TV Tax

brewerdave

This thread is a perfect example of why the TV Licence should be abolished - its a 20th century anachronism. Public service broadcasting should either preferably be supported out of general taxation (as NHS,motorways & road maintenance, road lighting etc etc already are) or less preferably there should be a levy imposed on ISPs based on the number of subscribers they have -it would then be a commercial decision as to how THEY raised the cash, and would give customers freedom of choice. No broadband or Sky/Virgin = free TV.

poppasmurf_bewdley

HappyMJ wrote: »

I'm sure they do but an IP address doesn't equal a street address.

But an IP address can be traced to a street address via numerous methods, including ISP's and retailers.

techspec

According to their website - you do need a TV licence to watch TV channels on a PC

http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check/index.aspx?WT.mc_id=r054

Cornucopia

poppasmurf_bewdley wrote: »

So you are happy about Starbucks, Amazon, eBay, and other companies merrily getting away with paying very little tax in this country are you?

I believe in the rule of law. If Starbucks etc. are acting legally, then fine. It's up to the Government to change the law if they feel that it is appropriate to do so.

Moaning but doing nothing is a bit pointless.

Cornucopia

techspec wrote: »

According to their website - you do need a TV licence to watch TV channels on a PC

http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check/index.aspx?WT.mc_id=r054

Can we clear this up once and for all?

You need to be covered by a valid TV Licence if you watch or record TV as it's being broadcast.

The key words: as it's being broadcast. Therefore iPlayer with live channels requires a licence, and iPlayer just for catch-up doesn't. When you select a live stream on iPlayer, there is a warning box that comes up asking if you have a licence.

HappyMJ

poppasmurf_bewdley wrote: »

But an IP address can be traced to a street address via numerous methods, including ISP's and retailers.

Do you really think they would trace the millions of IP addresses in the hope that a few come from UK addresses that are unlicensed? I don't think so. That would cost millions of pounds.

Cornucopia

NewHomeExpert wrote: »

We NEVER watch a live broadcast!
We can then skip through all the adverts on ITV C4 etc and skip through all the padding and previews on BBC.
The waffle on Match of the Day etc.

Presumably you are talking about recording content received over the air? Sky+ or similar?

Even if you dont watch TV live you still need a TV licence.
Even if you watch online on catch -up

Not true - how many times does it have to be re-stated?

You need a licence if you are time-shifting using a recording device. You do not need a licence if you only ever use catch-up over the internet.

Side question: why do people on the Web insist on posting stuff that is factually wrong?

poppasmurf_bewdley

HappyMJ wrote: »

Do you really think they would trace the millions of IP addresses in the hope that a few come from UK addresses that are unlicensed? I don't think so. That would cost millions of pounds.

They do precisely that at the moment to check on which addresses do and do not have TV Licences, so the answer to our question is 'yes'.

madmuppet5

I don't see why anyone would need a TV license these days there is enough content on the web to last a lifetime. You can watch via the various iplayers available. As long as you are not watching or recording as programmes are being transmitted live then you are legally license free
As for the TV detector vans this is a myth that the BBC have conjured up for over 60 years into scaring people to pay the TV tax.
Under a freedom of information request the BBC had to admit that no one has ever been prosecuted from "evidence" collected from the detector vans.
A TV license enforcement officer has no more right than a double glazing salesman to enter your property

Cornucopia

poppasmurf_bewdley wrote: »

They do precisely that at the moment to check on which addresses do and do not have TV Licences, so the answer to our question is 'yes'.

What they do at the moment is to use a list of all street addresses and subtract those with licences - pretty simple.

Using IP addresses is much more complex and would require the cooperation of ISPs to tie street addresses to IP addresses. And then there is the matter of dynamic allocation (DHCP)...

It's not worth doing this at the moment to catch the relatively small numbers involved.