Federal

Title 47 — Telecommunications

432 sections, each with the official text and a plain-English explanation of what it means for you.

• § 1 to 6 — Repealed. July 16, 1947, ch. 256, § 1 , 61 Stat. 327
• § 10 — Equal facilities to connecting lines; discrimination in rates
• § 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
• § 11 — Powers of Federal Communications Commission
• § 1101 to 1110 — Repealed. Pub. L. 115–334, title VI, § 6603(2) , Dec. 20, 2018 , 132 Stat. 4777
• § 12 — Interference with liens of United States
• § 120, 121 — Omitted
• § 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
• § 13 — Violations; punishment; action for damages
• § 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
• § 14 — Contracts filed with Federal Communications Commission; reports; failure to make
• § 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• § 1413 — Repealed.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
• § 15 — Reservation of power to alter, amend, or repeal act; power to fix rates and purchase lines
• § 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
• § 151 — Purposes of chapter; Federal Communications Commission created
• § 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
• § 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
• § 16 — Washington-Alaska Military Cable and Telegraph System; money transfers; portion of receipts withheld
• § 160 — Competition in provision of telecommunications service
• § 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
• § 161 — Regulatory reform
• § 162 — Additional research authorities of the FCC
• § 163 — Communications marketplace report
• § 17 — Repealed. Pub. L. 105–119, title VI, § 620 , Nov. 26, 1997 , 111 Stat. 2519
• § 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
• § 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
• § 21 — Submarine cables; willful injury to; punishment
• § 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
• § 22 — Negligent injury to submarine cables; punishment
• § 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
• § 23 — Injury to submarine cables in efforts to save life excepted
• § 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
• § 24 — Vessels laying cables; signals; avoidance of buoys
• § 25 — Fishing vessels; duty to keep nets from cables
• § 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
• § 26 — Duties of commanders of warships
• § 260 — Provision of telemessaging service
• § 261 — Effect on other requirements
• § 262 — Ensuring the integrity of voice communications
• § 27 — Offending vessels to show nationality
• § 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
• § 28 — Penalties not to bar suits for damages
• § 29 — Master of offending vessel punishable
• § 30 — Definitions
• § 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