What is cable television signal theft?
Cable television signal theft is the illegal interception of cable programming services without the authorization of or payment to a cable system. While laws vary from state to state, according to the Telecom Act of 1996 (47 USC 553 and 605), cable theft is a crime that is punishable by both hefty financial penalty and jail time.
I receive cable but have never been billed for it. Could I be doing something illegal?
You are doing something illegal. There are two kinds of cable theft: active and passive. Active theft is when a person knowingly makes an illegal connection to the cable system or tampers with the equipment in order to obtain unauthorized services. For example, cutting into your neighbor's cable to get free service is theft. Passive theft is when a customer knowingly receives free services due to the unlawful connection of a previous homeowner. Even though passive theft is the result of an illegal pat action, if you don't report it and receive the free service, it's still a crime.
Page last modified May 15, 2004