Don't need Tv License: should I write to them saying I don't need it?

Ice_2

you NEED a tv licence for a PC I am afraid to tell you all...:D

Tiglet

I found this quote on the TV Licensing site:

You need a TV Licence to use any television receiving equipment such as a TV set, set-top boxes, video or DVD recorders, computers or mobile phones to watch or record TV programmes as they are being shown on TV.

A licence is not currently needed to watch programmes via BBC's iPlayer etc., as these are not broadcast live. Apparently there are plans to broadcast programmes live via the internet and when that happens a licence will be needed.

Ice_2

it says on the back of my licence that if you have a pc you do need a licence regardless of whether you watch tv on it...cos you can still watch dvd's on it...they is no sense in thinking you wont get caught...you could be fined £1000's for not have a licence...there are numerous ways to buy one...don't be a fool and regret it for not having one...when you get caught out...:D

Tiglet

You don't need a licence to watch DVDs

Fruitcake

vaderag wrote: »

So, to re-awaken this thread, what should i do. I have just received a 'legal occupier' addressed letter, and I have no TV. I do have a TV box that plugs into my monitor, but I only use it to play my Wii - i get no signal here, so even if I wanted to use it, I cant!

So, should i write or not!?

It's entirely up to you. Some people have posted that they have contacted TV Licencing (Crapita) and had no problem. Others have contacted them but still been hassled. Some have not contacted them and been hassled. Some have not contacted them and not been hassled.
It sounds like pot-luck whichever you choose.

My own personal experience is that of being hassled for a licence I didn't need after the death of a family member whose name was on the licence.

If you don't need a licence there is no legal requirement to do anything. You do not have to acknowledge the existance of Crapita, their employees should they visit, or their correspondance, but you may do so if you wish.
TV Licencing are a fee collection agency. That is all they are. They have no legal power whatsoever.

Ice_2

If you do nothing then the likelihood would be that you get a visit...if you do not let them in...of which you do not have to...then suspicion would fall on you...if you have nothing to hide...why not let them in ...then the hassle would be hasslefree...no more letter's or visit's...:D

autismmum

i got caught six years ago, my comp expert hubby had rigged a monitor to switch between tv signal and computer we were let of with a warning but you do need a licence for internet use... its very unfair cause tv is rubbish and i really dont watch it.

uktyler

Ice wrote: »

you NEED a tv licence for a PC I am afraid to tell you all...:D

Utter rubbish, you only need a licence if you watch programs, as they are being broadcasted on TV:

The following is taken from the TV Licencing web site:

You need a TV Licence to use any television receiving equipment such as a TV set, set-top boxes, video or DVD recorders, computers or mobile phones to watch or record TV programmes as they are being shown on TV.

We don't have a licence, and I phoned them, only for the peace of mind of not getting threatening letters through the post, its personal choice, you don't have to.

Watching DVD's does NOT require a licence, if your licence tells you that you do, then its a fake!

moonrakerz

autismmum wrote: »

. its very unfair cause tv is rubbish and i really dont watch it.

It's not unfair ! if you don't watch it (or record it ) you don't need a licence. I'm afraid if you got caught watching without a licence then you were breaking the Law.

toasterman

I think the whole tv licensing debate is very simple.
If you watch live tv, you need a licence.
If you watch it through a tv tuner card in a pc, then you're still watching television and still need a licence.
If you're watching downloaded episodes of hit us tv shows, then you don't need a licence, but you are breaking the law by illegally downloading shows you don't have rights to download.
It was almost easier with the old way it was written, that if you owned and operated equipment "capable of receiving a signal", then you needed a licence. That made it much simpler, because whether you watched live tv, or connected a tv to your xbox and played on that - you still needed a licence.

If you needed a licence for every pc or dvd player, every registered business would need a licence, and be getting caught on a regular basis. They don't, and they're not.
I mean imagine a building like a managed office - 100 businesses in one tower block.. they're not members of the same household, so they'd all need a licence.

Licence or no licence, if they came round my house wanted to see around the place, I'd tell them where to go. Same as if anyone else I didn't know called on me unawares and asked to come in. If you don't have a licence, and you are watching tv, they can get police orders to come in and check, so don't push it - but tv licensing have got no more right to come in and snoop about, than anyone else.

I moved house a couple of years ago and my old address got constant threatening letters that I was no longer paying for a licence there. They wanted me to write and tell them where I'd moved to, and get my licence moved. I didn't, because my new house already has a licence (now sharing). The threatening letters carried on for a while, then stopped.

While I believe there are some people who have ditched tv completely, I think they're few and far between - and I can't imagine there are many people who own a tv and only watch legally owned/rented dvds.