AN ACR B737 FLC WAS INFORMED THAT THE RVR REQUIREMENTS WERE 'WAIVED' BY THE ATCT LCL CTLR AND THEY PROCEEDED TO LAND WITHOUT ANY PROBS. LATER; THEY QUESTIONED THEIR ACTIONS AND THE LEGALITY OF SUCH A WAIVER EVEN THOUGH THE RVR READOUT WAS OBVIOUSLY INCORRECT.

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APCHING YVR WE WERE DIRECTED TO HOLD AT EGRET INTXN BY ZSE DUE TO GND FOG AT YVR. WE WERE ASKED WHAT WAS OUR RVR REQUIREMENT; WE REPLIED 2600 FT RVR. ACR B RESPONDED THE SAME WHEN THEY WERE ASKED BY CTR. AT THAT TIME THE RVR WAS BELOW 2600 FT AND NOT EXPECTED TO IMPROVE. MYSELF AND MY COPLT GOT THE IMPRESSION BY COMMENTS FROM YVR THAT THEIR RVR READINGS WERE NOT ACCURATE AND THAT AN ACFT WAS CURRENTLY FLYING THE ILS AND YVR WAS WAITING TO SEE HOW THEY MADE OUT. I CONTACTED MY COMPANY TO MAKE ARRANGEMENTS TO DIVERT TO SEA. WE WERE THEN CLRED TO YVR FOR THE ILS RWY 8R APCH BECAUSE VISIBILITY WAS IMPROVING (CURRENTLY 2400 FT RVR). WE WERE THIRD BEHIND ACR A AND ACR B. WE WERE ON DOWNWIND AND COULD SEE THE RWY 8R APCH AND RWY LIGHTS (ESTIMATED 8 NM VISIBILITY). THE 2 ACFT AHEAD OF US LANDED. TURNING ONTO FINAL; TWR SAYS THE RVR IS 900 FT; THEN 1600 FT. WE SAID WE NEEDED 2600 FT RVR AND THAT WE HAD THE APCH LIGHTS AND RWY IN SIGHT (ESTIMATED 10 NM FINAL). WE WERE IN VFR CONDITIONS (NO CLOUDS). AT THIS TIME; THE TWR TOLD US THE RVR WAS WAIVED AND WE WERE CLRED TO LAND. TO ME; THIS MEANT TO DISREGARD THE RVR BECAUSE IT WAS UNRELIABLE AND WE HAD GREATER THAN 1/2 MI VISIBILITY (MINIMUMS WERE 2600 FT RVR; 1/2 MI) SO WE COULD LAND. SINCE 2 ACFT HAD JUST LANDED AHEAD OF ME AND I HAD THE APCH LIGHTS AND RWY IN SIGHT FOR THE LAST 10 MI AND MY COPLT SAW THE SAME AS ME; I PROCEEDED AND LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. AFTER LNDG WE REALIZED THAT THINGS HAPPENED QUICKLY AND THAT VISIBILITY WAS UNCERTAIN OR NOT CLRLY COMMUNICATED BY THE TWR AND THAT WE MAY HAVE LANDED WITHOUT THE REQUIRED MINIMUMS BEING OFFICIALLY STATED. THE TWR SHOULD HAVE CLRLY STATED THE MINIMUMS FOR THEIR FIELD AND WE SHOULD HAVE ASKED FOR CLARIFICATION; BUT VISIBILITY WAS GOOD ENOUGH TO BE OBVIOUSLY 7 1/2 MI.