---
kind: "section"
citation: "47 U.S.C. § 331"
title: "47"
title_heading: "Telecommunications"
number: "331"
heading: "Very high frequency stations and AM radio stations"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/47/331"
units:
  - "Chapter 5 — Wire or Radio Communication"
  - "Subchapter III — Special Provisions Relating to Radio"
  - "Part I — General Provisions"
---

# §331. Very high frequency stations and AM radio stations

- (a) **Very high frequency stations—** It shall be the policy of the Federal Communications Commission to allocate channels for very high frequency commercial television [broadcasting](/usc/47/153.md?p=7) in a manner which ensures that not less than one such channel shall be allocated to each [State](/usc/47/153.md?p=47), if technically feasible. In any case in which [licensee](/usc/47/153.md?p=30) of a very high frequency commercial television [broadcast station](/usc/47/153.md?p=6) notifies the Commission to the effect that such [licensee](/usc/47/153.md?p=30) will agree to the reallocation of its channel to a community within a [State](/usc/47/153.md?p=47) in which there is allocated no very high frequency commercial television broadcast channel at the time[^1] such notification, the Commission shall, notwithstanding any other provision of law, order such reallocation and issue a [license](/usc/47/153.md?p=49) to such [licensee](/usc/47/153.md?p=30) for that purpose pursuant to such notification for a term of not to exceed 5 years as provided in [section 307(d)](/usc/47/307.md?p=d)[^2] of this title.
- (b) **AM radio stations—** It shall be the policy of the Commission, in any case in which the [licensee](/usc/47/153.md?p=30) of an existing AM daytime-only [station](/usc/47/153.md?p=42) located in a community with a population of more than 100,000 [persons](/usc/47/153.md?p=39) that lacks a local full-time aural station licensed to that community and that is located within a Class I [station](/usc/47/153.md?p=42) primary service area notifies the Commission that such [licensee](/usc/47/153.md?p=30) seeks to provide full-time service, to ensure that such a [licensee](/usc/47/153.md?p=30) is able to place a principal community contour signal over its entire community of [license](/usc/47/153.md?p=49) 24 hours a day, if technically feasible.

## Footnotes

[^1]: So in original. Probably should be followed by “of”.
[^2]: See References in Text note below.

## Source credit

(June 19, 1934, ch. 652, title III, § 331, as added Pub. L. 97–248, title III, § 355, Sept. 3, 1982, 96 Stat. 641; amended Pub. L. 102–243, § 4, Dec. 20, 1991, 105 Stat. 2402; Pub. L. 103–414, title III, § 303(a)(18), Oct. 25, 1994, 108 Stat. 4295; Pub. L. 115–141, div. P, title IV, § 402(i)(5), Mar. 23, 2018, 132 Stat. 1089.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### References in Text

Subsec. (d) of section 307 of this title, referred to in subsec. (a), was redesignated subsec. (c) of section 307 by Pub. L. 97–259, title I, § 112(a), Sept. 13, 1982, 96 Stat. 1093.

### Codification

Another section 331 of act June 19, 1934 was renumbered section 332 and is classified to section 332 of this title.

### Prior Provisions

A prior section 331, act June 19, 1934, ch. 652, title III, § 331, as added Sept. 14, 1973, Pub. L. 93–107, § 1, 87 Stat. 350, related to broadcasting of games of professional sports clubs, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 93–107, § 2, Sept. 14, 1973, 87 Stat. 351, effective Dec. 31, 1975.

### Amendments

2018—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 115–141 struck out at end: “The Commission shall report to the appropriate committees of Congress within 30 days after December 20, 1991, on how it intends to meet this policy goal.”

1994—Pub. L. 103–414 amended section catchline generally.

1991—Pub. L. 102–243 inserted “and AM radio stations” in section catchline, designated existing provisions as subsec. (a) and inserted heading, and added subsec. (b).