UK net users must own TV licence


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Warning - THIS IS NOT A JOKE

Just read this article on the BBC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5081350.stm

Saying that if you watch a broadcast online that is also being broadcast through normal TV type method you could be fined if you dont have a TV Licence. They not talking tuner card (always needed a license), they are talking webcast.

As the law used to say, owning or using a device capable of receiving or displaying TV broadcast needed a TV license, that now means every PC user with web access in the UK needs a TV license.........

(one per household I admit)

But....

4pharks sake !! :angry:

So much for trying to move with the times, create a dynamic and tech savvie population.

The legislators are stuck in the past.

Because the BBC is broadcasting TV online we are all now potential law breakers.

Look forward to comments of others....

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IMHO, they are moving with the times. TV can and is now broadcasted over the Internet, so why should those who watch it over the net get it for free, when those who watch it on TV have to pay the lisence fee?

Also, how many households in the UK do not have a TV lisence? The answer - very few.

tbh, I'd much rather pay the fee than to have the programme interupted every quater of an hour with ads.

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I'm sure 99% of homes in the UK have a TV licence though so what's the problem?

I know a fair amount of people who don't watch TV because it's either crap or they just don't have the time. However, they have a PC and an Internet connection for work. Granted, people in that situation are in the minority but why should they be forced to fork out another ?130 for crap that they don't plan on watching anyway?

I can see both sides of the argument however.

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Wow, way to completely scare monger.

The beeb are providing an alternate way to view their broadcasts, and since simucasts existed this has been an issue.

I feel your final line sums it up well:

Because the BBC is broadcasting TV online we are all now potential law breakers.

The decision is still on us to either break the law or not. Beeb are doing nothing wrong here.

And if you are a uk broadband user - it's MASSIVELY likely you already have (or should have) a TV license anyhow - looking at the demographic!

Phemo: The people you describe DON'T need a TV license, as long as they don't watch the BBC live streams! The first poster has got it wrong!

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njlouch - Well I have to kinda agree....

Bored at work, but not really scare mongering, its only scare mongering if there are inaccuracys designed to get reaction. There are no inaccuracys in the original post.

Just pointing out the law..... which is...

"owning or using a device capable of receiving or displaying TV broadcast "

Thats how it (the law) covers VCR' and PVR's

But the likelyhood of it being applied in this case ? well, who knows, can never tell.

I think that we (British) have a great opportunity with the BBC and "the unique was its funded" to push the boundarys online content and delivery.

My main gripe, which I didnt make clear is that the TV Licencing Authority are trying to make a distinction between broadcast live and downloaded and watched some time later.

Leaving it possible to create 2 tier level of operation for the BBC online, meaning that there could be a difference with the way licence payers may be treated, online \ not-online.

Complete extrapolation of the current situation but there you go, isnt that what forums are for ?

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any data that comes into a household, via internet TV, or ariel too a TV must have a TV license or you will get fined... a normal TV license will cover internet TV too

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One major anoying point is- what those charges represent? well you might bring some lame reasoning issues, but u pay for the maintenence of TELE BROADCAST and nothing else-(that is pure theory becouse we have to pay) and fat ugly BBC is still making us to wathch comercial's as well as **** TV so what has BBC or else want to implement on internet users? :rofl:

It's so stupid and low I canot find reason to justify apart that they've gone bonkers. I am going to watch CNN would find it to be reasonable to charge for that? :rofl:

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It's nothing new really, but I do feel it ought to have it's name changed with regards to modern technology. It is no longer, technically a TV license, as it applies to things that can receive TV, not just TVs. This is where I think people get confused a bit, and expect to evade the license by watching via broadband.

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But....

4pharks sake !! :angry:

So much for trying to move with the times, create a dynamic and tech savvie population.

The legislators are stuck in the past.

Because the BBC is broadcasting TV online we are all now potential law breakers.

Look forward to comments of others....

Er, why should you be able to watch ad-free TV online without paying for it?? You choose whether or not to pay for it...you're not forced to. If you don't like it, don't pay for it, and miss out on BBC's quality service.

The fact is, the BBC is funded by the TV license, not by ads like ITV. Is ITV even offering live web streams?? :rolleyes:

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Just pointing out the law..... which is...

"owning or using a device capable of receiving or displaying TV broadcast "

Thats how it (the law) covers VCR' and PVR's

Except you don't need a license if you own a VCR. It only applies to televisions and PC tuner cards as they are considered to be part of a complete package, that can receive a UHF transmission from a remote source. Something that is streamed to me over the net is not received by me in the form of a radio wave.

I'd merrily contest that point in court as this is a quango attempting to subvert the law.

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Except you don't need a license if you own a VCR. It only applies to televisions and PC tuner cards as they are considered to be part of a complete package, that can receive a UHF transmission from a remote source. Something that is streamed to me over the net is not received by me in the form of a radio wave.

I'd merrily contest that point in court as this is a quango attempting to subvert the law.

VCRs also have TV Tuners in.......

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The fact is, the BBC is funded by the TV license, not by ads like ITV. Is ITV even offering live web streams?? :rolleyes:

What u tryed to implement is that BBC has right to exisize comercial right like SKY? well sod them, security & protection issues is down to them, but TV licence is TV LICECE, rest is none of bussines of them!

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wow 130 quid to watch tv..... i could never imagene that here in the US. Question though; is that per household or per tv?

Our public TV is funded about 50% by viewers that DONATE (and I think it is tax deductable). The other 50% is about 20% income tax revene and 30% funding is from busnesses.

The only thing is that they have a pledge drive 3 times a year for 1 week where they interuppt the show thats on and say "give us money" for ~2 min twice an hour.

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wow 130 quid to watch tv..... i could never imagene that here in the US. Question though; is that per household or per tv?

Household.

We have the same system here over in Fi and if you have a TV (Analog/DVB) card in your computer, you have to pay the yearly fee.

I don't personally mind as all the channels they have (Analog/Digital) are ad-free so no commercials whatsoever and they always show big sporting events (Olympics, Footie World Cup now for example and many others) without any annoying cuts.

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fair enough you watch the BBC you pay the ??. but there is something in which i do have a problem with and that is you still have to have a licence even if you dont watch anything from the BBC.

for example you may have a satalite system watching only foreign channels yet you will still need a licence even though your not watching anything from the BBC.

your viewing a live webstream non bbc because its a live stream your also ment to have a licence.

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Does this apply to the whole EU? I remember while on vacation in Poland I heard people talking about TV and radio licences :huh:

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You need a licence to watch TV? Strange!! :|

It's free to watch TV here in Australia. Unless we want pay TV (Austar or Foxtel).

Edited by ozgeek
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And the communists come out of the woodworks. NO I MUST GET EVERYTHING FOR FREE :rolleyes:

Ponder how you can associate communism with free?

Communist countries also worked on the basis of taxation from work - in a communist society only the tools to make the profit would be commonly owned, however 'luxuries' and other items would still be individually owned and paid.

./end of derail.

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Yes UK people need a license to watch TV (the BBC) cus there is no ads and that's how it's funded.

Now back on topic this is just silly. They can't charge us for using the internet, even if we could access their online content. If they don't want their services accessible to only licensees then they should perhaps username and password it, giving people with licenses the access to view it. Though admittedly this wouldn't solve the problem they have with businesses viewing it because I'm sure someone'd just use their home license to access it.

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Household.

We have the same system here over in Fi and if you have a TV (Analog/DVB) card in your computer, you have to pay the yearly fee.

I don't personally mind as all the channels they have (Analog/Digital) are ad-free so no commercials whatsoever and they always show big sporting events (Olympics, Footie World Cup now for example and many others) without any annoying cuts.

I don?t no how right/wrong I am but from what I gather in the UK we pay a TV licence to watch BBC channels with no adverts as every other channel has adverts, The BBC use that money to make their programs instead of revenue from adverts.

I personally think TV licences should be scrapped and the BBC should just show adverts like every other channel, the only thing I can say I honestly watch on any BBC channel is Dr Who.

Or make it so you pay a few ? a month to get the BBC channels if you want them a bit like the optional Freeview channels (see topuptv.com)

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