A former UW-Madison graduate student's pornographic radio broadcasts prevented Madison police from using their radios to call for backup last Halloween, officers told a federal court Monday, according to The Capital Times.
A federal grand jury indicted Rajib Mitra Nov. 11, 2003, on two felony counts of knowingly sending a code, program or command to the city's emergency radio system. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison and $500,000 in fines.
\The radio is a tool more important than my handgun,"" officer Meredith York said.
She patrols State Street and said the interference forced her to switch to a cell phone, which is harder to use than the portable radio she wears on her uniform.
Police reported last fall the interference began after Madison's police and fire departments switched from 450 megahertz high-band radio to an 800 megahertz narrow-band system.
Madison-area cable provider Charter Communications will add $2 to its monthly bills for extended basic cable beginning April 1, according to The Capital Times.
This 4.5 percent bill increase will raise the price of expanded basic cable, which includes channels two through 77 and is the choice of most of Charter's customers, to $45.95 plus about $5 in fees and taxes.
Charter took over as Madison's cable provider in 2000, when extended basic cable cost $31.02 per month plus fees and taxes. This is the smallest of its yearly rate increases so far-changes in the last three years were 12.6 percent, 8.5 percent, and 11.5 percent, respectively.
Charter spokesperson Tim Vowell told The Capital Times Monday the move was necessary to fight rising costs.
