§ 76-9-403. Communication Abuse.

(1) A person commits communication abuse if, except as authorized by law, he:

(a) Intercepts, without the consent of the sender or receiver, a message by telephone, telegraph, letter, or other means of communicating privately; this paragraph does not extend to:

(i) Overhearing of messages through a regularly installed instrument on a telephone party line or on an extension; or

(ii) Interception by the telephone company or subscriber incident to enforcement of regulations limiting use of the facilities or to other normal operation and use; or

(b) Divulges without consent of the sender or receiver the existence or contents of any such message if the actor knows that the message was illegally intercepted or if he learned of the message in the course of employment with an agency engaged in transmitting it.

(2) Communication abuse is a class B misdemeanor.

Enacted by Chapter 196, 1973 General Session