Why's it illagal to monitor here?

[KE7IZL]

I know on another thread I learned that the "auxiliary" stations are supposedly illegal to listen too. What I've read at Broadcast auxiliary remote station - HF Underground though makes me wonder WHY they are illegal to listen to. It sounds like they contain audio from remote studios to broadcast back to the main studio, and of course listening to any commercial radio (AM or FM) stations or TV audio frequencies on your scanner are perfectly legal. Why would these auxiliary stations, who's sole purpose is to send audio back to the station for broadcasting (which IS legal to listen to), the auxiliary signals themselves end up being considered an illegal transmission to listen to?
Can you explain the logic here?

 

[nd5y]

I don't know if this is a fact but I think when congress wrote the law in 1986 the NAB lobbied to have broadcast auxiliary frequencies included. It doesn't explain why.

 

[SCPD]

There is no logic to the ECPA 1986. It is a bought and paid for law.

 

[N9JIG]

I had heard (unconfirmed however) these were included so that the ECPA would not be seen as only protecting cellular communications. Take this with the grain of salt it is given with though.

 

[KE7IZL]

I don't know if this is a fact but I think when congress wrote the law in 1986 the NAB lobbied to have broadcast auxiliary frequencies included. It doesn't explain why.

Who's NAB?

 

[kma371]

Who's NAB?

National Association of Broadcasters - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[majoco]

It's only illegal if you get caught. IMHO if anybody transmits anything in clear then as far as I'm concerned it's fair game. If they didn't want people to listen, then encrypt it.

 

[zl2taw]

have to agree with Martin on this one

 

[KE7IZL]

National Association of Broadcasters - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sounds like an anti-piracy measure then. If you could receive the same audio that the studio receives (prior to their broadcast), you could then broadcast it yourself before they did (such as post it streaming online), then you'd get out material that hadn't even been broadcast officially from the studio yet. To prevent this, they simply make it illegal to listen to those frequencies. It's sort of like encrypting DVDs and then making it illegal to decrypt them even for your own personal backup copy. It's all about anti-piracy.

That's just my opinion.

 

[rdale]

Once again, it makes more sense to ask questions. Your conclusion is completely incorrect.

 

[W2NJS]

Do we really have to rehash a settled issue with this guy who made all the noise in his other recent thread about listening to military stuff? This thread, like his other one, is a big waste of everyone's time.

 

[ka3jjz]

Let's put a cap on this - while it is technically illegal to listen to these, why it's illegal is largely irrelevant anymore. I see reports of these IFBs (Interruptable Feedback loops, which is at least what one of these services are called) on various lists, even on DX Listening Digest from time to time, and I have yet to hear any screaming about it.

As such if someone hears one and wants to report it, they can do so here.

Let's keep the discussion civil...'nufff said

best regards..Mike