If you ONLY have cable internet can you still get tv channels?

E55 KEV

Stealing? How about - "Finders, Keepers" (FK). If you walk across money, jewelry, etc on the ground it is FK because it does belong to someone. You discover when you get home the store clerk only charged you for 4 cases of soda and you had 5 - that is FK and most consider it the stores mistake.

Defined as: "Finders, keepers: an adage that asserts that someone who has found an object can keep it."

So, you Find cable tv on your internet line, so you keep it. Why can't we just say it is the cable providers mistake as they did not block it and be done with it as Finders, Keepers.

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My Website www.E55AMG.com

bicker

Because it is illegal.

And because if service providers have to spend yet-even-more money to further ensure that people cannot take what they haven't paid for, because it isn't "bolted down", then paying customers suffer because that money gets stolen from resources to provide us service we actually have paid for.

(And "finders, keepers" is an immature argument, regardless.)

E55 KEV

Someones upset? Finders Keepers is not an immature argument when you walk across some money on the sidwalk, now is it? So make sure you leave the money on the sidewalk as it does not belong to you and return to the store with that merchandise you did not pay for after the store clerks mistake. Nor should it be an immature argument if the cable company does not block it.

Music companies, artists and musician are still upset about people burning music CDs - an you have not qualms with stealing that do you?

Kinda of silly that you have a problem with the loss of cable revenues but no problems with loss revenue from people in the music business.

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My Website www.E55AMG.com

bicker

No: Disgusted, but not surprised.

You don't get to choose what the law is.

Filekhasper

If your cable company could be getting money for the channels you are watching and they are not, that is theft.

electrictroy

Actually it's kinda funny. Back when I had Comcast Local Service I received channels 2-15 plus 39,40,41. During one of their "amnesty" months I called and said I was gettng more channels than I was supposed to, and they said they'd fix it.

The next morning I woke-up to 60-channel service. I was still only paying $7/month. The people at comcast are idiots and if they lose money due to their own incompetence, that's their own damn fault. I'm quoting myself because I stand by what I said. Watching programming without payment is *copyright infringement* not theft. Learn the difference.

Copyright has a finite lifespan ("for a limited time" to quote the Supreme Law of the Land), after which point the programming falls into public domain (like the works of Ed Wood and Mark Twain and Charles Dickens). It is Not the same as the physical theft of an object, because the original owner has not been deprived of physical property. He still holds the book in his hands.

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TV Band/whitespace Devices will block my Baltimore/Philly stations. No more channels 2,3,6,10,11,12,13,17,35,45,57,61,65

Filekhasper

You're referring to TNT, I am referring to Comcast. It's still stealing. You can debate what it's called, whatever you want to call it, it is still WRONG.

davecramer74

its not illegal if they dont trap it. I had a condo i lived in and had the cable modem put in. I asked him if he could leave the basic channels open because i wasnt sure if the sat dish install would work or not (line of sight). he said sure and that was that. Theres nothing illegal about you watching it if they leave it open. He said they usually dont trap it unless you drop their service, like go from TV and internet down to internet.

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Vizio 42" LCD
Phillips 50" plasma

bicker

It is illegal, even if they don't trap it. It is theft of service. It's illegal. It's wrong.

electrictroy

The world is not black-and-white. It's also wrong to kill another human being, but if some joker comes after me with a knife I'm not going to just stand there and say, "Thou shalt not kill" as he turns me into a bloody mess.

No I'm going to pull my pistol and aim for the guy's chest. If the guy ends-up dead, it's not my fault; it's his fault. Same with Comcast - if they sold me 15 channels but through poor filter design I get to see 20 channels, it's NOT my fault. It's their fault. Thomas Jefferson disagrees. He said the whole idea of copyright made no logical sense, because if I have a pen-and-paper those are MY pieces of property to use however I wish (write letters, draw art, or copy quotes from Mark Twain's book). Nobody has a right to stop me from using MY property however I desire.

Also words have legal meaning. Somebody less than 18 is called a "minor" not a child. It's "driving under the influence" not drunk driving. And the term is "copyright infringement" not stealing.

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TV Band/whitespace Devices will block my Baltimore/Philly stations. No more channels 2,3,6,10,11,12,13,17,35,45,57,61,65

bicker

The world is not black-and-white. This is. It's illegal. It's wrong.

Filekhasper

Kill and murder are 2 different things. Thanks. Cold blooded murder, killing in self defense. I guess that means I can watch you get dress for free... my eyes... my house... who cares, you left your drapes open...?? I mean no harassment in this statement, stating an outrageuos analogy that fits into your analogy.

oblioman

Send comcast a bill. They are sending "signals" into your home that you did not authorize. AFIK comcast is responsible for the cable up to your house, anything inside is your responsibility. Send them a bill for wear an tear on the cable inside your house. After all, you didn't order it, and they are using it. Might get their attention,,,,,,,nah,,,its comcast.

electrictroy

First off, I don't endorse stealing physical objects. If you take my chair, then that means I have been deprived of its usage, so clearly it's wrong. Second... (read below) Except it isn't black-and-white. The woman who was fined over 1 million dollars for downloading songs has now had the decision reversed. The appeals judge determined the punishment exceeded the crime (~20 songs taken without payment) and wiped it.

Furthermore copyright hass finite timespan. That mean copyright infringement is legal if the copyright has expired. For example it's legal to download Ed Wood movies for free. They were copyrighted; and now they are not. It is NOT black-and-white. It's gray.

And finally when the cable company gives you 3 or 4 extra channels for free, that is also legal.

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TV Band/whitespace Devices will block my Baltimore/Philly stations. No more channels 2,3,6,10,11,12,13,17,35,45,57,61,65

bicker

That distinction is nothing but a rationalization for theft of service. It's illegal. It's wrong. Don't do it.