I remember hearing at some

[kewp]

I remember hearing at some point that you are legally allowed to receive unencrypted signals broadcast onto your property. Now, to actually use the internet, you have to uplink your queries, but I’m curious how receive-only works.

California computer crime legislation is still relatively new and hasn’t exactly been tested all that well.

Feel free to read up on it:

http://calwater.ca.gov/cpc502.shtml

Especially (7) Knowingly and without permission accesses or causes to be accessed any computer, computer system, or computer network.

It might actually be a misdemeanor, not a felony however.