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Path: utzoo!watmath!watarts!mupmalis
From: mupmalis@watarts.UUCP (M. A. Upmalis)
Newsgroups: net.video
Subject: Re: Query on satellite TV in Canada
Message-ID: <8545@watarts.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 20-Sep-85 14:02:14 EDT
Article-I.D.: watarts.8545
Posted: Fri Sep 20 14:02:14 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 21-Sep-85 04:03:12 EDT
References: <6638@ucla-cs.ARPA> <6821@ucla-cs.ARPA>
Reply-To: mupmalis@watarts.UUCP (M. A. Upmalis)
Distribution: net
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 34
Summary: 

In article <6821@ucla-cs.ARPA> wales@ucla-cs.UUCP (Rich Wales) writes:
>
>Is it legal in Canada for someone to set up a TVRO dish on his property
>and pick up satellite TV?  Does the answer to this question vary from
>one province (or even city) to another?  Are things still "up in the
>air" (no pun intended) due to key cases pending in the courts?
>
The situation is a tad muddier than just being before the courts.  The
Feds who control communications have said that they will not prosecute
private owners of dishes and a trip in the countryside will result in
a healthy number of dishes, the rural use of dishes is a fixed fact and
if there is still a law in the books, it doesn't matter.

If there are any municipalities with laws about the esthetics of dishes
I haven't heard about them and there is one in a neighbourhood near mine
ina medium size (160,000+) city.  The feds have been have trouble in the
with erstatz cable distributors.  Cable licenses are granted by the feds and
certain requirements are required however there was a case recently in British
Columbia, of a man distributing American Signals pirated off satellites, it
is illegal for him to distribute Canadian Signals but with his setup the law
is less precise, he hasn't been convicted but the case hasn't been settled.
One problem is that some of what happens is under regulation as opposed to
law and there is some discretion.

This is a general view of the situation in Canada, I'll try to post some
more specific answers if people are interested, I would have to do
some research.

-- 
Mike Upmalis	(mupmalis@watarts)

		ihnp4!watmath!watarts!mupmalis

This sentence has threee erors.