Is this legal?

theonerm2 · Oct 5, 2016

I don't know if it's the right website to post this question but I love Tomshardware and I believe someone here might know the answer.

I have only internet through my cable company. Last night I found a splitter and hooked up my TV. I'm getting free cable now. I just wanted to try it and see what would happen. Plus I want to watch The Walking Dead later this month. So... Yeah. I don't know if the cable I'm getting is complimentary with the internet or not and I'm not asking my cable company. It's suddenlink by the way. I'm afraid if I tell them what I did I might get in trouble if it is illegal.

manddy123 · Oct 5, 2016

Will you get arrested if you buy a Wi-Fi router and put it in your house so others PC/Smartphones can use the internet as well?
If no, don't worry, it's safe and legal!

The only downside of this is exactly the same of a Wi-Fi, if there's one side using more bandwich the other will suffer with slower connection, but aside from that, it's a go-go

SinxarKnights · Oct 5, 2016

If you have to ask the question, it probably isn't.

Using a pay to use service for free without permission surely is looked down upon by your cable company. I mean they likely won't sue you unless you are distributing it in some form. The most severe punishment would probably be to cancel your internet service and ban you from using their service again in the future.

Regardless you are using a premium service without paying and without the company knowing about it. So, is stealing legal?

photonboy · Oct 5, 2016

It's possible they have not disabled cable to your home, though I don't understand how a splitter would get it working.

You should have a CABLE BOX to decode the signal, otherwise I don't know how you can get it.

It's possible that you are getting some free channels that aren't through Suddenlink but it's not clear how you have this setup.

*Unless you have hacked a cable input (which is usually pretty complicated now) I don't see how they can get you in trouble.

mjslakeridge · Oct 5, 2016

I am not giving a legal opinion here, but I would say it is up to the service provider to regulate the services they are providing to you. The only downside to you is they may discover that you aren't signed up for cable TV and they could cut it off at some point in time.

why_wolf · Oct 5, 2016

technically it's illegal, assuming that cable TV isn't part of your internet package. However its their mistake, doubly so since it seems like the channels aren't encrypted like they normally are.

So in short you are in grey waters. They could cancel your service if they find out, but I doubt they'd take legal actions

ko888 · Oct 5, 2016

Depending upon which country you live in it may be completely legal.

With some cable companies you can't get internet service by itself without the inclusion of basic cable TV.

The cable companies that allow just an internet service subscription have the option to filter out/encrypt the cable TV signals if they want to.

bgunner · Oct 5, 2016

IF you want to find out if you are suposed to get cable look on your bill and on your account on the providers web site. This will tell you if your paying for it or not. If it is not on your bill then all likelihood it is illegal to use it and not inform the service provider.

Wolfshadw · Oct 5, 2016

Legal? Technically, no. However, it is the responsibility of the cable provider to deactivate service once a subscriber leaves. What often happens in rentals and dorms is that it's too expensive for the cable company to continually send technicians to these locations as there is typically a very high turnover rate. Obviously, in an apartment situation, the landlord hopes to re-lease the property as soon as possible (often within a matter of one month). To the cable provider, that's actually two technician visits that were unnecessary.

While I think you have the responsibility of contacting the cable provider and informing them, whether they actually send someone out to deactivate it or just start charging you is up to them.

In any rate, what you get over the cable provider line, these days, shouldn't be much more than what you would normally get using an over-the-air antenna, but not all cable providers have encrypted all of their content yet. Just remember not to complain if you start losing some of those channels.

-Wolf sends

theonerm2 · Oct 5, 2016

I think they can tell if I'm using it or not. I ordered cable and then had it canceled before they came out to hook it up. I counted up my bills and I realized I couldn't afford to pay that much each month. I already pay over $90 just for internet. I hope they aren't still charging me for this cable even though I canceled it. I already paid too. And I haven't gotten a refund.

bgunner · Oct 5, 2016

theonerm2 :

Again, Look on your paper bill, if you get one, and also look on the cable company's website under your account and it will tell you what services you are supposed to be getting. This will tell you if your getting billed for it or not and if you are supposed to be getting it.

DeadRam · Oct 5, 2016

Wow so many strange answers. "Will you get arrested if you buy a Wi-Fi router and put it in your house". What does this have to do with getting free cable TV. I am not familiar with SuddenLink but most media providers use a filter to block (filter out) the cable TV band. The filter is connected to your cable line and it's installed inside the metal box between houses. It's against the law to open or alter the cable connection as in to remove the filter, but it isn't against the law to view cable TV that comes thru the cable. Some media providers encrypt all of some of the channels so you won't be able to view these without a box. Don't call anyone and enjoy the free cable while it lasts. Media companies employ specialists that go around and check the boxes to make sure nobody is steeling cable so you might lose it.

theonerm2 · Oct 5, 2016

bgunner :

I only get my bills online. And I don't have the bill for this month yet. However online it does show that I have made the payment. But it does say Television inactive, Internet active, phone inactive on the website in my account. But it doesn't say what the money I paid is for.

mjslakeridge · Oct 5, 2016

$90/month for just internet? What speed are you paying for?

theonerm2 · Oct 5, 2016

mjslakeridge :

150Mbps. I get about 162 though.

bgunner · Oct 5, 2016

theonerm2 :

BTW I do paperless billing also, saving the world from them darn household bills. :lol:

Because the site says you are not supposed to get it then you can not be charged for it at the moment. It is possible they took off the filter at the office, since it is computerized now, and because they never came out to verify it is working left it on by mistake. Soon they will catch it and turn it off, Give them a month or so.

Take a screen shot where it says inactive and the date and time from your PC as proof for your records if they become anal about it.

bgunner · Oct 5, 2016

theonerm2 :

wow lucky, I pay $105/month for 50Mbps and get 62Mbps. I'll take your company please.

theonerm2 · Oct 5, 2016

bgunner :

Yeah and it's unlimited data too. I called them and asked them about it. They said I wasn't going to be charged for it, they were refunding my money, and they were sending someone out to put a trap on my cable line so I can't get free cable. Looks like I just screwed myself out of getting free cable. Oh well... I'd rather be honest about it anyway. I'm a Christian.

theonerm2 · Oct 5, 2016

I still have hulu, netflix, and a few free live TV channels via USTVnow. Also the local news stations stream the news online if I ever want to watch that. I would say that what I have now is probably better than standard cable anyway. I think Hulu is going to start streaming The Walking Dead every Monday after it starts. And Ill be watching it in HD. So that's better than the crappy SD cable. But I would prefer to watch my shows the day they air. But I also believe it's better to wait a day and get a better viewing experience than to watch it as soon as it airs.

Wolfshadw · Oct 6, 2016

Let's keep the comments clean and non-derogatory.

Wolfshadw
Moderator

photonboy · Oct 6, 2016

Hey,

Based on the later comment, I believe he is getting CABLE legally and that they simply haven't gotten around to disabling it yet.

He said "I ordered cable and then had it canceled before they came out to hook it up", so I'd say it's a pretty safe bet it was hooked up.

Basically he should check his BILL. If he's not paying then no worries. It took a couple MONTHS for by bro-in-law to get his disabled but every company is different.

*There's probably a good chance they are BILLING him for at least one month, depending on how the orders got handled. If you get it hooked up, THEN cancel it the process is not immediate. So they may hook it up, charge him a month or so, then stop billing (though he may get Cable for longer than the billing period).

**Even though he canceled it before they showed up, since he already ordered it initially these may be two separate issues. So it may:
#1 - get hooked up, and billed, then
#2 - canceled later (month or so)

Tacoslammer · Oct 10, 2016

SinxarKnights :

". . . without the company knowing about it". The cable company can monitor your service and will know what you are using. They regularly check services to be sure they are operating. Most likely they will just bill you for the service you are stealing and upgrade your service to premium or whatever.

voodoo917 · Oct 11, 2016

It's legal, period! they have no way of getting a cable internet signal to your modem without at very least, having it be able to access basic cable channels. The down side is, it's not HDTV, it's just what comes with their basic package, but they have no other way of getting a broadband signal to your modem, without it at very least being connected to their basic cable package. No worries, it's not illegal!

mpgrimes · Oct 11, 2016

manddy123 :

You're completely backwards about everything, including the bandwidth comment, with cable TV and Internet, they do not share bandwidth, they use completely different channels along the same cable, there is no bandwidth sharing at all. And yes it's illegal, but very unlikely that anything will happen other than them coming to put a filter on the line to block the TV signal.

voodoo917 · Oct 11, 2016

mpgrimes :

All I know for sure is the lines inside your house belong to you, so it is NOT illegal for you to hook them up to YOUR TV. As far as the other, all I know for sure, is that everywhere I have ever lived, if you get broadband cable run in your house, all of mine had basic cable on the internet lines, because I'm doing the same thing right now. They can come hook a filter up at the pole outside, but that is their problem, not yours. It ain't illegal to hook your lines, up to your TV!

Is this legal?

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