§ 11. — Powers of Federal Communications Commission.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 47USC11]
TITLE 47--TELEGRAPHS, TELEPHONES, AND RADIOTELEGRAPHS
CHAPTER 1--TELEGRAPHS
Sec. 11. Powers of Federal Communications Commission
If any railroad or telegraph company referred to in section 9 of
this title, or company operating such railroad or telegraph line shall
refuse or fail, in whole or in part, to maintain, and operate a
telegraph line as provided herein, for the use of the Government or the
public, for commercial and other purposes, without discrimination, or
shall refuse or fail to make or continue such arrangements for the
interchange of business with any connecting telegraph company, then any
person, company, corporation, or connecting telegraph company may apply
for relief to the Federal Communications Commission, whose duty it shall
thereupon be, under such rules and regulations as said commission may
prescribe, to ascertain the facts, and determine and order what
arrangement is proper to be made in the particular case, and the
railroad or telegraph company concerned shall abide by and perform such
order; and it shall be the duty of the Federal Communications
Commission, when such determination and order are made, to notify the
parties concerned, and, if necessary, enforce the same by writ of
mandamus in the courts of the United States, in the name of the United
States, at the relation of either of said communication commissioners.
The commissioners may institute any inquiry, upon their own motion, in
the same manner and to the same effect as though complaint had been
made.
(Aug. 7, 1888, ch. 772, Sec. 3, 25 Stat. 383; June 19, 1934, ch. 652,
Sec. 601, 48 Stat. 1101.)
Transfer of Functions
Duties, powers, and functions under this section relating to
operation of telegraph lines by railroad and telegraph lines granted
Government aid in construction of their lines imposed on and vested in
Federal Communications Commission by act June 19, 1934. See section 601
of this title.
Section Referred to in Other Sections
This section is referred to in sections 12, 15, 601 of this title.
