
From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
[wais.access.gpo.gov]
[Laws in effect as of January 23, 2000]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 23, 2000 and December 4, 2001]
[CITE: 47USC558]

 
          TITLE 47--TELEGRAPHS, TELEPHONES, AND RADIOTELEGRAPHS
 
                 CHAPTER 5--WIRE OR RADIO COMMUNICATION
 
                  SUBCHAPTER V-A--CABLE COMMUNICATIONS
 
                    Part IV--Miscellaneous Provisions
 
Sec. 558. Criminal and civil liability

    Nothing in this subchapter shall be deemed to affect the criminal or 
civil liability of cable programmers or cable operators pursuant to the 
Federal, State, or local law of libel, slander, obscenity, incitement, 
invasions of privacy, false or misleading advertising, or other similar 
laws, except that cable operators shall not incur any such liability for 
any program carried on any channel designated for public, educational, 
governmental use or on any other channel obtained under section 532 of 
this title or under similar arrangements unless the program involves 
obscene material.

(June 19, 1934, ch. 652, title VI, Sec. 638, as added Pub. L. 98-549, 
Sec. 2, Oct. 30, 1984, 98 Stat. 2801; amended Pub. L. 102-385, 
Sec. 10(d), Oct. 5, 1992, 106 Stat. 1486.)


                               Amendments

    1992--Pub. L. 102-385 inserted before period at end ``unless the 
program involves obscene material''.


                    Effective Date of 1992 Amendment

    Amendment by Pub. L. 102-385 effective 60 days after Oct. 5, 1992, 
see section 28 of Pub. L. 102-385, set out as a note under section 325 
of this title.


                             Effective Date

    Section effective 60 days after Oct. 30, 1984, except where 
otherwise expressly provided, see section 9(a) of Pub. L. 98-549, set 
out as a note under section 521 of this title.
