Account stacking is a

broadcast Broadcasting is the distribution (business), distribution of sound, audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic medium (communication), mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio ...

industry term, which refers to the

deployment Deployment may refer to: Engineering and software Concepts * Blue-green deployment, a method of installing changes to a web, app, or database server by swapping alternating production and staging servers * Continuous deployment, a software e ...

of subscription

Direct To Home Satellite television is a service that delivers television programming to viewers by relaying it from a communications satellite orbiting the Earth directly to the viewer's location. The signals are received via an outdoor parabolic antenna commo ...

(DTH)

satellite A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioiso ...

receiving equipment at multiple geographical locations under a single customer account. It is often referred to as 2nd address service, subscription sharing or account splitting. Account stacking is sometimes confused with satellite TV hacking and

piracy Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

but in fact, account stacking utilizes receiving apparatus which is legal in every material respect. A contentious issue exists since the receiving equipment is easily relocated and most DTH satellite providers prefer to charge a subscription fee on a per dwelling basis, much like

cable TV Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with bro ...

, and not on a per-receiver or per-customer basis. CRTC - Broadcasting Distribution Regulations In Canada, DTH satellite providers are licensed by the

CRTC The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC; french: Conseil de la radiodiffusion et des télécommunications canadiennes, links=) is a public organization in Canada with mandate as a regulatory agency for broadcasti ...

as Broadcast Distribution Undertakings, or BDU's for short. The regulations under which they are authorized to provide service are found in the CRTC's Broadcasting Distribution Regulations. 1. Under the regulations a "customer" means a person who is liable for payment for programming services that are distributed by a

licensee A licensee can mean the holder of a license or, in U.S. tort law, a licensee is a person who is on the property of another, despite the fact that the property is not open to the general public, because the owner of the property has allowed the li ...

and that are received directly or indirectly by one or more subscribers. 2. A "subscriber" is a household of one or more persons, whether occupying a single-unit dwelling or a unit in a multiple-unit dwelling, to which service is provided directly or indirectly by a licensee. 3. A significant distinction exists between cable TV providers and DTH providers. The 'utility distribution model' used for cable TV does not readily apply to DTH undertakings. Cable TV is provided on a 'per dwelling' basis since it a closed-circuit wire-line service whereas DTH satellite is provided on a 'per customer' basis since the radio waves used for distribution cover a continent-wide area. 4. The CRTC broadcast distribution regulations seem to favour the 'per customer' model and sanction "account stacking". 5. The CRTC has a policy in place to accommodate the marketing and billing practice of “account stacking” under its Broadcast Distribution Regulations. This is discussed in Broadcast Public Notices 2006-133 and 2006-134, which provides that ‘discretionary service' channel providers are to be paid a wholesale affiliation fee on a ‘per dwelling’ basis. Basic service channel providers do not receive affiliation fees and so are not affected by this "Account Stacking" policy. Radiocommunication Act (Canada) 9. (1) No person shall (c) decode an

encrypted In cryptography, encryption is the process of encoding information. This process converts the original representation of the information, known as plaintext, into an alternative form known as ciphertext. Ideally, only authorized parties can decip ...

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. 10. (1) Every person who (b) without lawful excuse, manufactures, imports, distributes, leases, offers for sale, sells, installs, modifies, operates or possesses any equipment or device, or any component thereof, under circumstances that give rise to a reasonable inference that the equipment, device or component has been used, or is or was intended to be used, for the purpose of contravening section 9. Comment: Section 10(1)(b) of the Radiocommunication Act is not there to convict persons who have obtained the statutory authorization to decode an encrypted subscription-programming signal pursuant to Section 9(1)(c). Statutory authorization exists when the lawful distributor makes its signal available on payment of a subscription fee or other charge.

References

1
Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission ''Broadcasting Distribution Regulations''
2. CRTC Broadcasting Public Notice 2005-35 3. CRTC Broadcasting Public Notice 2005-41 4. CRTC Broadcasting Public Notice 2006-133 5. CRTC Broadcasting Public Notice 2006-134 6. CRTC Broadcasting Public Notice 2006-135 7. Letter from Bell ExpressVu to CRTC dated April 18, 2006 8. Letter from StarChoice to CRTC dated April 18, 2006 9
The Radiocommunication Act ( R.S., 1985, c. R-2 )
1
The Broadcasting Act ( 1991, c. 11 )
1

12. Bell ExpressVu User Agreement – Residential July 2005 13. Bell ExpressVu User Agreement – Commercial September 30, 2005 {{No footnotes, date=February 2008 Satellite television