television provider are being offered a chance to come clean.

Announcing an Island-wide amnesty programme yesterday, Bermuda CableVision is warning those who are illegally connected, have added an unauthorised splitter to cable lines, or tampered with lock boxes or other equipment, to correct the situation or face the long arm of the law.

Under the Telecommunications Act of 1986 it is a criminal offence to tamper with cable television equipment; persons convicted of the offence are liable to fines up to $500 per day, or a maximum sentence of two years in jail, a $3,000 fine, or both.

"We have prosecuted successfully in the past but we'd prefer not to,'' CableVision general manager Don Greiner yesterday told The Royal Gazette , saying CableVision faces an "above average'' problem with illegal hook-ups.

"That's why we offer the amnesty every year. It's kind of a housekeeping thing,'' he said. Meanwhile the company maintains an in-house audit programme to catch-up with signal thieves.

Subscribers are being advised to inspect the cable wires leading to and into the house for unauthorised connections and to ensure they are paying for what they are receiving.

Any discrepancies should be reported to CableVision at 292-5544.