House Bill 0433e1
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
HB 433, First Engrossed/ntc
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to unauthorized transmissions
3 on telecommunications frequencies; amending s.
4 843.165, F.S.; prohibiting an unauthorized
5 person from transmitting over a radio frequency
6 assigned to a governmental agency or an
7 emergency medical services provider; providing
8 penalties; providing exceptions; providing an
9 effective date.
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11 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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13 Section 1. Section 843.165, Florida Statutes, is
14 amended to read:
15 843.165 Unauthorized transmissions and interference to
16 governmental and associated on police or fire radio
17 frequencies prohibited; penalties; exceptions.--
18 (1) A No person may not shall transmit, or cause to be
19 transmitted, over any radio frequency with knowledge that such
20 frequency is assigned by the Federal Communications Commission
21 to a state, county, or municipal governmental fire or police
22 agency or water management district, including, but not
23 limited to, a law enforcement, fire, government
24 administration, or emergency management agency or any public
25 or private emergency medical services provider, any sounds,
26 jamming device, jamming transmissions, or speech, or radio
27 frequency carrier wave except: those persons who are unless
28 authorized in writing to do so by the agency's chief
29 administrator; employees of the agency who are authorized to
30 transmit by virtue of their duties with the agency; and those
31 persons holding a valid station license assigned by the
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
HB 433, First Engrossed/ntc
1 Federal Communications Commission to transmit on such
2 frequencies head of such agency.
3 (2) A person may not knowingly obstruct, jam, or
4 interfere with radio transmissions made by volunteer
5 communications personnel of any state, county, or municipal
6 governmental agency, water management district, volunteers of
7 any public or private emergency medical services provider, or
8 volunteers in any established Skywarn program when the
9 volunteers are providing communications support upon request
10 of the governmental agency during tests, drills, field
11 operations, or emergency events.
12 (3)(2) Any person who violates this section commits
13 subsection (1) is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree,
14 punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
15 (4)(3) It is lawful not unlawful for any person to
16 transmit, or cause to be transmitted, speech or sounds over
17 any authorized transmitter operating on assigned to police or
18 fire frequencies specified in subsection (1) when the person:
19 (a) Such person Has been commanded to do so by an
20 authorized operator of the transmitter; or
21 (b) Such person Is acting to summon assistance for the
22 authorized operator who, for any reason, is unable to make the
23 transmission; or.
24 (c) Is a radio technician or installer who is testing,
25 repairing, or installing radio equipment at the request of a
26 state, county, or municipal governmental agency, water
27 management district or licensed public or private emergency
28 medical services provider.
29 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 1999.
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