I use their website, iPlayer and watch Doctor Who, Top Gear etc (none of the TV live).

Not a massive fan of ITV even getting 1p of it but what can you do? The rest outweighs this.

Take plug off telly. It’s then arguably no longer a reciever.

I think telly is worth the fee though.

The BBC channels should be scrambled then people pay if they use them or want them. It is a ridiculous outdated system in my opinion.

Pay your licence. Its a fraction of the cost of a sky package.You get stuff that the commercial channels would never show and the only decent radio there is.

A Million times this.

LHS; If you honestly never watch any BBC content, access any BBC website, listen to any BBC radio, then fair enough, but I would find that very hard to believe. Otherwise, you are (in a small way) a thief and a parasite, morally, if not actually legally.

The BBC channels should be scrambled then people pay if they use them or want them. It is a ridiculous outdated system in my opinion.

That’s “the unique way to BBC is funded” for you.

And if anyone’s taking a poke at me, the last proggy I watched on iplayer was that woodlands supposed documentary. In the first two minutes the presenter demonstrated that he had no idea how to use a billhook safely.

Pay your licence. Its a fraction of the cost of a sky package.You get stuff that the commercial channels would never show and the only decent radio there is.

You like it so much, you pay for it. I might consider chipping in when you start subsidising my movie rentals.

<looks at all those who resent paying for a licence> Jeez there’s some short sighted, selfish idiots on here.

but there’s no segregation

so then there should be.

Why, the law in this country is that you need to pay a tax to watch TV. To live in this country you need to follow the laws of this country, simple as.

The TV licence is a tax* on TV owners, not a subscription to the BBC. So cough up.

*Luckily for us that tax goes to fund one of the things that makes this country great rather than being pissed up the wall like a lot of other government spending.

So much anger again.

For the record, I don’t intend to pay for it because I don’t intend to use it. I don’t begrudge it, I don’t have some moral issue with the BBC or the way it is funded, I simply don’t want to pay for something I genuinely have no intention of using. I’d rather keep hold of the 170 quid.
I’ll quite happily play ball with them and do everything by the book. I don’t see what the issue is with not paying for something you don’t use. Likewise, if the the rules changed and they said you need a license for iPlayer or Radio then I’ll once again happily start paying my license fee. I’m certainly not going to pay for something I don’t use out of a misplaced moral obligation.

morally, if not actually legally

It’s not a moral question, the BBC aren’t a charity and the rules are very clear about what you need to pay for and what you don’t. Morally there is no justification for the requirement to pay a fee to watch non-BBC TV.

If you honestly never watch any BBC content, access any BBC website, listen to any BBC radio, then fair enough, but I would find that very hard to believe. Otherwise, you are (in a small way) a thief and a parasite, morally, if not actually legally

I’ve read some nonsense on here but that is a whole new level.

If you don’t have a licence, you’ll be flagged up with the licensing people. They operate on a database of addresses, “TV detector” vans are a myth.

You’ll be sent a series of stern letters warning you that your soul will burn in hell, or something. They’ll probably send a man round in due course.

Now. You have two options. You can go “sure, come in, have a look,” and let them go about their business. However, you have no legal obligation to do this, and they have no more powers of entry than I do. So you’re well within your rights to tell them to jog on and come back with a court order, should you wish. For them to get a court order they’d have to have reasonable suspicion that you’re breaking the law, which they don’t, so the chances of them actually getting a court order are slim to none. (And if they do, you can let them in then, you’re not in bother.)

Ordinarily I’d go with the former. However, if they’re going to be shitty about it, I’d be more inclined to be bloody awkward right back at them.

For the record, I have a licence, and always have. I watch broadcast TV and when I see things like the giant cities thing yesterday I think it’s money well spent.

We never shut our living room curtains so I’d be caught instantly. Recently I watched a number of Korean films with some saucy sex/nudity so our neighbour across must be getting an eye-full…

Yesterday I bought a new freeview box and I had to fill in my name and address at purchase. Nice…

I’ve read some nonsense on here but that is a whole new level.

😀 Sorry, forgot to say ‘IMHO’
My pleasure; now carry on with your selfish, I’m alright Jack life…

It’s not a moral question… Morally there is no justification…

So is it, or isn’t it?

haven’t paid for a TV license since i’ve lived in the uk. Don’t watch BBC, only Sky channels so not paying for the crap TV i don’t watch.

Really?

You didn’t have even a cheeky glimpse at the olympics just to see what the fuss was all about??

Haven’t got a license ever since they switched off analogue as we don’t have a TV that can get a signal
Watch iplayer every now and then
Have a dish on the house which isn’t connected
No letters
No visits
No worries!

So I sometimes look at the D Tel website, and rarely the Grauniad’s. Should I buy a paper everyday, too?

Sorry, forgot to say ‘IMHO’
My pleasure; now carry on with your selfish, I’m alright Jack life…

😆 sorry, the force is weak in me today. The trollometer is down.

slowoldgit – Member

So I sometimes look at the D Tel website, and rarely the Grauniad’s. Should I buy a paper everyday, too?

yeah but they have adverts

not paying the license fee is just another facet of our culture where we expect to get everything for free,

youre just as corrupt as the eurocrats living fat off our EU contributions or immigrants claiming benefits in the uk

u didn’t have even a cheeky glimpse at the olympics just to see what the fuss was all about??

No, I went and watched them live.

BBC and TV License is a very very outdated system.

There is absolutly no reason why they shouldn’t treat the BBC as any other TV channel and make people pay £12 a month for the privilege.

I wonder how many people would pay £12 a month to watch the BBC channels if it did become segregated??? – Ahhh yes, of course – not enough, hence why its not an option!

treat the BBC as any other TV channel

Well, for one, it simply isn’t just “any other TV channel”.

News broadcaster, radio channels, local broadcaster, etc, etc, etc. If you think the BBC is just Strictly Come Antiques Roadshow on Ice, perhaps you should try listening to Radio 4. It’s simply brilliant. Try some of BBC Bristol’s superb natural history output. Maybe have a look at the frankly marvellous Shakespeare Henriad they did recently. I could go on….

I wrote to TV licensing in August this year and said that I would not be renewing my licence when it ran out in September.

So far I have received 3 letters and the third one is a red one!

What I find annoying is that they address the letter to “the occupier”.

I wonder how many people would pay £12 a month to watch the BBC channels if it did become segregated??? – Ahhh yes, of course – not enough, hence why its not an option!

As has been pointed out above and conveniently ignored by those who choose not to pay, it’s not just funding TV though is it?

CaptainFlashheart – Member

treat the BBC as any other TV channel

Well, for one, it simply isn’t just “any other TV channel”.

exactly

its tv, radio, internet
and its ouput in all of those areas is unparalleled

and its ouput in all of those areas is unparalleled

unparalleled overrated crap!

MSP – Member

and its ouput in all of those areas is unparalleled

unparalleled overrated crap!

im quite interested to hear what you think offers better than

6music
iplayer
historical and scientific output on bbc2, bbc4

Don’t forget all of the documentaries they make for other channels.

unparalleled overrated crap!

I was going to add “… in your opinion” for you here. But it’s a deeper issue than that. You’re simply wrong.

Philosophically I think its madness that somebody is broadcasting stuff into free airspace but charging people who choose to receive it.
If you dont want me to watch the broadcast that I haven’t paid for then please stop sending it to me.
But if you choose to send your crap all over the nation then you cant charge me for receiving it.

m quite interested to hear what you think offers better than

than
6music
iplayer
historical and scientific output, bbc2, bbc4

And Radio 3, Radio 4, 5LSX, sports coverage, TMS, news reporting, etc, etc, etc.

OP, we informed TV licensing through their website of our intention not to watch TV and get a refund. The forms are pretty self-explanatory. We didn’t have to provide any “proof”, and we haven’t had any correspondence since (about 6 months so far). So, like slowoldgit, we have not had any problems.

iplayer I don’t use, its only a delivery method its just the same content.
6music I don’t listen to, although I have generally given up on all radio these days.
Natural history I will give you, but they are joint ventures now between BBC and American broadcasters and I buy them on blueray anyway.

So from my point of view I am meant to fund half a dozen or more television channels multiple national and local radio stations, and a web player I don’t use, for 10 hours worth of viewing a year that I buy on blue ray.

The national pride placed in the bbc is laughable, it is just misplaced nationalism unfounded in reality.

The national pride placed in the bbc is laughable, it is just misplaced nationalism unfounded in reality.

I would say the same about the NHS but I digress.

The national pride placed in the bbc is laughable, it is just misplaced nationalism unfounded in reality.

How clever of you to use an image from a fox media production to fail to make a worthwhile point, shame there was no bbc output that matched your requirements.

MSP – Member
Does anyone know if its possible to get a tv tuner card for freesat for my media PC?

POSTED 5 DAYS AGO # REPORT-POST

I don’t understand this moral outrage the guy is only saying he is giving up broadcast TV, once he has done that he has no legal or moral obligation to buy a licence. If the BBC/Government choose to make other content available via media that are not charged for, that is up to them. He is free to use them.

The funding model is clear, there is a cross subsidy but that is not in his power. If I have free banking, do I have a moral obligation to pay for it because banks choose to cross subsidise from other business streams? Of course not.

The national pride placed in the bbc is laughable, it is just misplaced nationalism unfounded in reality.

I would not put it so strongly but I have some sympathy with this view, we do tend to put it on a pedestal.

There’s a lot more than the bbc on freesat, another failed point.