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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!ihnp4!we13!mgweed!rjr
From: rjr@mgweed.UUCP (Bob Roehrig)
Newsgroups: net.ham-radio
Subject: illegal monitoring?
Message-ID: <6018@mgweed.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 4-Jan-84 10:32:01 EST
Article-I.D.: mgweed.6018
Posted: Wed Jan  4 10:32:01 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 5-Jan-84 01:07:57 EST
Organization: AT&T Technologies - Montgomery Illinois
Lines: 25


Interesting topic on monitoring vs. eavesdropping vs. wiretapping, etc.

As far as I know in FCC rules, The Communications Act prohibits divulging
the contents of any communication except those from broadcast stations
and amateur stations. In other words, it is illegal for me to tell you
what I heard on a police scanner, CB radio, marine band, cordless phone,
etc. It is NOT illegal for you to receive transmissions
from a police scanner, marine radio, microwave system, cordless phone
or whatever, as long as you keep it to yourself. This should include
scrambled stuff on TV. As far as I am concerned, anything that
is transmitted on "Broadcast" frequencies by stations licensed for public
broadcasting, belongs to anyone that has the capability to watch/hear it.
My feeling is that services that want to get paid do not belong on standard
broadcast frequencies!

Notice that the FCC purposely has avoided making any decisions on this.

Interesting to note that "ON TV" has hired a detective to locate "illegal"
receiving setups. It was reported in a Chicago paper that they can drive
around and pick up signals from your set to determine what channel you
are watching and if it is channel 44 they will prosecute. I would love
to blanket the area with a signal operating on the local osc frequency
of a TV tuner that would be tuned to that channel.