittedOmitted
- § 752OmittedOmitted
- § 753Implementation of policy
- § 756Repealed. Pub. L. 103–414, title III, § 304(b)(5) , Oct. 25, 1994 , 108 Stat. 4298Repealed
- § 757Definitions
- § 761Federal Communications Commission licensing
- § 761aIncentives; limitation on expansion pending privatization
- § 763General criteria to ensure a pro-competitive privatization of INTELSAT and Inmarsat
- § 763aSpecific criteria for INTELSAT
- § 763bRepealed. Pub. L. 109–34, § 2 , July 12, 2005 , 119 Stat. 377Repealed
- § 763cSpace segment capacity of the GMDSS
- § 763dEncouraging market access and privatization
- § 765Access to INTELSAT
- § 765aSignatory role
- § 765bElimination of procurement preferences
- § 765cITU functions
- § 765dTermination of provisions of this chapter
- § 765eRepealed. Pub. L. 115–141, div. P, title IV, § 402(a) , Mar. 23, 2018 , 132 Stat. 1089Repealed
- § 765fSatellite auctions
- § 765gExclusivity arrangements
- § 767Methods to pursue privatization
- § 769Definitions
Ch. 71 inactive0 sections
Ch. 8— Spectrum management activities1 inactive15 sections
- § 901Definitions; findings; policy
- § 902Establishment; assigned functions
- § 903Spectrum management activities
- § 904General administrative provisions
- § 905OmittedOmitted
- § 921Definitions
- § 922National spectrum allocation planning
- § 923Identification of reallocable frequencies
- § 924Withdrawal or limitation of assignment to Federal Government stations
- § 925Distribution of frequencies by Commission
- § 926Authority to recover reassigned frequencies
- § 927Existing allocation and transfer authority retained
- § 928Spectrum Relocation Fund
- § 929National security and other sensitive information
- § 941Child-friendly second-level Internet domain
- § 942Coordination of 9–1–1, E9–1–1, and Next Generation 9–1–1 implementation
Ch. 9— Assistance capability requirements11 sections
- § 1001Definitions
- § 1002Assistance capability requirements
- § 1003Notices of capacity requirements
- § 1004Systems security and integrity
- § 1005Cooperation of equipment manufacturers and providers of telecommunications support services
- § 1006Technical requirements and standards; extension of compliance date
- § 1007Enforcement orders
- § 1008Payment of costs of telecommunications carriers to comply with capability requirements
- § 1009Authorization of appropriations
- § 1010Reports
- § 1021Department of Justice Telecommunications Carrier Compliance Fund
Ch. 101 inactive0 sections
Ch. 11— Federal Communications Commission duties5 sections
Ch. 12— Advanced telecommunications incentives5 sections
Ch. 13— Rule of construction33 sections
- § 1401Definitions
- § 1402Rule of construction
- § 1403Enforcement
- § 1404National security restrictions on use of funds and auction participation
- § 1411Reallocation of D block to public safety
- § 1412Flexible use of narrowband spectrum
- § 1413470–512 MHz public safety spectrum
- § 1421Single public safety wireless network licensee
- § 1422Public safety broadband network
- § 1423Public safety Interoperability Board
- § 1424Establishment of the First Responder Network Authority
- § 1425Advisory committees of the First Responder Network Authority
- § 1426Powers, duties, and responsibilities of the First Responder Network Authority
- § 1427Initial funding for the First Responder Network Authority
- § 1428Permanent self-funding; duty to assess and collect fees for network use
- § 1429Audit and report
- § 1430Annual report to Congress
- § 1431Public safety roaming and priority access
- § 1432Prohibition on direct offering of commercial telecommunications service directly to consumers
- § 1433Provision of technical assistance
- § 1441State and Local Implementation Fund
- § 1442State and local implementation
- § 1443Public safety wireless communications research and development
- § 1451Deadlines for auction of certain spectrum
- § 1452Special requirements for incentive auction of broadcast TV spectrum
- § 1453Unlicensed use in the 5 GHZ band
- § 1454Guard bands and unlicensed use
- § 1455Wireless facilities deployment
- § 1456System certification
- § 1457Public Safety Trust Fund
- § 1471Definitions
- § 1472Parity of protection for provision or use of Next Generation 9–1–1 services
- § 1473Commission proceeding on autodialing
Ch. 14— Identifying 255 megahertz13 sections
- § 1501Definitions
- § 1502Identifying 255 megahertz
- § 1503Millimeter wave spectrum
- § 1504Broadband infrastructure deployment
- § 1505Unlicensed services in guard bands
- § 1506Rulemaking related to partitioning or disaggregating licenses
- § 1507Unlicensed spectrum policy
- § 1508National plan for unlicensed spectrum
- § 1509Spectrum Challenge Prize
- § 1510Wireless telecommunications tax and fee collection fairness
- § 1511Rules of construction
- § 1512Relationship to Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012
- § 1513No additional funds authorized
Ch. 15— Determination of communications equipment or services posing9 sections
- § 1601Determination of communications equipment or services posing national security risks
- § 1602Prohibition on use of certain Federal subsidies
- § 1603Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program
- § 1604Reports on covered communications equipment or services
- § 1605Hold harmless
- § 1606Enforcement
- § 1607NTIA program for preventing future vulnerabilities
- § 1608Definitions
- § 1609Severability