47 USC § 399 - Support of political candidates prohibited

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t47/s399"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_prima_facie"
title: "47 USC § 399 - Support of political candidates prohibited"
title_number: 47
title_name: "TELECOMMUNICATIONS"
section_number: "399"
section_name: "Support of political candidates prohibited"
chapter_number: 5
chapter_name: "WIRE OR RADIO COMMUNICATION"
subchapter_number: "III"
subchapter_name: "SPECIAL PROVISIONS RELATING TO RADIO"
part_number: "IV"
part_name: "Assistance for Planning and Construction of Public Telecommunications Facilities; Telecommunications Demonstrations; Corporation for Public Broadcasting; General Provisions"
positive_law: false
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2025-08-11"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(June 19, 1934, ch. 652, title III, § 399, as added Pub. L. 90–129, title II, § 201(8), Nov. 7, 1967, 81 Stat. 368; amended Pub. L. 93–84, § 2, Aug. 6, 1973, 87 Stat. 219; Pub. L. 94–309, § 7, June 5, 1976, 90 Stat. 685; Pub. L. 97–35, title XII, § 1229, Aug. 13, 1981, 95 Stat. 730; Pub. L. 100–626, § 10, Nov. 7, 1988, 102 Stat. 3211.)"
---


# § 399. Support of political candidates prohibited

No noncommercial educational broadcasting station may support or oppose any candidate for political office.

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**Source Credit**: (June 19, 1934, ch. 652, title III, § 399, as added Pub. L. 90–129, title II, § 201(8), Nov. 7, 1967, 81 Stat. 368; amended Pub. L. 93–84, § 2, Aug. 6, 1973, 87 Stat. 219; Pub. L. 94–309, § 7, June 5, 1976, 90 Stat. 685; Pub. L. 97–35, title XII, § 1229, Aug. 13, 1981, 95 Stat. 730; Pub. L. 100–626, § 10, Nov. 7, 1988, 102 Stat. 3211.)

## Editorial Notes

### Amendments

1988—, in section catchline, substituted “Support of” for “Editorializing and support of”, and in text, struck out provisions which prohibited editorializing by noncommercial educational broadcasting station which receives grant from Corporation under subpart C of this part.

1981— revised subsec. (a) into existing provisions and, as so revised, added requirement respecting grant under subpart C of this part, and struck out subsec. (b), which related to program recording of broadcasts where issues of public importance are discussed.

1976—Subsec. (b)(5).  added par. (5).

1973— designated existing provisions as subsec. (a) and added subsec. (b).