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Title 47 — Telecommunications

Chapter 5 — Wire or Radio Communication

§ 415. Limitations of actions

Statutory text

(a)

Recovery of charges by carrier

All actions at law by carriers for recovery of their lawful charges, or any part thereof, shall be begun within two years from the time the cause of action accrues, and not after.

(b)

Recovery of damages

All complaints against carriers for the recovery of damages not based on overcharges shall be filed with the Commission within two years from the time the cause of action accrues, and not after, subject to subsection (d) of this section.

(c)

Recovery of overcharges

For recovery of overcharges action at law shall be begun or complaint filed with the Commission against carriers within two years from the time the cause of action accrues, and not after, subject to subsection (d) of this section, except that if claim for the overcharge has been presented in writing to the carrier within the two-year period of limitation said period shall be extended to include two years from the time notice in writing is given by the carrier to the claimant of disallowance of the claim, or any part or parts thereof, specified in the notice.

(d)

Extension

If on or before expiration of the period of limitation in subsection (b) or (c) a carrier begins action under subsection (a) for recovery of lawful charges in respect of the same service, or, without beginning action, collects charges in respect of that service, said period of limitation shall be extended to include ninety days from the time such action is begun or such charges are collected by the carrier.

(e)

Accrual of cause of action for transmission of message

The cause of action in respect of the transmission of a message shall, for the purposes of this section, be deemed to accrue upon delivery or tender of delivery thereof by the carrier, and not after.

(f)

Enforcement petition

A petition for the enforcement of an order of the Commission for the payment of money shall be filed in the district court or the State court within one year from the date of the order, and not after.

(g)

“Overcharges” defined

The term “overcharges” as used in this section shall be deemed to mean charges for services in excess of those applicable thereto under the schedules of charges lawfully on file with the Commission.

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. Pub. L. 73–652 · 48 Stat. 1064

    Enacted · 47 U.S.C. § 415

    June 19, 1934, ch. 652, title IV, § 415, 48 Stat. 1099

    Source evidence

    Code source credit
    June 19, 1934, ch. 652, title IV, § 415, 48 Stat. 1099

  2. Pub. L. 93–507 · 88 Stat. 1577

    1. Amended · 47 U.S.C. § 415(a)(c)

      Pub. L. 93–507 amended subsecs. (a) to (c) generally

    2. Substituted · 47 U.S.C. § 415(a)(c)

      Pub. L. 93–507 substituting reference to two years for reference to one year wherever appearing

    Source evidence

    Code amendment note
    Subsecs. (a) to (c). Pub. L. 93–507 amended subsecs. (a) to (c) generally, substituting reference to two years for reference to one year wherever appearing.

0 of 3 references resolved to an enrolled provision · 3 partial

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1974—Subsecs. (a) to (c). Pub. L. 93–507 amended subsecs. (a) to (c) generally, substituting reference to two years for reference to one year wherever appearing.

Credits

1934–1974 · 2 acts
  1. 1934June 19, 1934, ch. 652, title IV, § 415, 48 Stat. 1099
  2. 1974Pub. L. 93–507, , 88 Stat. 1577.
Show as published

(June 19, 1934, ch. 652, title IV, § 415, 48 Stat. 1099; Pub. L. 93–507, , 88 Stat. 1577.)

Parsed from the official OLRC USLM XML in data/usc_all/usc47.xml · release point 119-108 · OLRC build 2026-09-09

USLM identifier /us/usc/t47/s415