Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984

Cable Communication Policy Act (1984)

Text of Law

PART IV—MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

"PROTECTION OF SUBSCRIBER PRIVACY

"SEC. 631. (a)(1) At the time of entering into an agreement to provide any cable service or other service to a subscriber and at least once a year thereafter, a cable operator shall provide notice in the form of a separate, written statement to such subscriber which clearly and conspicuously informs the subscriber of— "(A) the nature of personally identifiable information collect ed or to be collected with respect to the subscriber and the nature of the use of such information; "(B) the nature, frequency, and purpose of any disclosure which may be made of such information, including an identification of the types of persons to whom the disclosure may be made; "(C) the period during which such information will be maintained by the cable operator; "(D) the times and place at which the subscriber may have access to such information in accordance with subsection (d); and "(E) the limitations provided by this section with respect to the collection and disclosure of information by a cable operator and the right of the subscriber under subsections (f) and (h) to enforce such limitations. In the case of subscribers who have entered into such an agreement before the effective date of this section, such notice shall be provided within 180 days of such date and at least once a year thereafter. "(2) For purposes of this section, the term 'personally identifiable information' does not include any record of aggregate data which does not identify particular persons. "Ot))(l) Except as provided in paragraph (2), a cable operator shall not use the cable system to collect personally identifiable information concerning any subscriber without the prior written or electronic consent of the subscriber concerned. "(2) A cable operator may use the cable system to collect such information in order to— "(A) obtain information necessary to render a cable service or other service provided by the cable operator to the subscriber;or "(B) detect unauthorized reception of cable communications. "(c)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), a cable operator shall not disclose personally identifiable information concerning any subscriber without the prior written or electronic consent of the subscriber concerned.(2) A cable operator may disclose such information if the disclosure is"(A) necessary to render, or conduct a legitimate business activity related to, a cable service or other service provided by the cable operator to the subscriber; "(B) subject to subsection (h), made pursuant to a court order authorizing such disclosure, if the subscriber is notified of such order by the person to whom the order is directed; or "(C) a disclosure of the names and addresses of subscribers to any cable service or other service, if— "(i) the cable operator has provided the subscriber the opportunity to prohibit or limit such disclosure, and "(ii) the disclosure does not reveal, directly or indirectly, the— "(I) extent of any viewing or other use by the subscriber of a cable service or other service provided by the cable operator, or "(II) the nature of any transaction made by the subscriber over the cable system of the cable operator. "(d) A cable subscriber shall be provided access to all personally identifiable information regarding that subscriber which is collected and maintained by a cable operator. Such information shall be made available to the subscriber at reasonable times and at a convenient place designated by such cable operator. A cable subscriber shall be provided reasonable opportunity to correct any error in such information. "(e) A cable operator shall destroy personally identifiable information if the information is no longer necessary for the purpose for which it was collected and there are no pending requests or orders for access to such information under subsection (d) or pursuant to a court order. "(f)(1) Any person aggrieved by any act of a cable operator in Courts, U.S. violation of this section may bring a civil action in a United States district court. "(2) The court may award— "(A) actual damages but not less than liquidated damages computed at the rate of $100 a day for each day of violation or $1,000, whichever is higher; "(B) punitive damages; and "(C) reasonable attorneys' fees and other litigation costs reasonably incurred. "(3) The remedy provided by this section shall be in addition to any other lawful remedy available to a cable subscriber. "(g) Nothing in this title shall be construed to prohibit any State or any franchising authority from enacting or enforcing laws con- sistent with this section for the protection of subscriber privacy. "(h) A governmental entity may obtain personally identifiable information concerning a cable subscriber pursuant to a court order only if, in the court proceeding relevant to such court order— "(1) such entity offers clear and convincing evidence that the subject of the information is reasonably suspected of engaging in criminal activity and that the information sought would be material evidence in the case; and "(2) the subject of the information is afforded the opportunity to appear and contest such entity's claim.CONSUMER PROTECTION

"SEC. 632. (a) A franchising authority may require, as part of a franchise (including a franchise renewal, subject to section 626), provisions for enforcement of— "(1) customer service requirements of the cable operator; and "(2) construction schedules and other construction-related requirements of the cable operator. "(b) A franchising authority may enforce any provision, contained in any franchise, relating to requirements described in paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (a), to the extent not inconsistent with this title. "(c) Nothing in this title shall be construed to prohibit any State or any franchising authority from enacting or enforcing any consumer protection law, to the extent not inconsistent with this title.

UNAUTHORIZED RECEPTION OF CABLE SERVICE

"SEC. 633. (a)(1) No person shall intercept or receive or assist in intercepting or receiving any communications service offered over a cable system, unless specifically authorized to do so by a cable operator or as may otherwise be specifically authorized by law. "(2) For the purpose of this section, the term 'assist in intercepting or receiving' shall include the manufacture or distribution of equipment intended by the manufacturer or distributor (as the case may be) for unauthorized reception of any communications service offered over a cable system in violation of subparagraph (1). erimes and "(b)(1) Any person who willfully violates subsection (a)(1) shall be misdemeanors.fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned for not more than 6 months, or both. "(2) Any person who violates subsection (a)(1) willfully and for purposes of commercial advantage or private financial gain shall be fined not more than $25,000 or imprisoned for not more than 1 year, or both, for the first such offense and shall be fined not more than $50,000 or imprisoned for not more than 2 years, or both, for any subsequent offense.

Courts, U.S.

"(c)(1) Any person aggrieved by any violation of subsection (a)(1) may bring a civil action in a United States district court or in any other court of competent jurisdiction. "(2) The court may— "(A) grant temporary and final injunctions on such terms as it may deem reasonable to prevent or restrain violations of subsection "(B) award damages as described in paragraph (3); and "(C) direct the recovery of full costs, including awarding reasonable attorneys' fees to an aggrieved party who prevails. "(3)(A) Damages awarded by any court under this section shall be computed in accordance with either of the following clauses: "(i) "(i) the party aggrieved may recover the actual damages suffered by him as a result of the violation and any profits of the violator that are attributable to the violation which are not taken into account in computing the actual damages; in determining the violator's profits, the party aggrieved shall be required to prove only the violator's gross revenue, and the violator shall be required to prove his deductible expenses and the elements of profit attributable to factors other than the violation; or"(ii) the party aggrieved may recover an award of statutory "(B) In any case in which the court finds that the violation was committed willfully and for purposes of commercial advantage or private financial gain, the court in its discretion may increase the award of damages, whether actual or statutory under subparagraph (A), by an amount of not more than $50,000. "(C) In any case where the court finds that the violator was not aware and had no reason to believe that his acts constituted a violation of this section, the court in its discretion may reduce the award of damages to a sum of not less than $100. "(D) Nothing in this title shall prevent any State or franchising authority from enacting or enforcing laws, consistent with this section, regarding the unauthorized interception or reception of any cable service or other communications service.

Related harms under the Solove Taxonomy:

Scope of the Law Customer Service, Cable Operator, Customer, Cable Service, Individual