(4)(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this subsection or in
subsection (5), whoever violates subsection (1) of this section shall be
fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.

(b) If the offense is a first offense under paragraph (a) of this
subsection and is not for a tortious or illegal purpose or for purposes of
direct or indirect commercial advantage or private commercial gain, and the
wire or electronic communication with respect to which the offense under
paragraph (a) is a radio communication that is not scrambled, encrypted or
transmitted using modulation techniques the essential parameters of which
have been withheld from the public with the intention of preserving the
privacy of such communication, then--

(i) if the communication is not the radio portion of a cellular
telephone communication, a cordless telephone communication that is
transmitted between the cordless telephone handset and the base unit, a
public land mobile radio service communication or a paging service
communication, and the conduct is not that described in subsection (5), the
offender shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one
year, or both;


Hmmm sounds like the FCC ( federal law ) IS telling you what you can and
can not listen
to.

"honestjohn" wrote in message
news

"labtech1" wrote in message
...
FBI investigates illegal reception of radio transmissions, this includes
cell phones etc

However the FCC DOES 'regulate' receivers...... look on ANY radio and
see
the
"FCC type approved' sticker on it. ANY radio must be 'approved' by the
FCC
before it can be sold in the USA

To insure that the oscillator in the radio doesn't transmit those
oscillations beyond a certain distance from the receiver. The FCC will
never tell anyone what they can or can't listen to. The airwaves are
"FREE"
and anyone can listen to anything that they want. The problem only comes
when you repeat what you hear on police frequencies. Plus unscramblers
are
not receivers, only an audio accessory to a receiver. The Feds only
investigate people SELLING modified receivers for cell phones, not the
buyers.

H.J.