§ 353. Radio equipment and operators

Legislative history

Reconstructed from this section’s Code source credit and amendment notes, resolved against the local Statutes at Large. Editorial notes are evidence, not the law that made the change.

1. 1934

   Pub. L. 75–652 · 50 Stat. 650

   Enacted · 47 U.S.C. § 353

   June 19, 1934, ch. 652, title III, § 353, as added May 20, 1937, ch. 229, § 10(b), 50 Stat. 193

   Source evidence

   Code source credit
   June 19, 1934, ch. 652, title III, § 353, as added May 20, 1937, ch. 229, § 10(b), 50 Stat. 193

2. 1941

   Public Law not identified

   Inserted · 47 U.S.C. § 353(b)

   Subsec. (b). Act July 8, 1941, inserted exception respecting national emergency

   Unresolved: No Public Law or Statutes at Large citation in the Code source.

   Source evidence

   Code amendment note
   Subsec. (b). Act July 8, 1941, inserted exception respecting national emergency.

3. 1943

   Public Law not identified

   Substituted · 47 U.S.C. § 353(b)

   Subsec. (b). Act June 22, 1943, substituted “the termination of such emergency or such earlier date as Congress by concurrent resolution may designate” for “June 30, 1943”

   Unresolved: No Public Law or Statutes at Large citation in the Code source.

   Source evidence

   Code amendment note
   Subsec. (b). Act June 22, 1943, substituted “the termination of such emergency or such earlier date as Congress by concurrent resolution may designate” for “June 30, 1943”.

4. 1965

   Pub. L. 89–121 § 4 · 79 Stat. 511

   1. Substituted · 47 U.S.C. § 353

      Pub. L. 89–121, among other changes, substituted wherever appearing “radiotelegraph station” for “radiotelegraph installation” “qualified operators”, required a continuous watch to be kept when the radiotelegraph station is not being used for authorized traffic

   2. Substituted · 47 U.S.C. § 353

      Pub. L. 89–121, among other changes, substituted wherever appearing “radiotelegraph auto alarm” for “auto-alarm” “qualified operators”, required a continuous watch to be kept when the radiotelegraph station is not being used for authorized traffic

   3. Substituted · 47 U.S.C. § 353

      Pub. L. 89–121, among other changes, substituted wherever appearing “radio officers” for “qualified operator” “qualified operators”, required a continuous watch to be kept when the radiotelegraph station is not being used for authorized traffic

   4. Inserted · 47 U.S.C. § 353

      Pub. L. 89–121, among other changes, inserted “while being navigated in the open sea” in two places

   Source evidence

   Code amendment note
   Pub. L. 89–121, among other changes, substituted wherever appearing “radiotelegraph station” for “radiotelegraph installation”, “radiotelegraph auto alarm” for “auto-alarm”, and “radio officer” and “radio officers” for “qualified operator” and “qualified operators”, required a continuous watch to be kept when the radiotelegraph station is not being used for authorized traffic, and inserted “while being navigated in the open sea” in two places.

   Enacted provision · exact public law section
   Sec. 4. Section 353 of the Communications Act of 1934 is amended 68 Stat. 705. 47 USC 353. to read as follows: “Sec. 353. “radio officers, watches, auto alarm-radiotelegraph equipped ships (a) Each cargo ship which in accordance with this part is equipped with a radiotelegraph station and which is not equipped with a radiotelegraph auto alarm, and each passenger ship required by this part to be equipped with a radiotelegraph station, shall, for safety purposes, carry at least two radio officers. “(b) A cargo ship which in accordance with this part is equipped with a radiotelegraph station, which is equipped with a radiotelegraph auto alarm, shall, for safety purposes, carry at least one radio officer who shall have had at least six months’ previous service in the aggregate as a radio officer in a station on board a ship or ships of the United States. “(c) Each ship of the United States which in accordance with this part is equipped with a radiotelegraph station shall, while being navigated in the open sea outside of a harbor or port, keep a continuous watch by means of radio officers whenever the station is not being used for authorized traffic: Provided, That, in lieu thereof, on a cargo ship equipped with a radiotelegraph auto alarm in proper operating condition, a watch of at least eight hours per day, in the aggregate, shall be maintained by means of a radio officer. “(d) The Commission shall, when it finds it necessary for safety purposes, have authority to prescribe the particular hours of watch on a ship of the United States which in accordance with this part is equipped with a radiotelegraph station. “(e) On all ships of the United States equipped with a radiotelegraph auto alarm, said apparatus shall be in operation at all times while the ship is being navigated in the open sea outside of a harbor or port when the radio officer is not on watch.”

4 of 7 references resolved to an enrolled provision · 1 partial · 2 unresolved