TV License Student Rip Off?

HooCanTellMee

Hi folks,
Just sent youngest son off to Uni, and once again am fuming over him having to pay full TV licence. He will be living in halls for the first year, so pays for his room in a flat which is shared with four other students. Five students, on student loans, having to pay full licence each. How is this fair? Not suggesting they pay nothing, just that there is a shared licence, maybe twice normal charge? I have as many televisions as I like and pay one licence. The BBC are having a laugh, just how much of their income are they getting from students? Even the University is pointing out that they cannot arrange for a licence per flat. Students must make a very significant contribution to the coffers. Do hotels get charged a separate fee for each room? Son has decided to not watch "live" TV, so he needs to declare he is not watching, but he will then "probably" get a visit to confirm that he is not watching! So that is where the money goes, putting pressure on youngsters whilst they are trying to survive on a limited income and just flying the parental nest, nice.
Not really sure we should be paying a fee for the BBC anyway, think it should be the same as other channels, either a choice to pay a fee for it, or fund itself with advertising. I will be honest and say I would be willing to pay for it, just don't think it should be forced on us regardless.
Rant over and thanks for bearing with me.

Heinz

There is a small chance of a TV licence not being needed:

You don’t watch or record television programmes as they’re being shown on TV – on any device.

If you don’t watch or record television programmes, or you only stream TV programmes online after they’ve been broadcast – through on-demand services like YouTube, BBC iPlayer and 4oD – you don’t need to be covered by a TV Licence.

Or all of these are true

1. Your out-of-term address is covered by a TV Licence
2. AND you only use TV receiving equipment that is powered solely by its own internal batteries
3. AND you have not connected it to an aerial or plugged it into the mains.

Your parents' TV Licence will not cover you while you are away at university unless you only use a device that's powered solely by its own internal batteries. You must not plug it into the mains when using it to receive TV.

Point 3 is typically vague. I assume it means an aerial other than its own internal aerial.

littleboo

The students don't "have" to pay for a TV licence, its a choice if they want to watch live TV. In my experience vast majority rely on catch up or Netflix etc

HooCanTellMee

Hi Heinz,
We did read up, but it is the fact that they have to have a licence for each room that gets my hackles up! If I can have several televisions in my house why couldn't the students in a flat be allowed to club together and share a licence, it isn't as if they are rolling in cash! Or even the University having a licence to cover student halls and include it as part of the rental of the flats. It is a massive amount of cash if you consider the number of students in halls throughout the UK. I just feel it is unfair, most students have to live in halls, especially in their first year.
My son doesn't appear to have a tv aerial socket in his room, so would probably struggle to get a signal. However his computer monitor does have a tuner in it, most of them do, he has never used it for viewing tv, never tuned the channels, at home he watches mine. Even if he declares that he is not intending to watch live tv it states that he will probably get a visit, to make sure he doesn't! Why? It smacks of big brother! I am not suggesting that he doesn't need a licence, just that it should be per flat, not per room.
It is time the BBC funded itself, there are now BBC channels that you can't get unless you have fast broadband internet, so some of their services are not open to all. We don't get a discount if we can't get these channels, it would make more sense if we could pay for what we can get. I don't pay for fast fibre optic broadband, I can't get it! BBC Iplayer is not an option for me, but I imagine that part of my license fee is paying for it. Fact is my broadband is way too slow, rural village and exchange in the next village along! Maybe the fees could be put towards getting reasonable broadband to all.
I appreciate that you took the time to looking into the small print. Just an angry parent today!

Marktheshark

littleboo wrote: »

The students don't "have" to pay for a TV licence, its a choice if they want to watch live TV. In my experience vast majority rely on catch up or Netflix etc

This advice is only relevant for extremely clever kids who know not to give their name and sign documents to authority figures.

PasturesNew

My sibling had a 1-room flatlet to work away in the week - and went home at weekends. Lived alone at both addresses and had to have TWO licenses - so it's not just students. It's everybody.

HooCanTellMee

Hi littleboo,
I know they don't have to watch tv, but surely the BBC would be better off to take a smaller amount off of the students rather than none at all, if they should have to pay per tv why not all of us, that would mean I would be liable to pay at least four licences! No, I don't want to pay more, but it does illustrate the point. Also the fact that even if they declare that they are not intending to watch live tv, they are then subject to an inspection visit, to make sure that they don't! How do you prove that the monitor that you use for the computer isn't being used as a tv, most of them come with a tv tuner. We have three that are used only as pc monitors, but all of them came with inbuilt tv tuners and aerial sockets.

HooCanTellMee

Hi PasturesNew,
Guess I never thought of that,you have caught me out, but two wrongs don't make a right. Your sibling was being treated unfairly, they could not have been watching in two places as once. Is there really no other option in that situation?
I really believe that it is time that the BBC was self funded, your sibling would then have paid a subscription once! Even services like Xbox live can be used wherever you are, not tied to one place.

HooCanTellMee

Just seen this, maybe sibling didn't need two licences?


You don’t need a separate TV Licence for

Any device powered solely by its own internal batteries (i.e. it is not connected to an aerial or plugged into the mains). Your main home’s TV Licence will cover this.
Boats, touring caravans or vehicles as they’re already covered by your main home’s TV Licence.
Static caravans, mobile homes or moveable chalets. Your main home’s TV Licence will cover you provided you don’t watch TV in both homes at the same time. In this case you would need to complete a declaration form .

sulphate

When I went to uni, I didn't live in halls but I visited them a few times and there were no "flats" as such - merely corridors with rooms and x amount of students shared a kitchen.

If they were actual flats, the student would still hold a separate agreement with the halls of residence and therefore would still be liable to pay for a TV license each. When I shared a house in my third year, we had separate tenancy agreements and therefore were liable to pay for a TV license each if we had one in each room. Basically, it's a racket.

HooCanTellMee

Hi Marktheshark,
I agree, my shy eighteen year old is unlikely to assert himself with an official at the flat door. Mum and Dad usually deal with anything like that! He is likely to follow the path taken by his brother, cave in and buy a licence! Well done the Beeb!