Sec. 540e.
(1) A person is guilty of a misdemeanor who maliciously uses any service provided by a telecommunications service provider with intent to terrorize, frighten, intimidate, threaten, harass, molest, or annoy another person, or to disturb the peace and quiet of another person by any of the following:
(a) Threatening physical harm or damage to any person or property in the course of a conversation or message through the use of a telecommunications service or device.
(b) Falsely and deliberately reporting by message through the use of a telecommunications service or device that a person has been injured, has suddenly taken ill, has suffered death, or has been the victim of a crime or an accident.
(c) Deliberately refusing or failing to disengage a connection between a telecommunications device and another telecommunications device or between a telecommunications device and other equipment provided for the transmission of messages through the use of a telecommunications service or device.
(d) Using vulgar, indecent, obscene, or offensive language or suggesting any lewd or lascivious act in the course of a conversation or message through the use of a telecommunications service or device.
(e) Repeatedly initiating a telephone call and, without speaking, deliberately hanging up or breaking the telephone connection as or after the telephone call is answered.
(f) Making an unsolicited commercial telephone call that is received between the hours of 9 p.m. and 9 a.m. For the purpose of this subdivision, “an unsolicited commercial telephone call” means a call made by a person or recording device, on behalf of a person, corporation, or other entity, soliciting business or contributions.
(g) Deliberately engaging or causing to engage the use of a telecommunications service or device of another person in a repetitive manner that causes interruption in telecommunications service or prevents the person from utilizing his or her telecommunications service or device.
(2) A person violating this section may be imprisoned for not more than 6 months or fined not more than $1,000.00, or both. An offense is committed under this section if the communication either originates or terminates in this state and may be prosecuted at the place of origination or termination.
(3) As used in this section, “telecommunications”, “telecommunications service”, and “telecommunications device” mean those terms as defined in section 540c.
History: Add. 1969, Act 328, Eff. Mar. 20, 1970 ;-- Am. 1988, Act 395, Eff. Mar. 30, 1989 ;-- Am. 2002, Act 577, Eff. Nov. 1, 2002
Last modified: October 10, 2016