(1) Except as otherwise deemed by law, any officer or person in the employ of any telecommunications company, or any person in charge of any office, exchange, or place where messages or communications are sent, received, or heard by telephone, who shall disclose or make known to any person other than the person to whom the telephone message or communication is directed, or his or her duly authorized agent, partner, clerk, or some member of his or her family, any part of the contents or substance of any message or communication sent, received, or heard by him or her, by telephone, by reason of the position he or she occupies or fills, without consent of the person sending or receiving such message or communication, commits a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.

(2) Any officer or person in the employ of any telecommunications company shall not intentionally disclose customer account records except as authorized by the customer or as necessary for billing purposes, or required by subpoena, court order, other process of court, or as otherwise allowed by law. Any person who violates any provision of this section commits a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083. Nothing herein precludes disclosure of customers’ names, addresses, or telephone numbers to the extent they are otherwise publicly available. Nothing herein precludes a telecommunications company from making available to its customers a customer’s own customer account record through telephonic means.

History.—s. 1, ch. 5210, 1903; GS 3730; RGS 5755; CGL 7985; s. 273, ch. 71-136; s. 3, ch. 76-168; s. 1, ch. 77-457; ss. 20, 32, ch. 80-36; s. 2, ch. 81-318; ss. 6, 7, ch. 89-163; ss. 26, 48, 49, ch. 90-244; s. 4, ch. 91-429; s. 548, ch. 95-148; s. 19, ch. 95-403; s. 4, ch. 99-354.