Cable law question help!

Question

ok heres the thing we got basic cable wich was a downgrade from regulaire 70 channel cabble. my nabour did the same thing and there is this little shiny tube in the green cable box outside our house. they left it unlocked and open. if you remove the little silver tube you get full cable but you pay for basic. my nabour has been doing this for 15 years(or so he sais) i talked to the cable guy as he went around and he said they never check it and if i did it i wouldent get caught(he even went into detail on how i could do it like what tools i need and to do it at nite. i know that steeling cable is a big crime but is removing the tube thing even though im still paying for cable a big crimne? would they just warn me if i got caught? what would happen? i dont thionk id get in trouble because my nabour has been doing it for a long timne and im not saying wheather i have or havnt been doing it without incedent for the last month. 10pts for an honest true answer

Answer 1

Analog cable filters are commonly used to control which channels a customer will recieve, by filtering out the frequencies alloted to the unpaid channels.  It's not really a big secret since this process has been used for decades.  It is considered illegal, however it is highly unlikely that it would result in criminal charges.  The cable companies do usually perform random audits to determine if people are receiving unpaid channels due to missing or improper filters on the line, and replace the missing filters as needed.  These discrepancies can sometimes be a result of the cable company's own error and are quite common, so for this reason are rarely pursued as a legal issue.

As a side note, if you live in the United States then this type of situation will cease to exist after February 16 2009, since this will be the date that analog cable will no longer be supported.  Digital cable does not use any physical filters to block unpaid channels but rather a far more advanced process that requires electronic authorization of digital equipment to control the channels.

Answer 2

It is never right to take anything without permission. Call me  old fashioned but you dont need to worry about getting busted with anyone but God! He watches every move you make cause He loves you and wants what is best for you!I hope this helped.....

Answer 3

in most places the cable company will just stop your access and maybe charge you extra for a few months, some copanies may even terminate your account. However I am not sure if it would qualify as cable theft so I"m not sure if they would be allowed to contact the police on it. If you were outright stealing cable they could contact the police and you could be issued a citation or for repeat offenses be arrested. Hope this helps.

Answer 4

Yes it is illegal

Yes you can get fined

Yes you will probably recieve a sizeable bill to catch up on what you owe, ...

AND yes your connection in this box will get flagged and tracked as an illegal connection.  Is it worth it.   NOT TO ME.

Tip.  Keep your little bs cable acct and hook up a digital tv tuner to get all of the channels including the on demand stuff your neighbors watch