ExpressVu announces new measures to reduce signal theft before CRTC meeting

The CRTC’s approach to dealing with squabbling over who’s to blame for TV signal theft appears to be working, with Bell ExpressVu LP recently announcing several measures aimed at securing its system. News of three major anti-piracy measures undertaken by the direct-to-home satellite TV distributor came days before a scheduled meeting with the CRTC. Bell ExpressVu announced that it was introducing a new electronic countermeasure program, establishing an inventory control procedure for the tracking of satellite receivers that have been sold, and rolling out new receivers with embedded signal theft protection. It also said it is moving ahead with its own public awareness campaign about stealing TV signals. Bell ExpressVu’s online inventory control system will follow the set-top box from the moment it leaves the manufacturer through importation to stores, while a second tracking system called "the prism" takes over and registers who purchases the boxes. Another initiative involves embedding new receivers with chips, and doing away with access cards to enable programming. The new electronic countermeasures by Bell ExpressVu involve remotely sending signals from its satellite to dismantle illegal devices by destroying the software operating the set-top box. Janet Yale, president and CEO of the Canadian Cable Television Association (CCTA), who has been a vocal critic against Bell ExpressVu’s anti-piracy initiatives, is pleased with the direction that the satellite TV operator is taking but questions how soon the initiatives will be implemented. "We’re certainly pleased that they’re taking enhanced security steps, and realize the need to spend more on the security of their system," she tells Canadian Communications Reports. "What we wanted them to do was put in inventory control mechanisms…And it seems they are going ahead and implementing them, but we still don’t know by when they will be completely in place." She adds, "They also said that they would be putting in (a new conditional access) system for their receivers. But it is unclear when they will swap out all the boxes that are already in place so it’s the timing of the swap-out that we’re particularly interested in." Bell ExpressVu tells CCR that it can’t provide specific dates for when it plans to zap satellite receivers that illegally decode programming for security reasons, but that the measures will be undertaken on an ongoing basis between now and the end of the year. Officials at the satellite TV operator further note that the inventory tracking system has already been put into place in 70% of its dealer base, and is expected to be completed by year-end. The receivers with the embedded signal theft protection are also expected to be widely available on the market by the end of 2003, but Bell ExpressVu has made no decision on the possibility of swapping out existing receivers, which would be a massive and expensive undertaking. Yale says the cable industry is pleased that Bell ExpressVu is moving ahead with commitments it made on March 20 at a first meeting with the CRTC and other stakeholders. When the CCTA called on the CRTC last year to hold a public hearing to examine the breaches in Bell ExpressVu’s encryption system, CRTC chair Charles Dalfen opted instead to meet with stakeholders behind closed doors to explore potential courses of action (CCR, Dec. 5/02). It’s an approach that appears to be resulting in progress as Bell ExpressVu moves ahead with tightening up its system. The cable association, another attendee at the most recent meeting on August 19, has also made commitments on combating piracy, but Yale wouldn’t reveal details for security reasons. "But the nature of cable security when you don’t have a card-based system is not the same. It’s a question of playing a numbers game," Yale says. "You are never going to get theft to zero. It’s like shoplifting. Shoplifting isn’t a zero sum game. You can’t prevent people from walking in stores and trying to steal. So the question is what in percentage terms - not in absolute numbers - what is a reasonable level. We believe that the systematic approach that we have is sufficient to address the theft people try to do, and to keep it at a reasonable level. In the case of Bell ExpressVu, we were saying it wasn’t." But Bell ExpressVu president Tim McGee says the current CRTC process has allowed Bell ExpressVu to bring "to light that there was a very significant theft of cable signals, and that (cable) needed to be involved in the solution of their own issues as well." Asked if he feels that cable should be doing more to prevent signal leakage, he responds, "Absolutely." McGee calls Bell ExpressVu’s public awareness campaign "separate but complementary" to an anti-piracy advertising blitz by the Coalition Against Satellite Signal Theft (CASST), to which both Bell ExpressVu and the CCTA belong. "We want to further create public awareness around signal theft - whether it’s cable or satellite," he says. The debate over whether satellite TV, particularly Bell ExpressVu’s system, or cable is primarily responsible for piracy led to a rift between the two camps. Other schisms within the coalition became evident when the CCTA applied to the CRTC for permission to carry 17 U.S. channels, arguing that it had to be able to offer repatriated customers more choice in programming offerings. The Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) lashed back, saying that people opt for pirated TV signals because they are free, not because of a lack of choice. At the time, CAB president and CEO Glenn O’Farrell accused the CCTA of breaking the coalition (CCR, June 30/03). McGee, however, won’t weigh in on the CCTA’s reasoning that more U.S. services are needed in Canada to decrease the satellite TV black market. He does, however, note that the "issue of bringing in additional programming from the United States is a fair issue to consider." He tells CCR, "This isn’t something that we have strong views on. But obviously, our view is that the Canadian broadcast industry and Canadian programming is extremely important not only for our business but for our customers and the industry as a whole." The industry players aren’t all on the same page on the anti-piracy front, but progress appears to be happening. "The approach that is being led by the chairman of the CRTC is exactly the right tack to take and I think we’re satisfied that all parties are treating (anti-piracy concerns) seriously," McGee says.

ExpressVu announces new measures to reduce signal theft before CRTC meeting

Broadcast | August 22, 2003

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