In July 2000 Mastec severed an MCI underground fiberoptic communications cable in Miami worth more than $8 million, resulting in the loss of its use for about 97 hours. MCI was able to reroute communications onto a backup cable it had built at a cost of more than $9.6 million. It sued Mastec for the fair rental value of the alternate cable up to a statutory maximum, but the federal district court ruled in favor of Mastec. On appeal, the U.S. Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals certified questions to the Florida Supreme Court.