A couple of years ago I was taking with a friend of mine from Canada and he said that Direct TV was illegal in Canada. After reading your posts I thought I would do a little research. Here is what I found.
FAQ's from DIRECT TV confirm that they are not authorized to offer service or transmit a signal into Canada
Can I get DIRECTV in Canada?We are prohibited by law from offering service outside the United States. DIRECTV abides by all applicable legal restrictions and does not condone or support violation of law
Is DIRECTV service available in Canada or Mexico?We are legally prohibited from transmitting the DIRECTV signal outside the United States
http://support.directv.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1924/related/1Canadian LawHere is the portion of the Radiocommunications Act that is used to forbid the decoding of Direct TV signals.
The Radiocommunication Act Section 9(1)(c) states: "No person shall...decode an encrypted subscription programming signal or encrypted network feed otherwise than under and in accordance with an authorization from the lawful distributor of the signal or feed".
"This section of the Radiocommunication Act has been the subject of recent court challenges involving retailers who sell American DTH satellite receivers and services in Canada. This resulted in confusion due to differing judgements rendered regarding the interpretation of section 9(1)(c). A Supreme Court of Canada decision in the case of Bell ExpressVu v. Richard Rex, made on April 26, 2002, confirms that provisions in the Radiocommunication Act forbid the illegal decoding of satellite television programming."
http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/smt-gst.nsf/eng/h_sf05562.html#q4The Radiocommunication Act Section defines lawful distributor”, in relation to an encrypted subscription programming signal or encrypted network feed, means a person who has the lawful right in Canada to transmit it and authorize its decoding;
http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/R-2/page-1.html#h-2As I see it, Direct TV cannot offer service outside of the U. S. and cannot transmit signals outside of the U. S. By definition they are not a "lawful distributor" within Canada.
Barry
