(a) The act, use, or employment by any person of any deception, fraud, false pretense, false promise, misrepresentation, unfair practice, or the concealment, suppression, or omission of any material fact with intent that others rely upon such concealment, suppression, or omission, in connection with the sale, lease, receipt, or advertisement of any merchandise, whether or not any person has in fact been misled, deceived, or damaged thereby, is an unlawful practice. It shall also be an unlawful practice to misrepresent the geographic location of a business or supplier which raises or sells flowers and/or ornamental plants by any of the following:
(1) Listing a local telephone number in a local telephone directory if:
a. Calls to the telephone number are routinely forwarded or otherwise transferred to a business location that is outside the calling area covered by the local telephone directory other than to counties contiguous to this State; and
b. The listing fails to identify the locality and state of the supplier's business; or
(2) Listing a fictitious business name or an assumed business name in a local telephone directory if:
a. The name misrepresents the supplier's geographic location; and
b. The listing fails to identify the locality and state of the supplier's business.
(b) This section shall not apply:
(1) To the owner or publisher of newspapers, magazines, publications or printed matter wherein such advertisement appears, or to the owner or operator of a radio or television station which disseminates such advertisement when the owner, publisher or operator has no knowledge of the intent, design or purpose of the advertiser; or
(2) To any advertisement or merchandising practice which is subject to and complies with the rules and regulations, of and the statutes administered by, the Federal Trade Commission; or
(3) To matters subject to the jurisdiction of the Public Service Commission, or of the Insurance Commissioner of this State, except for matters covered by § 1014 of Title 26, but only as they relate to community-owned energy generating facilities.