CHAPTER 5 — Wire or Radio Communication
252 sections.
SUBCHAPTER I — GENERAL PROVISIONS 15 sections
- § 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
SUBCHAPTER II — COMMON CARRIERS 55 sections
Part I — Common Carrier Regulation 36 sections
- § 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
Part II — Development of Competitive Markets 13 sections
- § 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
Part III — Special Provisions Concerning Bell Operating Companies 6 sections
SUBCHAPTER III — SPECIAL PROVISIONS RELATING TO RADIO 86 sections
Part I — General Provisions 51 sections
- § 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
Part II — Radio Equipment and Radio Operators On Board Ship 15 sections
- § 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
Part III — Radio Installations on Vessels Carrying Passengers for Hire 6 sections
- § 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
Part IV — Assistance for Planning and Construction of Public Telecommunications Facilities; Telecommunications Demonstrations; Corporation for Public Broadcasting; General Provisions 14 sections
subpart a — assistance for planning and construction of public telecommunications facilities 6 sections
subpart b — national endowment for children’s educational television 1 sections
subpart c — telecommunications demonstrations 1 sections
subpart d — corporation for public broadcasting 1 sections
subpart e — general provisions 5 sections
SUBCHAPTER IV — PROCEDURAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS 16 sections
- § 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
SUBCHAPTER V — PENAL PROVISIONS; FORFEITURES 11 sections
- § 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
SUBCHAPTER V–A — CABLE COMMUNICATIONS 36 sections
Part I — General Provisions 2 sections
Part II — Use of Cable Channels and Cable Ownership Restrictions 8 sections
- § 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
Part III — Franchising and Regulation 10 sections
- § 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
Part IV — Miscellaneous Provisions 13 sections
- § 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
Part V — Video Programming Services Provided by Telephone Companies 3 sections
SUBCHAPTER VI — MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS 27 sections
- § 601. — Interstate Commerce Commission and Postmaster General; duties, powers, and functions transferred to Commission
- §§ 602, 603. — 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