Radio Act of 1912

The Radio Act of 1912 (37 Stat. 302) is a United States federal law that mandated that all radio stations in the United States be licensed by the federal government, as well as mandating that seagoing vessels continuously monitor distress frequencies. The original bill was initiated during the investigations following the sinking of the Titanic. The act set a precedent for international and federal legislation of wireless communications. It was followed by the Radio Act of 1927.