republic-os/legal/us/code/title-47/chapter-5/section-256.md

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LegalText	47 U.S.C. § 256	Coordination for interconnectivity	us	united_states_code	code_section	47	TELECOMMUNICATIONS	5	WIRE OR RADIO COMMUNICATION	256	47 U.S.C. § 256	current	119-100	2026-06-26	official	https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc47@119-100.zip	/us/usc/t47/s256	data/legal/raw/us/code/title-47/usc47.xml	e9730fd10eb67e6bde674eb8edc44c7253a5e12b60811536db1117a211439d9c	7cfb2d22df305544d8fac4913876d34c6b712d99019bd01ec134ed44ef145534	2693364d21ec3cbddfa1f8c899187ee2bffa92dd57d4ccad93e747082771250d	2026-07-04	official	legal us-code

47 U.S.C. § 256 - Coordination for interconnectivity

Text

(a) Purpose It is the purpose of this section—

(1) to promote nondiscriminatory accessibility by the broadest number of users and vendors of communications products and services to public telecommunications networks used to provide telecommunications service through—

(A) coordinated public telecommunications network planning and design by telecommunications carriers and other providers of telecommunications service; and

(B) public telecommunications network interconnectivity, and interconnectivity of devices with such networks used to provide telecommunications service; and

(2) to ensure the ability of users and information providers to seamlessly and transparently transmit and receive information between and across telecommunications networks.

(b) Commission functions In carrying out the purposes of this section, the Commission—

(1) shall establish procedures for Commission oversight of coordinated network planning by telecommunications carriers and other providers of telecommunications service for the effective and efficient interconnection of public telecommunications networks used to provide telecommunications service; and

(2) may participate, in a manner consistent with its authority and practice prior to February 8, 1996, in the development by appropriate industry standards-setting organizations of public telecommunications network interconnectivity standards that promote access to—

(A) public telecommunications networks used to provide telecommunications service;

(B) network capabilities and services by individuals with disabilities; and

(C) information services by subscribers of rural telephone companies.

(c) Commission’s authority Nothing in this section shall be construed as expanding or limiting any authority that the Commission may have under law in effect before February 8, 1996.

(d) “Public telecommunications network interconnectivity” defined As used in this section, the term “public telecommunications network interconnectivity” means the ability of two or more public telecommunications networks used to provide telecommunications service to communicate and exchange information without degeneration, and to interact in concert with one another.

(June 19, 1934, ch. 652, title II, § 256, as added Pub. L. 104–104, title I, § 101(a), Feb. 8, 1996, 110 Stat. 76.)