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From: murray@sun13.scri.fsu.edu (John Murray)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Cable descramblers.
Message-ID: <1754@sun13.scri.fsu.edu>
Date: 30 Dec 90 18:16:23 GMT
References: <40170@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> <1990Dec30.053845.2527@athena.cs.uga.edu>
Organization: SCRI, Florida State University
Lines: 42

In article <1990Dec30.053845.2527@athena.cs.uga.edu> mcovingt@athena.cs.uga.edu (Michael A. Covington) writes:
>They are illegal, unless you have the cable company's permission to
>use them.  

The devices themselves are not illegal. Otherwise you couldn't buy them
from ads in the back of PopTronics and ModTronics. (Check your local laws
beforehand, though) It is illegal to use them to recieve cable services
you're not paying for.

>Under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, it is illegal to
>descramble any kind of scrambled transmission without the permission
>of the sender.

>And anyhow, cable TV isn't electromagnetic radiation -- it's an
>alternating current carried to you by cable.

No argument here. Don't forget that the cable feed is provided to you
by the cable company. If you are recieving services you haven't paid for,
and they find out about it, don't expect any mercy. (It's one thing if
you have a cable company line in your house that you never asked to have
turned on - happens here all the time - but it's another thing if you did
request a feed, but aren't paying for premium channels, because you have
a *contract* with them, that (probably) includes an agreement to only recieve
those services you are paying for. If neither case applies wrt cable, (i.e.
you climbed a pole and took your own tap) well, you're just stupid.

If you are talking sattelite feeds, the note about the ECPA above (if true
as worded, I don't know for sure) covers that. When ESPN and such weren't
scrambling their downlinks, I rememeber a couple of bars got busted
anyway, for charging people to see sattelite feeds the bars weren't paying
for, that they had pulled out of 'free' electromagnetic spectrum. I don't
remember details, or I would expand on the implications.

If you're really thinking of buying one, remember that Overpriced Cable
Company, Box 531, Bronx, NY probably doesn't know nuthin' about your local
company's particular methods.

-- 
Disclaimer: Yeah, right, like you really believe I run this place.
John R. Murray              |        "Never code anything
murray@vsjrm.scri.fsu.edu   |          bigger than your head.."
Supercomputer Research Inst.|               - Me