1065. Interference With the Operation of a Satellite—18 U.S.C. § 1367

The 1986 Act added 18 U.S.C. § 1367, which makes it an offense to intentionally or maliciously interfere with the authorized operation of a communications or weather satellite, or to hinder any satellite transmission. This section is intended to cover interference with transmissions from the ground to the satellite and transmissions from the satellite to the ground. See S.Rep. No. 541, 99th Cong., 2d Sess. 49 (1986). The penalty for this offense is a fine under Title 18 and imprisonment for not more than 10 years. The criminal prohibition does not apply to any lawfully authorized investigative, protective, or intelligence activity of a law enforcement agency or of an intelligence agency of the United States.

[cited in JM 9-60.200]