Reply #39: Looked it up

[Matariki]

There seems to be a point of contention whether it's actually a 'theft of service' as you say, i.e. there have been a couple overzealous cops who hassled and/or arrested someone for using FREE WIRELESS outside a public library or other PUBLIC place. Don't see any precedent on a neighbor's connection. Also, just because a cop arrests someone doesn't mean the person actually broke a law. "Theft of Service" applied to open wireless sounds like a legal grey area. Guess the courts will have to work it out.

IMO, connecting to an unsecured wireless network is far more akin to picking up a radio broadcast than stealing cable service by splicing cables or whatnot.