OPINION: People in Laois and other counties forced to get TV dodgy boxes - the reason is obvious

There is a level of cloak and daggers about using a dodgy box in Ireland.

It's a shadowy web of text messages, downloads, codes, passwords and banking app transfers, and hey presto, the world's TV is at your fingertips. On the other hand, it's so openly discussed in everyday conversation, it's obvious people don't feel bad for embracing the dark arts of illegal streaming.

The Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) tells us that they are issuing enforcement orders to stop illegal operators, some of which have already been hauled before the courts. Just this week, the Leinster Express / Laois Live reported that operators in 13 counties were intercepted and contacted in person, by post and by email to desist with their activities. 

In reality, any interruption to service is temporary. These providers find a new server to host their streams and bar a few hours of lost contact, the viewer is unaffected. The providers clearly don't feel bad; one man brought before the courts for selling one of these services was found to be still operating between court appearances. Viewers have a similar laissez-faire attitude because they feel like they'll never be targeted by these enforcements, and they are probably right. FACT does stress that viewers are putting themselves at risk as services are often linked to organised crime, vicious malware and viruses that could result in their personal data being stolen. 

People simply don't care. They feel the outlay of €80 or €100 a year is worth the risk, even in the knowledge that the service may simply stop working tomorrow and they'll obviously have no customer service to ring and complain to. While I'm not defending suppliers of so-called dodgy boxes, I can see why people take the risk and why they do not have an ounce of guilt over it - the reason is obvious to any ordinary citizen.

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Kieran Cuddihy made an interesting comment on the subject during his Newstalk show this week when he facetiously suggested people attempting to save money by getting a dodgy box could also "steal their groceries" and save up to €750 a month. It was clear he was making a point that the vast majority of people, even those with a dodgy box, would not take the same approach in the supermarket and walk out without paying. It's a fair point, but every household has a breaking point when it comes to finances, and as one listener texted in, "I'll take everything for free I can."

I can understand that. While the cost of other bills like rent or electricity is not the fault of TV companies, people feel ripped off on every front. They are paying higher electricity bills than ever while the ESB reports record profits; rent and mortgage prices are through the roof, not to mention bins, broadband, phone, property tax, insurance, NCTs, childcare fees, the TV licence, the list goes on. Household costs in Ireland are among the highest in Europe and we have to put up and shut up. People are rightly angry.

Specifically, the cost of entertainment is also higher than ever because the market is so fragmented. To watch all the TV you want or used to, you made have to pay for four or five different subscriptions. To that end, they are right; they are being ripped off so it's hard to have sympathy for the companies charging such extortionate prices. 

I've done some maths, and if you were to sign up to Sky TV with Sky Movies, Kids' Channels, Sky Sports, TNT Sports, Netflix, Amazon Prime TV, Paramount+, Apple TV, Disney+, GAAGO, Clubber, you will be shelling out €200 a month or €2,400 a year. That's just to watch the telly effectively. Individually, the prices of these services don't sound too bad; €9 here, €12 there, but they all add up, and more and more content is going behind these paywalls. It's the last straw for people. 

I can hear Kieran Cuddihy in my ears; supermarkets too make huge profits and prices there are rising all the time, and yet people don't routinely walk out with a full trolley without paying. It all comes back to that shadowy web of texting, bank transfers and downloads; people are effectively stealing in the dark. 'If a tree falls in the woods and there's no one around to hear it, does it make a sound?' That's the mentality when it comes to 'theft' like this. People can't see a victim and no one is going to come chasing them down the street armed with CCTV footage of their crimes.

Unless gardaí start knocking on the doors of people who simply use a dodgy box, the practice will continue - and can you really blame people for taking the chance?