[Myrddin]

You were replying to a subject of the United Kingdom. The laws in the UK are very different from the laws in the United States. Most countries are VERY restrictive about what you are allowed to receive and even more restrictive about what you may transmit. The U.S. is the most lenient government on earth with respect to freedoms permitted with the electromagnetic spectrum. Still, we do not operate in a state of anarchy. There are laws on the books and penalties for violating them. Receiving unencrypted TV broadcasts over the air doesn't require any special authorization or license in the U.S. It does require a license in the U.K.

[mamelukesabre]

How do they catch people RECIEVING electromagnetic waves? THat’s pure idiocy. The whole point of my post is that criminalizing wifi “stealing” is a step in that direction of idiocy.

What’s next? issuing licenses to receive sunlight? How about unauthorized use of our planet’s limited supply of oxygen?