wales@ucla-cs.UUCP (08/03/84)
I just saw the incident I previously mentioned described in a CNN Head-
line News story. It appears that the allegedly illegal antennas in
question were not in fact satellite dishes, but were instead aimed at a
ground transmitter operated by the cable company.
The story claims that said cable company operates a ground transmitter,
and rents out dishes to receive its signal, for the benefit of people in
outlying areas too remote to be covered by a cable. What is apparently
happening is that some people are using their own receiving equipment
(and thus not paying anything to the cable company originating the
signal).
I would therefore assume that the alleged "signal pirates" were identi-
fied on the basis of which direction their dishes were pointing. Since
the ground station involved is presumably used only by the affected
cable company, possession of a receiving dish pointed at said ground
station is probably pretty good evidence that the dish owner is picking
up signals from the cable company (as opposed to a dish pointed at a
satellite which broadcasts signals from several sources).
Also, they interviewed Melvin Belli (the "colorful" San Francisco lawyer
who has been fighting cases such as these), and the main issue seemed to
be whether the cable company could legitimately keep random people from
listening to whatever they wanted to on the airwaves. Belli reportedly
lost a similar case in Sacramento, CA (though this judgment is under
appeal).
--
Rich Wales
UCLA Computer Science Department
3531 Boelter Hall // Los Angeles, CA 90024 // (213) 825-5683
ARPA: wales@UCLA-LOCUS.ARPA
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