UK net users must own TV licence


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Has anyone also taken into consideration the revenue the BBC also take in for people phoning into when they have strictly come dancing the txt costs and premium rate numbers?

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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....

ive read your post twice now and I still dont see your point mate... :huh:

After all you could argue that why should Sky subscribers have to pay for a licence fee....you think when tv appears on mobiles its going to be any different?

If you are sitting at home watching bbc content streamed from their site then you are covered by your tv licence for that address. whats the big deal?

If you are sitting at work watching the streamed content you would be covered by the companies tv licence (if they had one) if not then do some sodding work instead of misusing your companys electronic resources!!

If you have a device that can receive BBCTV broadcasting then a licence is required...period, this would also apply to IPTV when and if it eventually surfaces due to the fact that the licence is required for receiving BBC broadcasting regardless of delivery method (exact same as sky) IF it was say ITV webstreaming then a tv licence would not be required.

why is this BBCs fault? its the British Govt which continue to allow licensing for TV rights. (they do it for a nice big fat revenue share of each licence bought) Wouldnt you be exactly the same if you had a big fat free meal ticket for annual national revenue?

While I object to paying for a licence to watch drivel I do so as id rather pay the yearly fee than have adverts 5 mins into the start of a program (like ITV,CH4 & sky channels)

I have to say your topic headline is a bit ott and inaccurate to what you state. Anyone with an internet connection regardless if they view the tv stream requires a licence for tv......bit sensationalist mate, thats not what the report states.

Edited by Mando
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How exactly do they enforce the whole TV licencing thing anyway? Or is it just more of an 'lets just assume nobody has the licence so we'll pester them from now on' deal?

Thats pretty much how they do it, they assume everyone has a TV and therefore should have a TV license, if your not on thier "database" then you get basically what is a threatening letter to tell you to pay up or else you'll get fine and/or a prison sentence.

Who the hell has internet and not TV anyway?

and for people who claim not to have a TV, how can they check if they have internet access at home?

Me, I cant afford a TV license as well as the cost of a TV.

I guess the only way to check if they have internet is by looking for some sort of box on the outside wall (for cable customers) otherwise there is no way to check, since they dont have the right to enter your home to check, without a warrent.

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Thats pretty much how they do it, they assume everyone has a TV and therefore should have a TV license, if your not on thier "database" then you get basically what is a threatening letter to tell you to pay up or else you'll get fine and/or a prison sentence.

Me, I cant afford a TV license as well as the cost of a TV.

I guess the only way to check if they have internet is by looking for some sort of box on the outside wall (for cable customers) otherwise there is no way to check, since they dont have the right to enter your home to check, without a warrent.

For DSL they could enter your phone number (including STD) into any ISPS webpage to see if you coudl setup dsl on that line. If it is taken allready by an ISP it would say that it wasnt possible due to contract being held with another ISP ;)

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Since I pay my licence like a good boy, this doesnt bother me. In fact this might cause the beeb to produce great content for the web only. Proper TV streaming, unlike what we get at the moment, a tiny realplayer window showing heavily pixelated videos. Moving with the times, and I like it.

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Hardly, they use product placement for advertising, and they are constantly advertising their own TV Shows. Sick of people saying BBC dont advertise.

It's illegal for the BBC to use product placement.

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Yes i know it's "The Inquirer" but the article has its merits including -

The BBC is streaming the football via Real Media, and tuning into the stream does NOT require a licence. The TVLA's quote implying that internet streaming does require a license is again, misleading... it only applies to a broadcast signal.

The licensing rules are explicitly clear that you require a licence as soon as you "consume a broadcast television signal". This means that if you have *and use* a device capable of receiving the broadcast signal, such as a TV, a TV tuner card, etc... than yes you require a licence.

But the BBC stream via Real Media is *not* the broadcast signal. It does *not* require a TV tuner. And the TV license does *not* broadly apply to all internet streaming and consumption of video of the world cup, even in real time (or as close as streaming gets).

Source

from what I've read - that article is incorrect.

As it's been reported on teletext, that bosses who let their workers watch the streams can be fined if the place of work has not got a TV licence.

and Heres the link of the BBC site

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I can see there reasons for this if the User decided to watch BBC broadcasts online with his/her computer.

So do we have to pay for a licence if we dont even own a TV , vcr or a tunder card. surly they cant make you pay for some thing you dont watch online.

prehaps the ISPs could come up with system that will only allow you access to the online TV streams if you have a valid licence. they could block all trafic to your interent connection if you dont have one.

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Maybe introducing a login system, where your login details are linked to your tv licence and you have to log in to view the content. Rather than saying "you own a pc and have a net connection, pay up". Although I have a tv license i never watch bbc content on the net, have no desire to.

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Thats pretty much how they do it, they assume everyone has a TV and therefore should have a TV license, if your not on thier "database" then you get basically what is a threatening letter to tell you to pay up or else you'll get fine and/or a prison sentence.

Not just one, I got 6 this year, despite sending them an email and two letters to tell them I didn't have a TV (like they ask you to do if you don't have a license because you don't have a TV). My neighbour was sent 9 letters in the space of 2 months, in increasingly threatening terms, and someone else I know ended up so annoyed with the constant pestering they sent the TV licensing people a long letter of insults (being a lawyer she did it in a legal manner of course) threatening to sue them for harassment etc.

Whilst I'm ok with the license itself, I'm not ok with the way it's enforced. Hopefully with the streaming stuff it will be much easier for them to be fair (e.g. by checking IPs of people watching the streams) and thus they will be able to stop this ridiculous letter sending.

You may think it's not much, but when you're a student who's just settled in a new life, trying to keep accounts of rent etc. whilst at the same time having to keep up with a new harder workload, the last thing you need for a morale boost is a letter telling you you'll be sued and forced to pay ?1000*

*if you own a TV or TV-receiving equipment

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I will not pay an extra whatever amount just because having broadband means I could "potentially" watch the junk the Beeb shows, my PC is for Games, Music and the very rare bit of work, not for watching tv........... :angry:

I bet they force adverts on you even watching their junk over the web :no:

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I can tell you that 90% of Uni students who live in dorms dont have tv's.

So if I was a student who lived in a dorm and didn't have a tv and watched the odd stream, I'd be ****ed.

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I will not pay an extra whatever amount just because having broadband means I could "potentially" watch the junk the Beeb shows, my PC is for Games, Music and the very rare bit of work, not for watching tv........... :angry:

I bet they force adverts on you even watching their junk over the web :no:

The BBC is not allowed to show ads.

People have so many misconceptions over the TV License.

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I will not pay an extra whatever amount just because having broadband means I could "potentially" watch the junk the Beeb shows, my PC is for Games, Music and the very rare bit of work, not for watching tv........... :angry:

I bet they force adverts on you even watching their junk over the web :no:

:rofl: Do people act like this on the internet for kicks? I can't believe your that misinformed.

There really is nothing wrong with this at all.

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1. BBC does not show advertising.

1a. Obviously BBC can show announcements of their own programmes - this is not advertising.

2. BBC is one of the few quality TV channels in the world. Since they don't depend on advertising, they don't have to make all programs appeal to mass viewer. They produce a lot of minority programs, they can afford to skip reality shows, cop shows, usual boob tube, etc.

3. TV license is English term. To people outside UK it will be better "translated" as TV tax or TV-set tax.

4. TV licenses exist in the most European countries. For example Germany has even more expensive TV license which funds horrible ARD, ZDF and regional television (the general level of those channels is much worse then BBC, btw). And in Germany you also have to pay if you have Internet connection.

5. TV license is paid per household (no matter how many TVs are in it), and in business locations it is paid by it's owner. So I suppose either uni will pay for students, or at least students living in the dorm can split the costs.

Yes, the concept of tv licensing is questionable, but it is much better to have independent public television funded this way, then to have television like in the US.

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