CATV operators want stiffer fines for signal theft

Cable TV (CATV) operators on Tuesday clamored for higher penalties for signal theft, saying a syndicate of illegal and unregistered CATV operators has been earning millions of pesos from the crime.

In a joint public hearing on CATV and Internet signal theft, Philip Chien, president and chief executive officer of Destiny Cable Inc., said punishing members of the syndicate pesos with three to five years’ imprisonment is “not fair.”

The group operates in some areas in southern Metro Manila, according to Jose Lobregat, external committee chairman of the Philippine Cable Television Association Inc.

“[The illegal operators] will give you a choice of what cable company you want…and then you pay one fee and that’s it. Lifetime na yun [That’s a lifetime connection], no more monthly fees,” Lobregat alleged.

Cable signal theft, which involves tapping cable signals to get a free connection, is believed to be prevalent for eight years now, PCTA president Allan Dungao said in an interview after the hearing.

Dungao said those involved in the syndicate are former employees of big cable companies who know their way around the systems of the companies.

He noted that, while some of the illegal operators have been jailed, local ordinances have ensured their detention for only a short time. “Tapos ang mangyayari lilipat na naman sa kabilang [lugar] so ikot-ikot lang [And then they will go to other cities, so they just go around].”

Senator Juan Ponce Enrile, author of one of the bills discussed in the hearing, agreed that higher penalties should be imposed on the illegal cable operators, those who tap cable signals, and those involved with the alleged syndicate.

“That would be a different level of thievery. Large scale na yun, wholesale na yun [That large scale, that is wholesale]. You are already in competition with the cable operators,” Enrile said, lamenting the income losses of legitimate operators.

According to the Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia, the Philippines has the second highest number of illegal cable and satellite TV subscribers in Asia, with the local cable industry incurring more than P5 billion in revenue losses.

The ratio of legal and illegal cable subscribers is pegged at 1:1, Lobregat said, with most of these illegal connections found in congested areas of Metro Manila, Dungao said. By Rachel Hermosura - INQUIRER.net