Cable linking to your own signal is not unlawful as there are means and devices to make sure that your split cables do not reduce your Internet signal or TV service. However, stealing a cable connection from a neighbor is illegal, while sharing or distributing your service is an abuse of your service contract whether it’s cable TV or the Internet. The cable companies are always curious to know about any likely cable theft because it indicates a loss of revenue for them and larger bills for authentic customers.
Understanding channel encryption
Most of the cable providers do not have all the channels encrypted on their panel yet. A huge number of customers still use coaxial service plus cable services they do not own the essential equipment yet to offer the encrypted services of digital cable. Cable companies are working on it to get it changed this will take time because rolling out convertors to the whole customer base in all the states will take its due time.
For the same reason, numerous channels are in a similar state of affairs that all the channels might not be encrypted, so some TV sets with a QAM tuner could decode such channels. These are typically just Mpeg2 streams. This is a general industry struggle to transfer to all-digital and encrypted channels both to avert cable stealing and to deliver better and further services to consumers since the encrypted digital channels would be swapping many that are analog.
Internet Service Provider
We usually tend to bundle up our services with the internet service provider e.g. Mediacom internet also offers cable TV and home phone services like many ISPs in the market at great discounts. While doing so, we do not really research enough to ensure the source of that and encryption, etc, or any loophole that can become the reason behind stealing.
With some cable provider, it’s not the same as it used to be earlier, minus the cable box from the cable provider you might only get a handful of basic decrypted channels. On every occasion, the person being stolen from gets a service call which is expected to end in the felonious connection being cut. Furthermore, depending on the situation and the frame of mind of the technician, since he knows it all, the loopholes and convenience.
This knowledge if abused and reported can result in an offensive conviction and can lead to a substantial amount of fine even though this hardly ever takes place. In point of fact, the reason it can happen is simply that it is just convenient. It was reported in the earlier days nonetheless. Take an example where you reside in an apartment, and you go to the cable box which opens with a good nudge. The coax cables are typically marked with the respective address. They customarily terminate these however needle-nose pliers take them off. Then attach yours in and you would get the 2–72 channels since they were analog.
What can we do if we find someone stealing our cable?
Report the cable company and request them to test your lines. They would be able to regulate the dBmV—the unit your signal is calculated in. The dimension is grabbed by analyzing the time it takes for a signal to be transferred to you and the time it requires the cable company to get the signal from your side. If the signal is shrunk, then an additional investigation may be crucial. It is unlawful to deceptively get hold of cable service by conferring a device or wire to the converter or any other equipment or company wires. Call the cable company for immediate response and request them to send over a technician to physically examine your cable lines.
Final Thoughts
Stealing is never a good idea, whether someone gets caught or not, or if they do the repercussions of doing this can become regret soon. This is something that could be easily avoided especially in this era of the internet and heaps of options to watch content free of cost. Moreover, some cable service providers are designing budget-friendly and great discounts round the year, if you don’t like free content.
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