PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

The United States keeps control of all radio channels and lets people use them for limited times under federal licenses. Those licenses let you use a channel but do not make you the owner, and they only give the rights written in the license. No one may operate radio equipment to send energy, messages, or signals in or from the United States—such as within a state, between states, to another country or a ship, in ways that affect places outside a state’s borders, or on U.S. vessels or aircraft—unless they follow this chapter and have a license. U.S. vessels or aircraft are covered except as allowed in section 303(t) of this title.

Title 47, §301

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

It is the purpose of this chapter, among other things, to maintain the control of the United States over all the channels of radio transmission; and to provide for the use of such channels, but not the ownership thereof, by persons for limited periods of time, under licenses granted by Federal authority, and no such license shall be construed to create any right, beyond the terms, conditions, and periods of the license. No person shall use or operate any apparatus for the transmission of energy or communications or signals by radio (a) from one place in any State, Territory, or possession of the United States or in the District of Columbia to another place in the same State, Territory, possession, or District; or (b) from any State, Territory, or possession of the United States, or from the District of Columbia to any other State, Territory, or possession of the United States; or (c) from any place in any State, Territory, or possession of the United States, or in the District of Columbia, to any place in any foreign country or to any vessel; or (d) within any State when the effects of such use extend beyond the borders of said State, or when interference is caused by such use or operation with the transmission of such energy, communications, or signals from within said State to any place beyond its borders, or from any place beyond its borders to any place within said State, or with the transmission or reception of such energy, communications, or signals from and/or to places beyond the borders of said State; or (e) upon any vessel or aircraft of the United States (except as provided in section 303(t) of this title); or (f) upon any other mobile stations within the jurisdiction of the United States, except under and in accordance with this chapter and with a license in that behalf granted under the provisions of this chapter.

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

1982—Pub. L. 97–259 struck out “interstate and foreign” after “channels of” in first sentence, substituted “State, Territory,” for “Territory” after “from one place in any” and inserted “State,” after “to another place in the same” in cl. (a), and inserted “(except as provided in section 303(t) of this title)” in cl. (e).

§301 License for Radio Communication or Transmission of Energy