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From: lauren@vortex.UUCP (Lauren Weinstein)
Newsgroups: net.ham-radio,net.dcom,net.video
Subject: Re: Listen to phone calls on your tvro
Message-ID: <780@vortex.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 5-Sep-85 15:13:55 EDT
Article-I.D.: vortex.780
Posted: Thu Sep  5 15:13:55 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 6-Sep-85 05:23:30 EDT
References: <338@nicmad.UUCP>
Organization: Vortex Technology, Los Angeles
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Xref: watmath net.ham-radio:3176 net.dcom:1258 net.video:1469

As far as I know, the laws on wiretapping and wire fraud do not require 
that the material actually be on a wire.  Intercepting of telephone 
conversations off of a point-to-point microwave transmission
is apparently legally considered to be wiretapping.  I believe that the 
same case law will cover telephone coversations on satellites.

Over the years I've read of a number of cases of successful
prosecutions of people who were monitoring microwave sidelobes
for telephone conversations.  Felony convictions as I recall.

It's amazing how naive some people are about communications issues.
The Communciations Act doesn't create the entire universe.  It is
subject to interpretation by the courts, interaction with other
laws, and the buildup of case law over time.  The intersection of
all these aspects create the current legal environment.  Simplistic
readings of the Act will almost always be in error when it comes
to real world cases.

--Lauren--