| reply to CadesDaddy
Re: theft! CadesDaddy and anonymoususer are obviously shills. But what most people don't understand is that there is logic and there is the law, and the law does not necessarily follow logic. The cable companies have managed to get "theft of service" laws which have nothing to do with logic, but which protect their service from being tapped or shared. They have developed a paranoid culture and business practices in which the customer is always suspected of trying to cheat (never mind the commercials touting their customer service orientation).
NetEffects has it right. The problem with cable is that their business model is inflexible and counterproductive. In the DSL world, SpeakEasy actually offered to collect billing from the neighbors on behalf of the customers who want to share their connection with neighbors. Many SpeakEasy customers (myself included) signed up with that provider because of its no nonsense terms of service, and stick around because after reading the TOS from other providers (especially cable!) it would be like going back to the dark ages to sign up with them. I don't share my connection with my neigbors but I do occasionally play with little servers and as long as I manage them correctly SpeakEasy stays out of my hair. There is more to life than downlink speed. I don't need 3Mbps down--I need reliable service and reasonable TOS. And, BTW, no constant cost increases that largely outpace inflation. I am in a Comcast cable monopoly zone, and sometimes I muse about not being dependent on the phone company's circuits. But I'm not about to sign up with Comcast for Internet access. Bad policies, bad attitude, bad pricing. It's only because of trees blocking the southern sky that I have not ditched them for TV yet, but after their latest rate increase I am severely tempted to invest into a mast for a dish. |
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| Allowing a person access to your wireless network for use of internet is theft of service. It is just like stealing cable. I don't know if it's illegal though, the law might have not catched up to this detail, but I'm sure that if it becomes a problem then cable companies will push congress to enstate a law. |
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| A person accessing my wireless network for use of internet might be reasonably considered theft of service if I didn't allow it. If I do allow it, it's at most breach of contract with my ISP -- and in my ISPs case, it's not even that.
Yes, the cable companies have gotten laws passed which (in their opinion) make just about everything theft -- for instance if you call to disconnect cable, and they don't do so, they call that "passive theft". But those laws don't apply to Internet service, so things aren't quite as silly there. |
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| reply to claudeo
said by claudeo:I don't need 3Mbps down--I need reliable service and reasonable TOS. Bravo! 3Mbps is neat, but I can't think of a server that will dish up over 300k much less 3M. Besides reasonable TOS, people also should understand Quality of Service. I get 600/600 QOS, in other words, MINIMUM 600k. I have seen as high as 4M/4M, but never under 600k. But, those numbers don't sell to the masses.
I also wanted to encourage you to look into the angles on the dish. I was surprised to find the angle the signal comes in. My dish is mounted on a post with a birm directly in front. Even with 6 foot shrubs in front, the signal is steep enough that it clears with no problem. But that is another forum......
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Im not an electrical engineer, but I play one on TV. |
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 cacrollEventually, Prozac becomes normalPremium
join:2002-07-25
Martinez, CA | reply to russotto
said by russotto:A person accessing my wireless network for use of internet might be reasonably considered theft of service if I didn't allow it.
If you don't adequately protect your wireless LAN, you'll be damn lucky if all that you experience is theft of service. And if the leach doesn't cause you to exceed your cap, which is the only way you could be inconvenienced, you're not losing anything, so again, I don't think that's theft either. |
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cacrollEventually, Prozac becomes normalPremium
join:2002-07-25
Martinez, CA | reply to RandomDragon
said by RandomDragon:Allowing a person access to your wireless network for use of internet is theft of service. Theft involves loss of property. The cable companies, who are supposed to be operating as a public entity (under a francise or as a monopoly), have made up this whole "Theft Of Service" bit.
The subscriber for service has paid for service. He is not inconvenienced, and in many cases, isn't even aware that his service is being leeched. The cable company doesn't service the leech.
If the cable companies would support their product more reliably, I'd be a bit more sympathetic. Who here hasn't called (as a subscriber):
Subscriber: "My cable is out".
Cable Operator: "That's awful. We can have a truck in your neighborhood ... let's see ... Can you be at home next Thursday afternoon?".
Subscriber: "That's 5 days from now. What do I do til then? Will you compensate me for renting movies to keep the kids happy?".
Cable Operator: "No we don't do that". |
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 JoshNJPremium
join:2001-12-25
Freehold, NJ | reply to cacroll
said by cacroll:said by russotto:I don't think that's theft either. Well, really depends on how the TOS is written, most say you cannot share the connection outside of your own home. So if you share it with a neighbor technically it would be theft. No different than going into an all-you-can-eat buffet and paying for one person, but having 2 people eat from the same plate. --
I support the RIAA |
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cacrollEventually, Prozac becomes normalPremium
join:2002-07-25
Martinez, CA | said by JoshNJ:said by cacroll:said by russotto:I don't think that's theft either. Well, really depends on how the TOS is written A TOS is a civil contract. Theft, which involves loss of physical property, is a criminal charge. Big Cable can write their TOSs all they want, they are writing contracts, they are not writing criminal law. Sharing your network connection may be a TOS violation, and you (the connection owner) may get TOSed. But neither you, nor the leech, can be brought up on criminal charges for Theft. Due diligence requires that you, the connection owner, secure your connection. By not doing so, you invite a civil charge of contributory negligence. » www.britannica.com/eb/article?tocId=9026080 |
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TheWiseGuyDog And ButterflyPremium,MVM
join:2002-07-04
Yonkers, NY
kudos:1 Reviews:
 ·Optimum Online
| said by cacroll:A TOS is a civil contract. Theft, which involves loss of physical property, is a criminal charge. Incorrect!! There are states that have Theft of Service Laws, theft does not have to be of property to be a crime in these states.
»www.uslegalforms.com/lawdigest/l···ices.htm
said by uslegalforms:
Such laws generally classify the crime as a misdemeanor or felony according to the value of the services stolen. Specific amounts vary by state. Local laws should be consulted for specific requirements in your area. The following is an example of a state statute dealing with theft of services:
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Dog and Butterfly |
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masrotaj
join:2003-07-09
Fort Lauderdale, FL | reply to RandomDragon
Wow every time I use a computer (to access the net via someones broadband connection)other than my own ,by your definition I would be stealing .So when I access my dad network from my own to give remote assist I would be stealing his bandwidth. Your premise sir is not well thought out I suggest you rethink
John |
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| reply to cacroll
Its not theft?
someone is paying for that cable bandwidth.
who cares cable companies are trying to find more ways to make money on such nonsense.
so If I let my friend use my phone to call someone he is stealing?
hey Im paying for my cable service and If i got 8 computers hooked up to a router and it is using a shared cable ignal then so friggin what.
its not like each computer is using 1.5 meg of bandwidth?
they are sharing the 1.5 meg bandwidth. |
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 wmgoatIf It's Not Broken, Don't Mess With ItPremium
join:2000-12-12
Huntley, IL | reply to RandomDragon
said by RandomDragon:Allowing a person access to your wireless network for use of internet is theft of service. It is just like stealing cable. I don't know if it's illegal though, the law might have not catched up to this detail, but I'm sure that if it becomes a problem then cable companies will push congress to enstate a law. I agree wholeheartedly!
If you're not paying for it, and you have access to is because of someone else who is paying for it, ethically, its stealing.
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No Smoke? Then it's gotta be either a glitch in the Software, or the way that you have it configured! |
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