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Title 47, Telegraphs, Telephones, and RadiotelegraphsRelease 119-102

§318 Transmitting Apparatus; Operator’s License

Title 47 › CHAPTER 5 — WIRE OR RADIO COMMUNICATION › SUBCHAPTER III — SPECIAL PROVISIONS RELATING TO RADIO › Part I — General Provisions › § 318

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

All transmitting equipment in any radio station that needs a station license must be run only by a person who holds an operator’s license issued by the Commission. No one may operate that equipment unless they have and follow such a license. The Commission may waive or change these rules if it finds it serves the public interest, except it cannot waive them for stations required by international agreement, for safety, or for common carriers on frequencies below 30,000 kilocycles. The Commission may also make special rules for licensing and operating automatic radio devices.

Full Legal Text

Title 47, §318

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

The actual operation of all transmitting apparatus in any radio station for which a station license is required by this chapter shall be carried on only by a person holding an operator’s license issued hereunder, and no person shall operate any such apparatus in such station except under and in accordance with an operator’s license issued to him by the Commission: Provided, however, That the Commission if it shall find that the public interest, convenience, or necessity will be served thereby may waive or modify the foregoing provisions of this section for the operation of any station except (1) stations for which licensed operators are required by international agreement, (2) stations for which licensed operators are required for safety purposes, and (3) stations operated as common carriers on frequencies below thirty thousand kilocycles: Provided further, That the Commission shall have power to make special regulations governing the granting of licenses for the use of automatic radio devices and for the operation of such devices.

Legislative History

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

1994—Pub. L. 103–414 made technical

Amendments

to directory language of Pub. L. 102–538, § 205(1). See 1992 Amendment note below. 1992—Pub. L. 102–538, § 205(2), redesignated cl. (4) as (3). Pub. L. 102–538, § 205(1), as amended by Pub. L. 103–414, struck out cl. (3) which read as follows: “stations engaged in broadcasting (other than those engaged primarily in the function of rebroadcasting the signals of broadcast stations),”. 1976—Pub. L. 94–335 substituted “engaged primarily in the function of rebroadcasting the signals of broadcast stations” for “engaged solely in the function of rebroadcasting the signals of television broadcast stations” in parenthetical provisions of cl. (3). 1960—Pub. L. 86–609 inserted “(other than those engaged solely in the function of rebroadcasting the signals of television broadcast stations)” after “engaged in broadcasting”. 1937—Act Mar. 29, 1937, inserted provisos.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

47 U.S.C. § 318

Title 47, Telegraphs, Telephones, and Radiotelegraphs

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102