Anti-cable TV, Internet pilfering proposal up for plenary

By Alexander Villafania, INQ7.net

A proposed anti-cable TV and Internet connection pilfering law recently passed the second reading at the committee level of the congressional information and communications technology and is being readied to be discussed at a plenary level.

House Bill 4665, filed by Congressman Simeon Kintanar (2nd District, Cebu), provides for a penalty of imprisonment of two to five years, and fines ranging from 50,000 pesos to 100,000 pesos to anyone caught with illegal cable TV or Internet connections.

The proposal declares illegal the interception of any cable TV or cable Internet signals without the authorization of the cable operators. It also identifies the mechanisms as to how cable TV or Internet signals are delivered to different subscribers, in particular home users or commercial users such as hotels.

If approved at the plenary level the proposal will be submitted to the Senate for final review and passage into law.

Kintanar said theft of cable TV and Internet connection cause huge operational losses on the part of cable TV and Internet providers and also affects the signal and standard of service provided to subscribers.

The crime also poses a “grave and severe threat to the existence and survival of the cable TV and Internet industry,” Kintanar said.

“It’s time to put an end to the pilferage and theft of any signal or service offered by cable TV and Internet service providers through any unauthorized installation and access. These acts of theft pose a grave threat to the survival of the cable TV and Internet industry,” Kintanar said.

The bill is being supported by two local organizations, the Philippine Cable Television Association (PCTA) and the Federation of International Cable TV Association (FICAP). Both groups have reported that losses due to cable TV piracy were between 10 percent and 30 percent of their annual revenues.