HB 0079 2003
   
1 CHAMBER ACTION
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6          The Committee on Judiciary recommends the following:
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8          Committee Substitute
9          Remove the entire bill and insert:
10 A bill to be entitled
11          An act relating to communications services; amending s.
12    812.15, F.S.; revising definition of "cable operator" and
13    "cable system" and defining "communications device,"
14    "communications service," "communications service
15    provider," and "manufacture, development, or assembly of a
16    communications device"; prohibiting certain interception,
17    reception, decryption, disruption, transmission,
18    retransmission, or acquisition of access to described
19    communications services and prohibiting assisting others
20    in doing so; prohibiting described communications devices
21    for certain purposes and promotion of such devices;
22    providing criminal and civil penalties; providing for
23    actual and statutory damages; exempting described entities
24    under certain circumstances; providing an effective date.
25         
26          Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
27         
28          Section 1. Section 812.15, Florida Statutes, is amended to
29    read:
30          812.15 Unauthorized reception of communicationscable
31    televisionservices; penalties.--
32          (1) As used in this section, the term:
33          (a) "Cable operator" means a communications service
34    provider who provides some or all of its communications services
35    pursuant to a "cable television franchise" issued by a
36    "franchising authority" as those terms are defined in 47 U.S.C.
37    s. 522(9) and (10) (1992)"cable operator" as defined in 47
38    U.S.C. s. 522(4) (1988).
39          (b) "Cable system" means any communications service
40    network, system, or facility owned or operated by a cable
41    operator"cable system" as defined in 47 U.S.C. s. 522(6)
42    (1988).
43          (c) "Communications device" means any type of electronic
44    mechanism, transmission line or connections and appurtenances
45    thereto, instrument, device, machine, equipment, or software
46    which is capable of intercepting, transmitting, acquiring,
47    decrypting, or receiving any communications service, or any
48    part, accessory, or component thereof, including any computer
49    circuit, splitter, connector, switches, transmission hardware,
50    security module, smart card, software, computer chip, electronic
51    mechanism, or other component, accessory, or part of any
52    communications device which is capable of facilitating the
53    interception, transmission, retransmission, acquisition,
54    decryption, or reception of any communications service.
55          (d) "Communications service" means any service lawfully
56    provided for a charge or compensation by any cable system or by
57    any radio, telephone, fiber optic, photo-optical,
58    electromagnetic, photoelectronic, satellite, microwave, data
59    transmission, Internet-based or wireless distribution network,
60    system, or facility, including, but not limited to, any and all
61    electronic, data, video, audio, Internet access, microwave, and
62    radio communications, transmissions, signals, and services, and
63    any such communications, transmissions, signals, and services
64    lawfully provided directly or indirectly by or through any of
65    those networks, systems, or facilities.
66          (e) "Communications service provider" means:
67          1. Any person or entity owning or operating any cable
68    system or any fiber optic, photo-optical, electromagnetic,
69    photoelectronic, satellite, wireless, microwave, radio, data
70    transmission, or Internet-based distribution network, system, or
71    facility.
72          2. Any person or entity providing any communications
73    service, whether directly or indirectly, as a reseller or
74    licensee, by or through any such distribution network, system,
75    or facility.
76          (f) "Manufacture, development, or assembly of a
77    communications device" means to make, produce, develop, or
78    assemble a communications device or any part, accessory, or
79    component thereof, or to modify, alter, program, or reprogram
80    any communications device so that it is capable of facilitating
81    the commission of a violation of this section.
82          (2)(a) No person shall knowingly intercept,or receive,
83    decrypt, disrupt, transmit, retransmit, or acquire access toor
84    assist in intercepting or receivingany communications service
85    offered byover a cable operator or any other communications
86    service provider, or knowingly assist others in doing sosystem,
87    unless specifically authorized to do so by a cable operator or
88    other communications service provider,or as may otherwise be
89    specifically authorized by law. For the purpose of this section,
90    the term to "assist others" in committing any of these acts
91    shall include:
92          1. The sale, transfer, license, distribution, deployment,
93    lease, manufacture, development, or assembly of a communications
94    device for the purpose of facilitating the unauthorized receipt,
95    acquisition, interception, disruption, decryption, transmission,
96    retransmission, or access to any communications service offered
97    by a cable operator or any other communications service
98    provider; or
99          2. The sale, transfer, distribution, deployment, lease,
100    manufacture, development, or assembly of a communications device
101    for the purpose of defeating or circumventing any technology,
102    device, or software, or any component or part thereof, used by a
103    cable operator or other communications service provider to
104    protect any communications service from unauthorized receipt,
105    acquisition, interception, disruption, access, decryption,
106    transmission, or retransmission"assist in intercepting or
107    receiving" shall include the manufacture of or distribution of
108    equipment intended by the manufacturer or distributor, as the
109    case may be, for unauthorized reception of any communications
110    service offered over a cable system in violation of this
111    section.
112          (b) Any person who willfully violates this subsection
113    shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable
114    as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
115          (3)(a) Any person who willfully violates paragraph(2)(a),
116    paragraph (4)(a), or subsection (5) and who has been previously
117    convicted of any such provision shall be guilty of a felony of
118    the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s.
119    775.083, or s. 775.084.
120          (b) Any person who willfully and for purposes of direct or
121    indirect commercial advantage or private financial gainviolates
122    paragraph (2)(a), paragraph(4)(a), or subsection (5) shall be
123    guilty of a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided
124    in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
125          (4)(a) Any person who intentionally possesses a
126    communications deviceequipment, knowing or having reason to
127    know that the design of such deviceequipmentrenders it
128    primarily useful for the purpose of committing or assisting
129    others in committing a violation of paragraph (2)(a)the
130    unauthorized reception of any communications service offered
131    over a cable system, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of the
132    first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s.
133    775.083.
134          (b) Any person who intentionally possesses five or more
135    communications devices or pieces of equipmentand knows or has
136    reason to know that the design of such devices or pieces of
137    equipment renders them primarily useful for committing or
138    assisting others in committing a violation of paragraph(2)(a)
139    the unauthorized reception of any communications services
140    offered over a cable systemis guilty of a felony of the third
141    degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s.
142    775.084.
143          (c) Any person who intentionally possesses fifty or more
144    communications devices or pieces of equipmentand knows or has
145    reason to know that the design of such devices or equipment
146    renders them primarily useful for committing or assisting others
147    in committing a violation of paragraph(2)(a)the unauthorized
148    reception of any communications services offered over a cable
149    systemis guilty of a felony in the second degree, punishable as
150    provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
151          (5) It is unlawful for any person to place in any
152    newspaper, magazine, handbill, or other publication, including
153    any electronic medium, any advertisement that, in whole or in
154    part, promotes the sale of a communications deviceequipment, if
155    the person placing the advertisement knows or has reason to know
156    that the deviceequipment is designed to be primarily useful for
157    committing or assisting others in committing a violation of
158    paragraph(2)(a)the unauthorized reception of any communications
159    service offered over a cable system. Any person who violates
160    this subsection shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of the first
161    degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
162          (6) All fines shall be imposed as provided in s. 775.083
163    for each communications device involved in the prohibited
164    activity or for each day a defendant is in violation of this
165    section.
166          (7) The court shall, in addition to any other sentence
167    authorized by law, sentence a person convicted of violating this
168    section to make restitution as authorized by law.
169          (8) Upon conviction of a defendant for violating this
170    section, the court may, in addition to any other sentence
171    authorized by law, direct that the defendant forfeit any
172    communications devices in the defendant's possession or control
173    which were involved in the violation for which the defendant was
174    convicted.
175          (9) A violation of paragraph (2)(a) may be deemed to have
176    been committed at either place where the defendant manufactures,
177    develops, or assembles any communications devices involved in
178    the violation, or assists others in doing so, or the places
179    where those communications devices are sold or delivered to a
180    purchaser or recipient. It shall be no defense to a violation of
181    paragraph (2)(a) that some of the acts constituting the
182    violation occurred outside the state.
183          (10)(6)(a) Any person aggrieved by any violation of this
184    section may bring a civil action in a circuit court or in any
185    other court of competent jurisdiction.
186          (b) The court may:
187          1. Grant temporary and final injunctions on such terms as
188    it may deem reasonable to prevent or restrain violations of this
189    section in conformity with the principles that govern the
190    granting of injunctive relief from threatened loss or damage in
191    other civil cases, except that no showing of special or
192    irreparable damages to the person shall have to be made.;
193          2. At any time while the action is pending, order the
194    impounding, on such terms as it seems reasonable, of any
195    communications device that is in the custody or control of the
196    violator and that the court has reasonable cause to believe was
197    involved in the alleged violation of this section and grant
198    other equitable relief, including the imposition of a
199    constructive trust, as the court considers reasonable and
200    necessary.
201          3.2.Award damages pursuant to paragraphs (c), (d), and
202    (e).; and
203          4.3.Direct the recovery of full costs, including awarding
204    reasonable attorney's fees, to an aggrieved party who prevails.
205          5. As part of a final judgment or decree finding a
206    violation of this section, order the remedial modification or
207    destruction of any communications devices, or any other devices
208    or equipment, involved in the violation that are in the custody
209    or control of the violator, or have been impounded under
210    subparagraph 2.
211          (c) Damages awarded by any court under this section shall
212    be computed in accordance with either subparagraph 1. or
213    subparagraph 2. of the following:
214          1. The party aggrieved may recover the actual damages
215    suffered by him or her as a result of the violation and any
216    profits of the violator that are attributable to the violation
217    which are not taken into account in computing the actual
218    damages.;
219          a. Actual damages include the retail value of all
220    communications services to which the violator had unauthorized
221    access as a result of the violation and the retail value of any
222    communications services illegally available to those persons to
223    whom the violator directly or indirectly provided or distributed
224    any communications device. In proving actual damages, the party
225    aggrieved shall be required to prove only that the violator
226    manufactured, distributed, or sold any communications devices,
227    but shall not be required to prove that those devices were
228    actually used in violation of this section.
229          b.In determining the violator's profits, the party
230    aggrieved shall be required to prove only the violator's gross
231    revenue, and the violator is required to prove his or her
232    deductible expenses and the elements of profit attributable to
233    factors other than the violation.; or
234          2. Upon election of such damages at any time before final
235    judgment is entered,the party aggrieved may recover an award of
236    statutory damages for each communications deviceviolation
237    involved in the action, in a sum of not less than $250 or more
238    than $10,000 for each such device the defendant is in violation
239    of this section, as the court considers just.
240          (d) In any case in which the court finds that the
241    violation involved the possession or sale of five or more
242    communication devices andwas committed willfully and for
243    purposes of commercial advantage or private financial gain, the
244    court in its discretion may increase the award of damages,
245    whether actual or statutory under this section, by an amount of
246    not more than $50,000 for each communications device involved in
247    the action and for each day the defendant is in violation of
248    this sectionviolation.
249          (e) In any case in which the court finds that the violator
250    was not aware and had no reason to believe that his or her acts
251    constituted a violation of this section, the court in its
252    discretion may reduce the award of damages to a sum of not less
253    than $100.
254          (11) This section shall not apply to any state or local
255    law enforcement agency, any state or local government agency,
256    municipality, or authority, or any provider of communications
257    services, lawfully acting as such in accordance with any other
258    state or federal law.
259          Section 2. This act shall take effect October 1, 2003.