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The DOJ is actively pursuing illegal descramblers.
Based on NCTA's cable piracy survey conducted in 1999, the industry loses an estimated $6,584,603,760 ($6.6 billion) in unrealized basic and premium revenue annually.
It is illegal to own or be in possession of an unauthorized cable descrambler in 32 states.
Sentences in federal and state theft of service cases have ranged from probation to 16 years in prison. Fines and restitution have ranged from several hundred dollars to $2.7 million. Civil judgments have run as high as $245 million.
NCTA's Office of Cable Signal Theft (OCST) works closely with the FCC, Department of Justice, the F.B.I., U.S. Customs, U.S. Attorneys, state and local prosecutors and law enforcement agencies to investigate and assist in prosecuting criminal violations.
OCST is currently supporting numerous criminal theft of service cases across the country, in addition to various state, local, and civil cases, potentially representing sales and distribution of hundreds of thousands of descramblers/decoders.
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