Pres. Benigno S. Aquino III has signed into law the “Anti-Cable Television and Cable Internet Tapping Act of 2013”, which aims to protect cable television and cable Internet industries from pilferage.
Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte announced during the regular press briefing in Malacanang on Tuesday, April 23, that the Aquino signed the law last April 17, 2013.
The law prohibits cable television and Internet tapping and penalizes offenders with imprisonment of two to five years or a fine of P50,000 to P100,000 or both, at the discretion of the court.
If the offender is a corporation or association, the president, manager, managing partner or any officer of the corporation or partnership who directly participated in the violation of the law will be held liable.
With Aquino?s signing of the law, illegal tapping of any signal offered over cable TV or cable Internet system and the malicious destruction or removal of existing CATV or cable Internet facilities will be prohibited.
The law also prohibits recording, reproducing, distributing, importing or selling of any intercepted or received CATV system/network signals for commercial purposes without the authority of the concerned CATV or cable Internet service provider.
The newly-signed law, which is a consolidation of Senate Bill No. 3345 and House Bill No. 709, was passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on January 28, 2013 and January 30, 2013, respectively. — PNA
