Canada to Criminalize Watching Foreign TV and Radio Programming

The Canadian House of Commons is considering a bill, C-2, which will
make it illegal to receive foreign satellite TV and radio programming
in Canada. Canada already has censorship of US newspapers and US TV
programming carried on carried on Canadian cable TV systems.

The text of the bill can be found he

http://www.parl.gc.ca/37/3/parlbus/c...1/90248bE.html

The penalty for watching Al-Jazerra, Telemundo, or any other foreign
programming that the Canadian provers say isn't worth their while to
carry, or that the Canadian government does not want its residents to see
(such as FOX News), in Canada is C$25,000 and a year in the slammer.

It doesn't matter that you are paying the provider for the service. If
it's not approved by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (who have
donated heavily to the ruling Liberal Party), you aren't allowed to see
it. Also in favor of C-2 are Bell Canada and Shaw Communications, the
only autorized satellite providers in Canada, who have also donated over
C$320,000 to the Liberal Party.

Among the interesting provisions of this bill is one that permits the
Canadian police to examine any "computer or data processing system", and
copy anything stored on that system. "We don't need no stinkin' warrant,
eh!"

It also provides for summary conviction.

One Canadian was quoted by the CBC as saying: ""This is the equivalent of
somebody going into Chapters and trying to find a book and Chapters says
'we don't actually sell that book.' So you buy it from Amazon.com. If
Chapters then turned around and complained, you'd have to say 'well, look,
you had the choice of selling me the book but you chose not to do that.'"

In answer, Philippe Tousignant of the Canadian Radio-television and
Telecommunications Commission said "we have to give priority to Canadian
services."

It isn't just Canadians with a DirecTV dish (with the bill going to a
relative in the US) at home who are up in arms. Many members of Canada
ethnic minorities are also complaining bitterly that Canadian cable and
satellite providers say that the Canadian market is too small to bother
with foreign language programming -- even when the CRTC has licensed these
channels to be carried!

-- Mark --

http://staff.washington.edu/mrc
Science does not emerge from voting, party politics, or public debate.
Si vis pacem, para bellum.

Canada to Criminalize Watching Foreign TV and Radio Programming

Mark Crispin wrote:

The Canadian House of Commons is considering a bill, C-2, which will
make it illegal to receive foreign satellite TV and radio programming
in Canada. Canada already has censorship of US newspapers and US TV
programming carried on carried on Canadian cable TV systems.

I am familiar with this recent bill. Though the same rules and provisions
for freedom of the press do not exist in Canada as they do the United States,
this bill primarily relates to people in Canada who are illegally subscribing
to satellite providers from the United States in Canada. I can only wish that
the rules for receiving Distant Network Signals in the United States were
the same as Canada's. To date people can subscribe to multiple CBC and CTV
affiliates in Canada with a satellite carrier with royalties being owed
to local stations to composite loss of revenues.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: http://www.parl.gc.ca/common/Bills_l...37&Ses=3&ls=C2

This bill amends the Radiocommunication Act to address two issues: satellite
signal theft (or “piracy,� as it is sometimes referred to), and the paid reception
of foreign satellite signals that have not been authorized for viewing in Canada.

Bill C-2 seeks to prevent the theft of satellite signals and the reception of
unauthorized satellite signals by:

introducing better controls on the importation of equipment used to decode these
signals, by explicitly prohibiting the importation of decoding equipment used to
pick up satellite signals illegally; significantly increasing the penalties for
these offences to serve as a greater deterrence; and enhancing the rights of the
Canadian broadcasting industry to recover damages from those who sell illegal
equipment and services
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--
Mr. Shvia

On Fri, 7 May 2004 08:58:08 -0700, Mark Crispin
wrote:

The Canadian House of Commons is considering a bill, C-2, which will
make it illegal to receive foreign satellite TV and radio programming
in Canada. Canada already has censorship of US newspapers and US TV
programming carried on carried on Canadian cable TV systems.


The law doen't really change the law as to whether it is illegal or
not, it just stiffens the fines for what is already been determined
illegal, search and seizure rules, and requiring goverment permits to
import access gear.

The penalty for watching Al-Jazerra, Telemundo, or any other foreign
programming that the Canadian provers say isn't worth their while to
carry, or that the Canadian government does not want its residents to see
(such as FOX News), in Canada is C$25,000 and a year in the slammer.

The law doesn't say anything about watching anything. The law
describes on what terms decoding on encrypted broadcasts is legal or
not.

On Fri, 7 May 2004, Gary Tait wrote:
The law doen't really change the law as to whether it is illegal or
not, it just stiffens the fines for what is already been determined
illegal, search and seizure rules, and requiring goverment permits to
import access gear.

Actually, it does. Although pirating foreign satellite signals was
clearly illegal, Canadian court decisions left a grey area on the question
of operating a legitimately subscribed/paid-for satellite receiver in
Canada.

This also affects American RVers who cross the border into Canada; will
their satellite receivers be seized at the border if they don't have the
appropriate permits (which seem to be even harder to get than gun import
permits)? Note that Canadian satellite companies don't want to deal with
American RVers who are temporarily in Canada.

The penalty for watching Al-Jazerra, Telemundo, or any other foreign
programming that the Canadian provers say isn't worth their while to
carry, or that the Canadian government does not want its residents to see
(such as FOX News), in Canada is C$25,000 and a year in the slammer.
The law doesn't say anything about watching anything. The law
describes on what terms decoding on encrypted broadcasts is legal or
not.

Actually, it does. The Canadian Islamic and Hispanic communities are both
up in arms about C-2. The government is promising that it isn't going to
go after ethnic minority individuals who have a US satellite receiver to
receive Arabic/Spanish programming that Canadian satellite companies don't
carry, but past history shows that such promises aren't worth anything.

The government is making no such promises to Canadians who watch FOX News
as an alternative to the state-run news media.

-- Mark --

http://staff.washington.edu/mrc
Science does not emerge from voting, party politics, or public debate.
Si vis pacem, para bellum.

On Fri, 7 May 2004 12:38:42 -0700, Mark Crispin
wrote:

On Fri, 7 May 2004, Gary Tait wrote:
The law doen't really change the law as to whether it is illegal or
not, it just stiffens the fines for what is already been determined
illegal, search and seizure rules, and requiring goverment permits to
import access gear.

Actually, it does. Although pirating foreign satellite signals was
clearly illegal, Canadian court decisions left a grey area on the question
of operating a legitimately subscribed/paid-for satellite receiver in
Canada.


Where does Bill C2, an Amendment to the RCA, amend it so as to change
the il/legality of foreign satellite TV in Canada? Apart from clauses
pertaining to punishments, which don't count.

This also affects American RVers who cross the border into Canada; will
their satellite receivers be seized at the border if they don't have the
appropriate permits (which seem to be even harder to get than gun import
permits)? Note that Canadian satellite companies don't want to deal with
American RVers who are temporarily in Canada.


It might.

The penalty for watching Al-Jazerra, Telemundo, or any other foreign
programming that the Canadian provers say isn't worth their while to
carry, or that the Canadian government does not want its residents to see
(such as FOX News), in Canada is C$25,000 and a year in the slammer.
The law doesn't say anything about watching anything. The law
describes on what terms decoding on encrypted broadcasts is legal or
not.

Actually, it does. The Canadian Islamic and Hispanic communities are both
up in arms about C-2. The government is promising that it isn't going to
go after ethnic minority individuals who have a US satellite receiver to
receive Arabic/Spanish programming that Canadian satellite companies don't
carry, but past history shows that such promises aren't worth anything.


Again, where does the existing law, or the proposed amendment state it
is illegal to WATCH foreign TV?

The government is making no such promises to Canadians who watch FOX News
as an alternative to the state-run news media.

-- Mark --

http://staff.washington.edu/mrc
Science does not emerge from voting, party politics, or public debate.
Si vis pacem, para bellum.

"Mark Crispin" wrote in message
ashington.edu...
The Canadian House of Commons is considering a bill, C-2, which will
make it illegal to receive foreign satellite TV and radio programming
in Canada. Canada already has censorship of US newspapers and US TV
programming carried on carried on Canadian cable TV systems.

The text of the bill can be found he


http://www.parl.gc.ca/37/3/parlbus/c...1/90248bE.html


snipped


-- Mark --

http://staff.washington.edu/mrc
Science does not emerge from voting, party politics, or public debate.
Si vis pacem, para bellum.



Actually this should be funny, as many Canadians will no doubt not dare the
wrath of big brother in Ottawa.

And just go back to hacking one of the two "approved" sat suppliers.

Or will they bring back capital punishment for those Canadians who "hack"
DISH & DTV
(a double sin)



" But dad, you steal satellite signals"

"Yes son, but at least I don't hack those bad ol' American providers"

"I'm proud of you dad ! "

g

Gypsy

On Sat, 8 May 2004, Gary Tait wrote:
Actually, it does. Although pirating foreign satellite signals was
clearly illegal, Canadian court decisions left a grey area on the question
of operating a legitimately subscribed/paid-for satellite receiver in
Canada.
Where does Bill C2, an Amendment to the RCA, amend it so as to change
the il/legality of foreign satellite TV in Canada? Apart from clauses
pertaining to punishments, which don't count.

Canadian court decisions determined that that since there was no theft
involved, there was no offense in the act of receiving a foreign satellite
signal using a receiver that was authorized by the foreign service
provider. This was actually fairly remarkable, since Canadian courts are
generally submissive to the government's whims.

C-2 closes that loophole by specifically making the receiption of foreign
encryption signals an offense, as opposed to prohibiting it but without
any offense for violating the prohibition.

Again, where does the existing law, or the proposed amendment state it
is illegal to WATCH foreign TV?

Read Bill C-2 along with Section 2 the existing Radiocommunication Act,
paying particular attention to how the penalties are applied if C-2 comes
into effect.

This is one of those deceptive bills that looks like it's doing one thing
(controlling imports of grey and black-market receivers) while actually
doing something else that you don't see until you put 2 and 2 together.

-- Mark --

http://staff.washington.edu/mrc
Science does not emerge from voting, party politics, or public debate.
Si vis pacem, para bellum.

Mark Crispin
(C-2) is one of those deceptive bills...

We subscribe to Bell ExpressVu to the tune of about $60 per month ever
since they started. Our BEV account number is mostly zeros.

We also subscribe to an off-shore ethnic service. Apparently this will
soon be illegal if Bill C-2 is passed as written. These special ethnic
channels are simply not available on BEV or StarChoice. I'd rather not
be subjected to arrest and have to flee the country to somewhere warm,
but we're not about to give up our ethnic TV either.

I wonder if our long-term and totally legit BEV subscription would
give us 'a pass' on such legal bothers? Any reasonable judge might
think so. We'll have to take our chances...

Certain brown-nosing police state apologists with really bad typing
skills should realize that the RCMP will probably take them down and
apologize later if he can explain to the judge the difference between
FTA music on Dish and simply pirating Dish (good luck with that one
Gary...). You'll need a Goddamn checksum on your FTA receiver firmware
to prove that you're not running AL7BAR or anything else funny. This
is getting way too complicated for the legal system to deal with.
Thus, even fans of FTA should be alarmed over this bill.

On 11 May 2004 15:38:14 -0700, (BEV
Subscriber) wrote:

Mark Crispin
(C-2) is one of those deceptive bills...

We subscribe to Bell ExpressVu to the tune of about $60 per month ever
since they started. Our BEV account number is mostly zeros.

We also subscribe to an off-shore ethnic service. Apparently this will
soon be illegal if Bill C-2 is passed as written. These special ethnic
channels are simply not available on BEV or StarChoice. I'd rather not
be subjected to arrest and have to flee the country to somewhere warm,
but we're not about to give up our ethnic TV either.


In actuality, subscribing to that offhore service is illegal now. Bill
C2 makes it a worse offence than it does now.

I wonder if our long-term and totally legit BEV subscription would
give us 'a pass' on such legal bothers? Any reasonable judge might
think so. We'll have to take our chances...

Your current positive situation with a licensed provider will probably
have no sway in court, if you were to be prosecuted for the act.

Certain brown-nosing police state apologists with really bad typing
skills should realize that the RCMP will probably take them down and
apologize later if he can explain to the judge the difference between
FTA music on Dish and simply pirating Dish (good luck with that one
Gary...). You'll need a Goddamn checksum on your FTA receiver firmware
to prove that you're not running AL7BAR or anything else funny. This
is getting way too complicated for the legal system to deal with.
Thus, even fans of FTA should be alarmed over this bill.

On Tue, 11 May 2004, BEV Subscriber wrote:
We subscribe to Bell ExpressVu to the tune of about $60 per month ever
since they started. Our BEV account number is mostly zeros.
We also subscribe to an off-shore ethnic service. Apparently this will
soon be illegal if Bill C-2 is passed as written.

It already is illegal in Canada. Bill C-2 simply puts teeth into the law,
because the Canadian courts have been unwilling to punish violation of the
existing law if the violator was paying the foreign provider for the
service.

It is *not* illegal to operate a BEV receiver in the US. It's only
illegal for BEV to sell service in the US.

These special ethnic
channels are simply not available on BEV or StarChoice.

Obviously those channels don't have sufficient Canadian content.

Isn't socialism wonderful? Now you know why Americans are not eager to
embrace the Canadian way of doing things

I'd rather not
be subjected to arrest and have to flee the country to somewhere warm,
but we're not about to give up our ethnic TV either.

This sounds like Canadian gun owners who bury their guns rather than
registering them as required by Bill C-68. It's a losing game. By
choosing not to comply with the law, you have made yourself into a
criminal, and put yourself in a position where you can lose much more.

I wonder if our long-term and totally legit BEV subscription would
give us 'a pass' on such legal bothers?

I doubt it.

-- Mark --

http://staff.washington.edu/mrc
Science does not emerge from voting, party politics, or public debate.
Si vis pacem, para bellum.