How to get cable channels for free?

The free ride is over for people who have been getting access to basic cable TV stations by simply plugging their TVs into the wall.

Late last week, the Federal Communications Commission gave cable operators permission to encrypt basic cable TV service, which includes broadcast TV, in an effort to allow people to sign up for and disconnect cable service remotely and help cable operators reduce theft of basic services. Cable operators already encrypt the more expensive channel packages.

The FCC had prohibited encryption of basic service, because doing so required consumers to rent a set-top box. The idea was that people who want just the basic TV channels, shouldn't have to pay to rent a cable box for access to that service. But even though cable operators had to adhere to this restriction, satellite TV providers and TV services from the phone companies were not under the same restrictions.

Still, unencrypted cable TV channels made it easy for consumers to get access to the channels without paying, especially if they were subscribed to broadband service from the cable operator but not TV service. The National Cable & Telecommunications Association has estimated that in 2004 about 5 percent of homes near cable lines accessed service without paying. This resulted in nearly $5 billion in lost revenue.

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The FCC recognized this problem. But the agency's new rules are not without strings. The FCC wants to ensure that consumers can still access basic cable services without specifically renting a box from the cable companies. And so the FCC is requiring that the cable operators make the unencrypted TV signals available to third-party device makers and Internet TV service providers.

The FCC is giving cable companies two options in order to comply with this part of the rule. The first option requires cable operators to provide network-connected converter boxes that will allow other devices to gain access to the unencrypted cable signal. These boxes would be offered free of charge for the first two years. And after that the cable companies could charge a nominal rental fee. The second option would require cable companies to provide a software solution for third-party device makers to offer access to the signal.

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