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Computer with internet - do I need a TV license?

Computer with internet - do I need a TV license?

Old Dec 11, 2012, 2:16 am
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And it's the person who answers the door who takes the hit, not the owner, leaseholder or whoever.
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Old Dec 11, 2012, 2:27 am
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Cool

Originally Posted by HIDDY
Indeed...in my youth I did a bit of flat sitting for my brother who was away at sea for six months.
Every flippin' couple of weeks two old men wearing Mackintosh coats and soft hats used to come knocking at the door and demand to see the TV license. Every time I'd tell them my brother who is the owner and rate payer is away sailing the seven seas and won't be back for months. After about 5 visits they eventually gave up.
All we had was a portable black and white.



Are you sure this isn't a Monty Python skit you all are remembering? ROFLMAO at the absurdity of it all.
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Old Dec 13, 2012, 5:24 am
  #18  
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Originally Posted by David-A
Yes they do.
My tv iplayer doesnt, I now notice the internet iplayer does. I havent played with the mobile devices yet.
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Old Dec 13, 2012, 7:12 am
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Yes, prosecutions still made on a regular basis - most courts, most days

The inspectors certainly used to have quite exytensive powers and can obtain warrants to search your premises in extreme circumstances, they can even enter your premises without a warrant if you consent.

If you're watching the BBC I tend to think you should pay the licence fee because that is how they're funded. After all you are prepared to pay Mr Murdoch to watch his channels. If you never watch BBC then I have more sympathy with the view that the Licence fee is wrong.

As for who they go after, like a lot enforcement work they have more people to deal with than officers to do the work. Hence they must priortise their work. I've heard they priortise their work on
(1) people who have recently been convicted of having no licence
(2) people who have failed to renew a tv licence
(3) Rental accomodation, particularly council emergency accomodation where there is a regular turn over of people all of whom should have a TV licence (the council usually make it clear they don't provide one)

Sounds cruel but I guess the theory is that by going after the low hanging fruit and publicising your results you persuade the vast majority of people to buy a licence. I suspect that most of their officers have a few addresses that are "too hard to do".

Isn't the offence they usually persue having equipment to watch TV without a licence, not necessarilly watching the TV? Therefore if you have no aerial and no TV how are they going to prove it? I can't see them persuading a judge to issue a warrant to seize your computer to see if somehow you've managed to stream live TV to it, in the absence of anything to suggest you definitely are watching live TV it seems somewhat disproportionate and therefore unlikely.
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Old Dec 14, 2012, 8:19 am
  #20  
 
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I have been wondering of late as to exactly what constitutes "live broadcast TV" anyway. Now that the (web) iPlayer offers the ability to pause, restart and resume individual programs as they are being streamed "live" then at what point does "live" become "on demand" or whatever. I expect both the procedural and legal standpoints are likely to be lagging behind the technological innovation (though you would assume that some agreements or understandings would have been reached before such features would be allowed onto the service).

Personally I buy a licence as I get good value out of the whole set of BBC services (web, radio, TV) - even though I don't own a traditional TV set. If on the other hand, you view the fee as more of an avoidable tax then I expect the chance of prosecution is fairly low if you are willing to put up with the inevitable periodic hounding by post etc.

I expect that if the current "unique" funding model persists then at some point your TV licence will migrate into being a joint licence and online account, with the live TV component of the online presence requiring your to login with this account in order to view. Hopefully then the territorial restrictions might also be removed (again... probably quite complex in terms of the licencing of programming from other makers).

Last edited by Gulliver_UK; Dec 14, 2012 at 8:24 am
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Old Dec 14, 2012, 3:37 pm
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Originally Posted by Gulliver_UK
I expect that if the current "unique" funding model persists then at some point your TV licence will migrate into being a joint licence and online account, with the live TV component of the online presence requiring your to login with this account in order to view. Hopefully then the territorial restrictions might also be removed (again... probably quite complex in terms of the licencing of programming from other makers).
I dont see that happening. Many people live in between homes and dont have access or any need to have a licence. People who travel and live with other people, still enjoy the BBC just dont have a licence. Would every person in a household have an account, would they pay they fee as well. Or do you get as many acess names, for the one account.

Switzerland has now introduced a licence. http://www.thelocal.ch/page/view/1161 My understanding are that some parts of Switzerland,you need a licence for radio as well. Alarm clock, car radio, means you need a licence.

http://www.expatica.com/ch/lifestyle...nd-_13995.html

(One bloke on the forums made a bit of a scene at the Billag office because he thought it was crazy to pay the radio licence just for his car radio. So he asked if he would have to pay if he tore it out of the car. To which the Billag customer service rep said, "Oh, ok... well you have a clock radio, yes? Then you still pay...sorry. Ah HAHAHAHHA!")
http://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home/...ax/manta9.html
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Old Dec 15, 2012, 6:49 am
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They'll start with a few ever more threatening letters, which will then be followed by knocking on the door, usually on a Saturday morning. Don't answer, and after a few more tries you'll get more letters culminating in notice for a summons. Then you need to pay. Usually takes 4 or 5 months.
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Old Dec 16, 2012, 7:18 am
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Originally Posted by phol
They'll start with a few ever more threatening letters, which will then be followed by knocking on the door, usually on a Saturday morning. Don't answer, and after a few more tries you'll get more letters culminating in notice for a summons. Then you need to pay. Usually takes 4 or 5 months.
Yes the letters, and threats of court, but no summons unless you are caught in the act.
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Old Dec 16, 2012, 8:16 am
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Originally Posted by Markie
I can testify that they still bring large number of prosecutions against people who have failed to purchase a license.
Apparently its as high as 1 in 10 cases before magistrates courts, with around 160,000 cases a year
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Old Dec 17, 2012, 9:17 am
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...V-licence.html

One in 10 magistrates' court hearings is now taken up with the offence, which appears more than any other crime.

A total of 140,000 people were convicted of avoiding the licence fee last year, giving them a criminal record and in some cases, those who failed to pay the fine were handed a prison sentence.
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Old Dec 17, 2012, 9:53 am
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Originally Posted by Circumknowitall
Apparently its as high as 1 in 10 cases before magistrates courts, with around 160,000 cases a year
That does represent about 10% of the annual caseload - last quarter was just over 400K matters for all the English and Welsh Mags Courts. That said, I don't think I've seen a TV licence case for over half a year. Many don't attend and achieve a large fine in their absence. It tends to be a mornings work for a single court.
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Old Dec 17, 2012, 5:18 pm
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Originally Posted by origin
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...V-licence.html

One in 10 magistrates' court hearings is now taken up with the offence, which appears more than any other crime.

A total of 140,000 people were convicted of avoiding the licence fee last year, giving them a criminal record and in some cases, those who failed to pay the fine were handed a prison sentence.
Hopefully the more court time it takes up, the closer it will be to getting decriminalised, at which point the whole house of cards falls down ^
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Old Dec 17, 2012, 7:06 pm
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Originally Posted by phol
Hopefully the more court time it takes up, the closer it will be to getting decriminalised, at which point the whole house of cards falls down ^
To be replaced with?

You need a situation to fund the BBC (I'd accept also funding other entities as well to do the same role).
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Old Dec 17, 2012, 7:16 pm
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Originally Posted by David-A
To be replaced with?

You need a situation to fund the BBC (I'd accept also funding other entities as well to do the same role).
A subscription model for the same cost would be a start, and much simpler/fairer to enforce.

Ive always thought if Sky can provide however many hundred channels, some in HD, for 20 quid a month, how can the BBC charge 12 a month for what for most people is two channels. If it's business model wasn't written into law the BBC would have been dead and buried years ago.
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Old Dec 18, 2012, 12:58 am
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Originally Posted by phol
how can the BBC charge 12 a month for what for most people is two channels.
Think you're a bit out of date with that.
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