Legal Question in Criminal Law in Texas

Cable TV in new house

A few years ago we bought a house. One night a few weeks after moving in we turned on the tv and to our astonishment, we figured out in one room of the house we had access to cable television. The other rooms are not hooked up to cable. My question is this. We have not informed the local cable company that we sometimes have access to cable tv. Could we be prosecuted for having the cable television? Could we be forced to pay money to the cable company even though we never ordered cable tv ? Should we just keep quiet and someday wait for the cable company to shut off cable?


Asked on 4/02/07, 5:20 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Anthony Colleluori The Law Offices of Anthony J. Colleluori & Associates PLLC

Re: Cable TV in new house

You could be in a lot of trouble. You are technically stealing cable TV. You would do well to have an attorney work out a deal with the local cable company to either allow you to buy cable or to turn off the cable without seeking back charges from you. If you do it with a lawyer, he should be able to keep your identity secret until such time as a deal is struck. This area of law is a federal question and can cost you thousands of dollars should it be handled wrong even though it seems you did nothing wrong. The fact that someone may have tampered with the cable line will make you liable. Even if you were to win the case later, it could cost you in legal fees and loss of reputation should you be found out.

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Answered on 4/02/07, 9:06 pm


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