By mid-1997, two out of ten households with cable TV were illegally connected, equivalent to about 150,000 homes. However, "today, those connected illegally represent almost 40% of users," according to Juan Pablo Hermosilla, a lawyer with the Association of Cable TV Companies (CATV), of Chile.
This situation causes the industry a loss of 400 million pesos (about US $ 890,000) per month, says Alberto Labbe, Secretary of the CATV, an association that includes the two largest cable operators: Metropolis Intercom and VTR Cablexpress, which cover 96% of the offer in the field.
Chilean companies decided to initiate legal actions, among other initiatives, in order to avoid the situation that occurred in countries such as Argentina, Mexico and the United States, where by reacting too late it was impossible for them to exercise adequate control, due to the high number of illegal users.
The fact of "hanging" is punishable by the General Telecommunications Law, with sentences ranging from 61 days to five years in prison, for "interrupting or interfering with cable television signals". The legal regulations also contemplate the confiscation of equipment and facilities.
Cable operators claim that the legal actions not only seek to sanction those people who have intentionally "hung" on cable TV signals and, in this way, protect the assets of companies, but also defend users so that they receive a quality service without interference.
Although the complaints filed before the courts have been well received, one of the main problems faced is to prove that the defendants were aware of the offense committed. Along with legal actions, audits are carried out aimed at detecting, identifying and warning users who are taking advantage of a service illegally, and inviting them to regularize their situation.
Other measures taken include sending letters to building monitoring boards, as well as having a telephone service to make complaints. According to cable companies, there are different types of illegal users. First, those connected legally but who do not pay for the service, either because of delinquency or because they arrived at an address that already had the cable installed.
And, secondly, those who connect illegally or pay someone to run the connection. According to CATV studies, there are real mafias of these installers that, for a certain amount, connect the televisions to the network that cable operators have set up throughout the cities.
Lack of control
The biggest difficulty faced by cable companies is that illegal connections are not perceived as serious misconduct; that is, "hanging oneself is a lesser evil." A study carried out in August 1997 by Adimark, a market and public opinion company, investigated the reasons for contracting the cable and the perceptions of users against illegal connections.
Some aspects that lead to minimize or justify the action of "hanging" are the facilities and the lack of control existing to access the system illegally, as well as the absence of fear, believing that there are no penalties or punishments against this behavior.
The people who participated in the study stated that, together with the simple connection mechanism and the participation of contractors in the offer of illegal connections, there is little control of the company over its personnel and little presence of a body that controls and punishes illegal situations.
The same study determined that the most mentioned reasons for hiring a Cable TV service are to provide children with educational and children's channels, access good movies and expand the range of channels to choose from.
Other motivations were being able to watch TV 24 hours a day, access sports programs and get a broader view of what is happening in the world. In addition, the people consulted mentioned the promotion facilities offered by the cable companies: "Installation and a free month".
It does not cease to draw attention that many times this type of illegal connection is made to see very defined shows; for example, football matches or successful films, "hanging off" once the program is over.
Cable companies have undertaken televised campaigns to persuade and modify behaviors and invite the "hanged" to regularize the situation. One of the spots, disseminated by Metropolis Intercom, informs legal users that the "hanged" harm the service they are paying. The message shows a man who sits peacefully in front of the TV and, suddenly, other individuals come to sit in the same armchair, until they leave him without vision on the screen.
Finally, it should be noted that the prevention campaigns initiated in Chile are aimed at all social sectors, since the phenomenon of the "hanged" is present in rich and poor neighborhoods. And in both, companies outside the law offer their services for a single and modest amount.
