---
type: "LegalText"
title: "47 U.S.C. § 23"
description: "Injury to submarine cables in efforts to save life excepted"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 47
title_name: "TELECOMMUNICATIONS"
chapter_number: "2"
chapter_name: "SUBMARINE CABLES"
section: "23"
citation: "47 U.S.C. § 23"
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/s23"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-47/usc47.xml"
source_hash: "93080456c01f341f9167f5fd1604701eed399fd6924afafc05f711a7a5f9bf03"
raw_snapshot_hash: "7cfb2d22df305544d8fac4913876d34c6b712d99019bd01ec134ed44ef145534"
text_hash: "be58cc6ae274dd5b4449aa0f5f51c1ae52e7aae913c010b75a7493edf78e9674"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 47 U.S.C. § 23 - Injury to submarine cables in efforts to save life excepted

## Text

The provisions of sections 21 and 22 of this title shall not apply to a person who breaks or injures a cable in an effort to save the life or limb of himself or of any other person, or to save his own or any other vessel: Provided, That he takes reasonable precautions to avoid such breaking or injury.

(Feb. 29, 1888, ch. 17, § 3, 25 Stat. 41.)