BBC and new internet dectection vans

anotheruser

Here's some more interesting info from the site I referenced earlier:

http://www.bbctvlicence.com/

For TV detector devices to be credible, we have to know that they are reliable and accurate.

The final sentence [of the response] says, "calibration records...are not available for viewing by the public".

If the public do not have access to the calibration records, nobody outside TVL/BBC can know whether the vans are working correctly. Consequently, any information obtained by the vans cannot be used in an evidential way.

More so, here's a quote from a previous employee:

I used to work for TV licencing driving around in the detector van. It was full of fancy looking equipment for show only, NONE OF IT WORKED! They have a database of the houses without licences which they got by selecting streets and looking at who HAS got the licence. The remaining are targeted.

Leaflets will be dropped through those doors advising them to buy a licence as the TV detector van will be in the area in two weeks time. After driving around the area for days on end in a highly visible van with large antennae, leaflets are dropped again through the doors saying they have been picked up by the van and need to buy a licence or face prosecution. Most people pay.

I'm not saying we shouldn't buy TV licences, just that a lot of the scare tactics used by the BBC are empty.

Cornucopia

With only 115 Search Warrants executed per year for the entire country, the Detector Vans are either very inefficient, spend most of their time idle or do not exist. It doesn't matter that much which it is.

The BBC has confirmed that detection evidence has never been used in a prosecution case.

Since the BBC has now backed away from the notion of "Wifi sniffing", I can't see that the enforcement of the new rules is going to be that different to the old.

Having said that, apparently 80% of the UK public do not know about the rule change coming on 1 Sep. There's a lot of scope there for TVL staff to be economical with the truth, and also a lot of scope for householders to land themselves in trouble without even knowing they were doing anything wrong.

Whilst I support the change to the rules, this style of implementation is completely wrong, and in fact exacerbates the already problematic enforcement process for the sake of holding back on the inevitable iPlayer lock-down that is yet to come.

anotheruser wrote: »

I'm not saying we shouldn't buy TV licences, just that a lot of the scare tactics used by the BBC are empty.

Empty threats, lies, obfuscation, and ultimately so little authority that when challenged they simply stay silent on the matter.

TV Licensing is a rogue organisation, protected by the BBC's present lack of accountability. But that will shortly change...

waterman3

Thanks for your help, Cornucopia

VisionMan

Cornucopia wrote: »

With only 115 Search Warrants executed per year for the entire country, the Detector Vans are either very inefficient, spend most of their time idle or do not exist.

They don't exist. Plus only 4% of the population don't buy a TV licence, so there aren't many to prosecute anyway.

Cornucopia wrote: »

Since the BBC has now backed away from the notion of "Wifi sniffing",

The BBC never stated they would be doing it in the first place. That was the Telegraph, who added together 2+2 and got 10.

And no, one cannot access live BBC content/streams and then just 'pause it' as a get-a-round, via any platform.

Cornucopia

VisionMan wrote: »

They don't exist. Plus only 4% of the population don't buy a TV licence, so there aren't many to prosecute anyway.

They manage to "catch" nearly 400,000 people each year. There's no way to tell how many of them were actually breaking the law once you strip away all of the noise created by TVL's misdemeanours of action, process and policy.

The BBC never stated they would be doing it in the first place. That was the Telegraph, who added together 2+2 and got 10.

I'd be surprised if The Telegraph didn't ask the BBC for a comment, it is standard journalistic practice. On the other hand, the BBC isn't great at providing such comments.

And no, one cannot access live BBC content/streams and then just 'pause it' as a get-a-round, via any platform.

Are you referring to my comments about the Sky News stream on Youtube? I think my thinking on it works in terms of the Law. A paused and restarted stream is not being received "at about the same time" as other members of the public. Pausing it makes it your personal stream at the server.

VisionMan

Cornucopia wrote: »

Are you referring to my comments about the Sky News stream on Youtube? I think my thinking on it works in terms of the Law. A paused and restarted stream is not being received "at about the same time" as other members of the public. Pausing it makes it your personal stream at the server.

I'm referring to any source. One can't access a live stream in the first place if one doesn't have a TV licence. Never mind pause it!

VisionMan

How are you going to block the iPlayer on your YouView box? Remove the tile and also the apps? Which can be live unicast HD streams?

Cornucopia

VisionMan wrote: »

I'm referring to any source. One can't access a live stream in the first place if one doesn't have a TV licence. Never mind pause it!

That's not entirely true. The offence is watching/recording a linear TV channel or its Internet streamed equivalent. At the margins, a paused stream is not the equivalent of the broadcast channel. You can see this distinction within iPlayer - the difference between "Watch Live" and "Watch from Start". How long do you have to wait before "Watching from Start" does not require a Licence?

I'm being slightly contentious to show that the legislation is a mess, and does not reflect the practical realities.

It makes no sense for the BBC to have opted to continue with the messiness and even make it worse, when it could have locked-down iPlayer.

Cornucopia

VisionMan wrote: »

How are you going to block the iPlayer on your YouView box? Remove the tile and also the apps?

By blocking the URL on my Router. It means that when someone selects iPlayer, it either gives an error code or it goes to a blank screen and never comes back.

There's no capability on my TalktalkYouview box to remove tiles.

Which can be live unicast HD streams?

Not sure what this means.

brewerdave

Cornucopia wrote: »

By blocking the URL on my Router. It means that when someone selects iPlayer, it either gives an error code or it goes to a blank screen and never comes back.

...not sure why you are bothering? Since such a block can be easily removed/reinstalled via the router interface,can't see it being accepted as a defense.
Also unless you lock your router away, anyone visiting can easily do a full reset to restablish the availability.