MSE News: Warning: TV licence loophole could close this autumn

VisionMan

scotsbob wrote: »

I think you got that one right. It may not be combined, but the day when some kind of tax is put on home broadband can't be far away.

This topic has already been reviewed in the House of Lords and Parliament and they said no.

If one doesn't wish to pay the BBC licence fee, fine. Just don't consume BBC licence content. There really is no simpler way of putting it.

HappyMJ

VisionMan wrote: »

This topic has already been reviewed in the House of Lords and Parliament and they said no.

If one doesn't wish to pay the BBC licence fee, fine. Just don't consume BBC licence content. There really is no simpler way of putting it.

So...I'm just checking...is it morally okay to consume/view/listen to content produced by production companies other than the BBC without having to pay for a licence.

ChiefGrasscutter

scotsbob wrote: »

I think you got that one right. It may not be combined, but the day when some kind of tax is put on home broadband can't be far away.

Well in Germany it was recently changed to a universal bill paid by every property regardless of what the occupants watch - or don't.
No idea how it is collected/invoiced.

So I expect the EU (ie Germany) will mandate a similar system in the UK........

VisionMan

HappyMJ wrote: »

So...I'm just checking...is it morally okay to consume/view/listen to content produced by production companies other than the BBC without having to pay for a licence.

Sorry for being slow but I don't understand the question.

Herbalus

HappyMJ wrote: »

So...I'm just checking...is it morally okay to consume/view/listen to content produced by production companies other than the BBC without having to pay for a licence.

If you're asking if it's morally ok to watch itv and channel 4 etc without paying for a licence then you're really asking if it's morally ok to commit what google tells me is a criminal offence.

If you're asking if it's morally ok to consume content that doesn't require the licence, without paying for a licence, then you've answered your own question.

Cornucopia

ChiefGrasscutter wrote: »

Well in Germany it was recently changed to a universal bill paid by every property regardless of what the occupants watch - or don't.
No idea how it is collected/invoiced.

So I expect the EU (ie Germany) will mandate a similar system in the UK........

No they won't.

Germany is not the EU. Other EU countries have different systems or no TV Licence at all.

And the EU has no say in UK policy in this area.

But apart from that...

Cornucopia

Herbalus wrote: »

If you're asking if it's morally ok to watch itv and channel 4 etc without paying for a licence then you're really asking if it's morally ok to commit what google tells me is a criminal offence.

If you're asking if it's morally ok to consume content that doesn't require the licence, without paying for a licence, then you've answered your own question.

I suspect HappyMJ is trying to square the circle of the distinction between illegal and immoral.

That doesn't really work, and despite much hand-wringing to the contrary, consuming BBC content without paying for it is presently perfectly legal under the correct circumstances at the moment. Personally, I would say it was no more immoral than running a Zero Road Tax car (i.e. not at all).

Firemountain

So I watch programs on catch up only or via NowTV box .

There is an occasional thing I'll hear about thats on bbc so I'll watch it.

I'd happily forgo ever watching anything on BBC again.

With that said I wonder who they can then force me to pay for a license because I don't watch anything. There you might say well they won't. However, when I first went about cancelling my license years ago I was told by the adviser if my TV was capable of receiving the channel I still must be licenced or have an engineer come out and disable it from getting BBC... which I think was a load of tosh.

I just wonder if they will try to extend that thinking though ... you have the ability to watch it via xbox now tv laptop so therefore we want you to pay... I don't agree with the move to this and I don't think they have planned it out very well.

Cornucopia

We have yet to see whether TVL will alter their approach in view of the changes regarding BBC iPlayer.

Common sense (based on there being no change to their very limited legal authority) suggests not, but TVL are unpredictable - like a wounded animal - so I wouldn't necessarily rule anything out. OTOH, computing equipment is not accessible to them.

unforeseen

We will probably see kneejerk reactions from them like their warning from the World Cup I think where they said that you needed a licence for your phone if you watched any games on it.