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

§412 Documents Filed with Commission as Public Records; Prima Facie Evidence; Confidential Records

Title 47 › CHAPTER 5 — WIRE OR RADIO COMMUNICATION › SUBCHAPTER IV — PROCEDURAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS › § 412

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Commission must keep public copies of carriers' price lists, classifications, contracts, agreements, and the statistics and tables from their reports. The secretary keeps these records and they are accepted as evidence in Commission investigations and in court. Certified copies with the secretary's seal count the same as the originals. The Commission may keep foreign wire or radio contracts secret if publishing them would hurt U.S. companies' ability to compete.

Full Legal Text

Title 47, §412

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

The copies of schedules of charges, classifications, and of all contracts, agreements, and arrangements between common carriers filed with the Commission as herein provided, and the statistics, tables, and figures contained in the annual or other reports of carriers and other persons made to the Commission as required under the provisions of this chapter shall be preserved as public records in the custody of the secretary of the Commission, and shall be received as prima facie evidence of what they purport to be for the purpose of investigations by the Commission and in all judicial proceedings; and copies of and extracts from any of said schedules, classifications, contracts, agreements, arrangements, or reports, made public records as aforesaid, certified by the secretary, under the Commission’s seal, shall be received in evidence with like effect as the originals: Provided, That the Commission may, if the public interest will be served thereby, keep confidential any contract, agreement, or arrangement relating to foreign wire or radio communication when the publication of such contract, agreement, or arrangement would place American communication companies at a disadvantage in meeting the competition of foreign communication companies.

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.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

47 U.S.C. § 412

Title 47, Telegraphs, Telephones, and Radiotelegraphs

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102