§501 — Title 47 Telegraphs, Telephones, and Radiotelegraphs | U.S. Code

Summary

Anyone who intentionally and knowingly breaks a rule in this chapter, causes or allows someone else to break it, or fails to do something the chapter requires can be punished if convicted. If convicted, the person can be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to one year, or both. If the person has already been convicted under this rule before and is convicted again, jail time can be up to two years (fine still up to $10,000), or both. This penalty applies only when the chapter does not set a different punishment (other than a forfeiture).

Title 47, §501

Telegraphs, Telephones, and Radiotelegraphs — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

Any person who willfully and knowingly does or causes or suffers to be done any act, matter, or thing, in this chapter prohibited or declared to be unlawful, or who willfully and knowingly omits or fails to do any act, matter, or thing in this chapter required to be done, or willfully and knowingly causes or suffers such omission or failure, shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished for such offense, for which no penalty (other than a forfeiture) is provided in this chapter, by a fine of not more than $10,000 or by imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year, or both; except that any person, having been once convicted of an offense punishable under this section, who is subsequently convicted of violating any provision of this chapter punishable under this section, shall be punished by a fine of not more than $10,000 or by imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or both.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This chapter, referred to in text, was in the original “this Act”, meaning act June 19, 1934, ch. 652, 48 Stat. 1064, known as the Communications Act of 1934, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 609 of this title and Tables.

Amendments

1954—Act Mar. 23, 1954, provided that any offense punishable hereunder, except a second or subsequent offense, should constitute a misdemeanor rather than a felony, as those terms are defined in section 1 of Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure.

§501 General penalty