Freedom from TV license oppression

[McWigglebum4th]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-26623...

Moves are to make it only a civil offence to stop paying for the constant communist output from the BBC

So who is going to stop paying for the 24 hour non stop Labour party broadcast?

though personnally i can't see the huge left wing bias probably because i'm lefty scum

[Cheese Mechanic]

I have never purchased a TV license in my life, and never will . (I have no TV)

It is utterly shamefull that people are hounded by the force of law to be made to pay for the BBC if they wish to watch ITV, Discovery etc.

The licesne fee should be stopped now, let alone later. Curiously enough, If BBC2 and BBC4 were offered on a reasonable subscription basis, I'd very possibly sign up. They are quite good, the rest of the Beeb is ste, to say nothing of the lefty bias.

[FatSumo]

Don't have a licence anyway so not bothered!

[Mr Pointy]

I wonder if it's a case of 'be careful what you wish for'. If it becomes a civil offence then you could foresee a scenario in which the TVLA develops itself a nice little business case where they push for the right to enter premises suspected of evasion (cf the RSPCA) & then the right to add on their costs. Anyone who didn't pay up gets taken to court & if they still don't pay then the TVLA gets those nice Sheriffs come round & take your property away, having added on their costs.

Could be a nice little earner.

[Dog Star]

Mr Pointy said:

I wonder if it's a case of 'be careful what you wish for'. If it becomes a civil offence then you could foresee a scenario in which the TVLA develops itself a nice little business case where they push for the right to enter premises suspected of evasion (cf the RSPCA) & then the right to add on their costs. Anyone who didn't pay up gets taken to court & if they still don't pay then the TVLA gets those nice Sheriffs come round & take your property away, having added on their costs.

Could be a nice little earner.

Good point!

[trashbat]

I don't mind the TV licence at all.

However, we've just cancelled ours as we don't watch live TV.

You're allowed to do this, but the form states that you must attach evidence demonstrating that you no longer need a licence.

I thought I might send them a picture of me not watching TV.

Edited by trashbat on Tuesday 18th March 08:47

[Cheese Mechanic]

Mr Pointy said:

I wonder if it's a case of 'be careful what you wish for'. If it becomes a civil offence then you could foresee a scenario in which the TVLA develops itself a nice little business case where they push for the right to enter premises suspected of evasion (cf the RSPCA) & then the right to add on their costs. Anyone who didn't pay up gets taken to court & if they still don't pay then the TVLA gets those nice Sheriffs come round & take your property away, having added on their costs.

Could be a nice little earner.

The RSPCA do not have the right to enter private property.

[Mr Pointy]

Cheese Mechanic said:

The RSPCA do not have the right to enter private property.

Quite correct. But has anyone from the RSPCA ever been prosecuted for illegal entry? The TVLA could follow the same working practices, although there's probably less sympathy for the BBC than an animal.

[McWigglebum4th]

Mr Pointy said:

I wonder if it's a case of 'be careful what you wish for'. If it becomes a civil offence then you could foresee a scenario in which the TVLA develops itself a nice little business case where they push for the right to enter premises suspected of evasion (cf the RSPCA) & then the right to add on their costs. Anyone who didn't pay up gets taken to court & if they still don't pay then the TVLA gets those nice Sheriffs come round & take your property away, having added on their costs.

Could be a nice little earner.

Mmm and they could probably reduce the level of proof

How can i prove i've never watched x-factor in the privacy in my own home.

I can't

[Type R Tom]

Mr Pointy said:

I wonder if it's a case of 'be careful what you wish for'. If it becomes a civil offence then you could foresee a scenario in which the TVLA develops itself a nice little business case where they push for the right to enter premises suspected of evasion (cf the RSPCA) & then the right to add on their costs. Anyone who didn't pay up gets taken to court & if they still don't pay then the TVLA gets those nice Sheriffs come round & take your property away, having added on their costs.

Could be a nice little earner.

First thing I thought was if it became a civil matter the type of companies that would go for the contract would prove to be quite unpleasant for those without a licence.

[funkyrobot]

trashbat said:

I don't mind the TV licence at all.

However, we've just cancelled ours as we don't watch live TV.

You're allowed to do this, but the form states that you must attach evidence demonstrating that you no longer need a licence.

I thought I might send them a picture of me not watching TV.

Edited by trashbat on Tuesday 18th March 08:47

How about sending them a picture of a hammer buried in the front of the tv?

We moved house last September and the TV aerials didn't work. It could be a quick job to fix, but with everything else at the time (new boiler etc) we decided that TV wasn't a priority. We didn't get a licence and told them why.

Six months on, we aren't even missing live TV so haven't bothered with a licence. We have realised that we don't need it at all so just use streaming and catchup services.

We had the usual 'you mustn't watch live transmissions and someone will be sent round to check' stuff. But, as we don't watch anything live, we aren't doing anything wrong.

[Ozzie Osmond]

funkyrobot said:

as we don't watch anything live, we aren't doing anything wrong.

How tight can you get! Watching the programmes and getting other people to pay for it.

[Cheese Mechanic]

Mr Pointy said:

Quite correct. But has anyone from the RSPCA ever been prosecuted for illegal entry? The TVLA could follow the same working practices, although there's probably less sympathy for the BBC than an animal.

I could never see them being allowed to do it,he said, with a contradictory glance over the shoulder putting nothing past the control freak Labour Party.

The simple fact remains in a digital age there is nothing stopping them scrmbling the signal and going to a subscription basis. If they are that good they will do well, the populace regain freedom of choice. Heck, the vast majority of other media companies can do it, so can the Beeb. It is just that, after all, just another media company, albeit funded by state intimidation.

[Cheese Mechanic]

Ozzie Osmond said:

How tight can you get! Watching the programmes and getting other people to pay for it.

Why do people like you expect others to pay for/subsidise their entertainment?

Incidentally, you do not need a "license" to watch catch up services.

[Mr Pointy]

McWigglebum4th said:

Mmm and they could probably reduce the level of proof
How can i prove i've never watched x-factor in the privacy in my own home.
I can't

Well I believe they would just have to prove you COULD have watched it, so if you have the aerial cable plugged in then it's game over.

Of course if they extend the licence fee to cover iPlayer as well then it all becomes a lot easier. They'll just log your IP when you connect, apply to your ISP for your address, check you have paid & get your internet disconnected when you don't pay. Nice & easy, don't need any staff to go round knocking on doors. I might have missed a couple of legal steps of course.

At the moment people don't care about not paying because they get the service anyway. Attitudes will change when their Twitbook access gets chopped.

[Ozzie Osmond]

"communism?"

"state intimidation?"

It's less than 40p a day!!!!

[Mr. Potato Head]

Help! Help! I'm being oppressed.

[McWigglebum4th]

Ozzie Osmond said:

"communism?"

"state intimidation?"

It's less than 40p a day!!!!

Which is worth it in my opinion

But i am in a minority, here many belive that the huge cost is unafforable mainly as they give hundreds of pounds a year to Sky

[AJS-]

Great idea.

It's not about the level of the tax, it's the principle. Why should everyone who owns a television pay for one particular broadcaster?

[Cheese Mechanic]

Mr Pointy said:

At the moment people don't care about not paying because they get the service anyway. Attitudes will change when their Twitbook access gets chopped.

There was a plan afoot in the past (Brown, surprise surprise) to link BBC funding to the internet. No doubt Millitt will turn up with something akin to that, Labour party are obsessed with taking peoples money, taxing the net will just be another excuse for them to steal.