---
type: "LegalText"
title: "47 U.S.C. § 22"
description: "Negligent injury to submarine cables; punishment"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 47
title_name: "TELECOMMUNICATIONS"
chapter_number: "2"
chapter_name: "SUBMARINE CABLES"
section: "22"
citation: "47 U.S.C. § 22"
status: "current"
release_point: "119-100"
release_date: "2026-06-26"
source: "official"
source_url: "https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc47@119-100.zip"
source_identifier: "/us/usc/t47/s22"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-47/usc47.xml"
source_hash: "37a37987e2d4e5637a268790cb535ef813b8a53f3b0b7a06c9ed9239ed6c2d54"
raw_snapshot_hash: "7cfb2d22df305544d8fac4913876d34c6b712d99019bd01ec134ed44ef145534"
text_hash: "643c9f587caa115e9bd624d9afdaf0655aed249853b3edaefb813a853038bd13"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 47 U.S.C. § 22 - Negligent injury to submarine cables; punishment

## Text

Any person who by culpable negligence shall break or injure a submarine cable in such manner as to interrupt or embarrass, in whole or in part, telegraphic communication, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and, on conviction thereof, shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months, or to a fine not exceeding $500, or to both fine and imprisonment, at the discretion of the court.

(Feb. 29, 1888, ch. 17, § 2, 25 Stat. 41.)