Officials say millions of U.S. households may soon lose their TV signal as a result of the upcoming digital TV transition.

Friday, June 12, the day when local TV stations across the nation will cease broadcasting their old analog signal in favor of the new digital system. The switch is necessary only for those who do not have cable or satellite television hooked up to their sets or a newer-model TV that comes equipped with a digital tuner.  Households likely facing a loss of TV signal are low-income families, along with the elderly and households in rural areas.

In Canada, it will cease on August 31, 2011.

Canadian News Brief - Bill C-2 will make it a criminal offence to purchase American satellite TV signals.

The new legislation will affect the theft and tampering of satellite TV signals by increasing the penalties from $25,000 and six months in jail to $200,000 and one year in jail.

The legislation will also cover the grey area which includes people paying to watch US satellite TV signals that are not licensed in Canada. Bill C-2 will eliminate "grey area marketing" by making the subscription to American TV signals an offence.

The Coalition Against Satellite Signal Theft (CAAST) supports the bill because it will make it financially and punitively damaging to all those involved in this kind of theft. The industry feels it will decrease TV signal theft by strengthening the ability of law enforcement to combat the problem of TV signal theft.

Systems Integrity Specialists, Bush-Waterhouse Audit Services, have developed a system which will detect illegal satellite TV receiver systems. In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, company Director James Scott-Wilson stated, "We hope to see this system in use industry wide by the 3rd quarter of 2007. Our use of state-of-the-art technologies makes the system extremely accurate."

Bad Splice

Police Officers are investigating two reports of theft of cable television service. The suspects allegedly spliced into the TV cable and their action is believed to have been responsible for cable TV outages in the area.

South Dakota: POLICE AND SHERIFF CALLS, 

Theft by deception: A caller o­n Monday in the 200 block of ***** Avenue Southeast reported theft of cable TV services. The resident was duly charged.

Police News from Racine County, Wisconsin

Police are investigating the theft of Time Warner Cable TV service in recent months at various locations, including the 4000 block of ******* St. Similar cases are being investigated in Racine and Kenosha.

Police Report, South Louisiana,

Incidents - Neighbor arrested for stealing cable television in the 110 block of ****** Street, ********.