Baltimore -- More than 2,000 people came forward during an
amnesty campaign that Comcast Corp.'s Comcast Cablevision of Maryland concluded here
earlier this month, and the operator said it will now begin prosecuting those who are
receiving cable services illegally.
Comcast said it will work with the Maryland State
Attorney's Office to pursue the remaining offenders in Baltimore and in Howard and
Harford counties, outside of the city. The operator said it has identified more than 8,000
remaining illegal cable connections in the Baltimore area.
Technicians are conducting a house-by-house audit, using
electronic-monitoring equipment, to help Comcast locate illegal set-tops. Comcast said its
$100 million fiber optic upgrade made it possible, in part, to survey its subscribers
electronically.
In Comcast's last amnesty period, those convicted of
cable theft were fined $500 to $1,500, and they performed community service, the system
said. The operator has been performing amnesty programs periodically since the state
strengthened its piracy laws in 1993.
