TV Licence article Discussion

Cornucopia

DavidP24 wrote: »

The most common outcome for people that DO watch live TV without a license is prison because they do not have the money to pay fine.

The criminalisation of the offence will be removed in the upcoming legislation in return for extending TVL requirement to catchup and iPlayer

Sorry, David, you're 0 for 2 on that post.

As Bob said, only a handful of unpaid TVL fines result in prison sentences each year. Still a travesty, but at least not a very common one.

In terms of outcomes, the most likely one is that they would be let off (just over half are, typically because they buy a Licence). From there, a number of cases are withdrawn (the number has been reported to be 23,000 cases). The rest do go forward to trial in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Different (decriminalised) arrangements apply in Scotland. A typical TVL defendant does not appear in Court and is convicted in their absence. The average fine is not huge (in the region of £150), though costs and victims' surcharge are added. Defendants can ask the Court for time to pay, and for those on low incomes, arrangements in the region of £5-10 per week are not uncommon.


Also, there is no change in the law planned around the status of the offence. It will still be notionally a criminal offence, but one which is enforced by BBC-TVL not the Police, and one whose convictions go unrecorded on national databases.

Cornucopia

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

Are you proposing that each man, woman and child, should have to buy an individual subscription :huh:

I think he means that if everyone currently accessing iPlayer abroad were to contribute, then that would be an additional 60m subscribers.

If all of those and all existing LF-payers paid the same, then the existing £3.4bn income could be broken down to £3.73 per sub per month. There are some big assumptions there, and I suspect that the costs to manage all of those subscriptions would increase the fee somewhat, but it definitely sounds like a plan.

mickthemikeman

The advice on this site is first class I thank you all and special thanks to Cornucopia
I could not bar ipayer on my Virgin router but have both computers configured so that they can not visit the bbc iplayer Its not necessary but I have also included itv ch4 ch5 once you start stopping access to sites it becomes relatively easy.
Out of interest if one day the police do show up I know am not obliged to give them the passwords on my computers.but somone emailed this for future reference

Under the Code of Practice for the "Investigation of Protected Electronic Information", a "Section 49 notice" is required to be served, before you can be compelled to hand over passwords, pins, electronic keys, etc

I cannot find information on it ie if it would pertain to TVL
but if they have no right to access your computer it is matter less for now

Thank you
:rotfl:

[Deleted User]

It applies to ANYONE demanding access to Protected Electronic Information.

Marvel1

Hope someone can help, I had a TV licence set for February for the 6 nations and planned to cancel the day after it ended, I paid for the whole year as this worked out the cheapest in terms of refund for the 2 months (monthly Direct Debit wanted double for the 2 months).

Filled in the online refund through their website and email it was declined and need to complete an application that is posted out to me.

Got the application this morning, I read section 2 on the back and it says:

Please provide a brief explanation in the 'Reason/Comments' box AND attach the ORIGINAL LICENCE and a PHOTOCOPY OF ONE PIECE OF EVIDENCE* to support the date from which you say you no longer needed the licence from. Examples of acceptable evidence include: a final utility bill, a tenancy agreement, confirmation of college terms, a bill of sale or receipt or a solicitors letter.

The piece of evidence is not applicable to me for my reason above, would I still get one?

Thanks

[Deleted User]

You could state one of the following:-

"No longer watching/recording live TV".

"Moving in with someone who already has a TV Licence".

"Moving abroad".

or any other reason you choose.

Cornucopia

cjdavies wrote: »

Hope someone can help, I had a TV licence set for February for the 6 nations and planned to cancel the day after it ended, I paid for the whole year as this worked out the cheapest in terms of refund for the 2 months (monthly Direct Debit wanted double for the 2 months).

The Licence Fee is refundable in full quarters, though some people report successfully getting the Licence cancelled with nothing more to pay after 1 month's instalments (i.e. having paid c. £24).

Filled in the online refund through their website and email it was declined and need to complete an application that is posted out to me.

I would always recommend applying for a refund by phone. It's simply too easy for them to put artificial barriers in place when applying by other routes. They know no shame - you just have to be persistent and tell them if/when they are being unreasonable.

There is no provision in the Law for them to require evidence to support cancellation of a Licence. Unfortunately, the practicality of them holding on to "customers'" money provides an ideal opportunity for them to mess people around... yet again.

I'd be tempted to send them the match schedule for the 6 Nations as evidence that you no longer require a Licence.

The piece of evidence is not applicable to me for my reason above, would I still get one?

Yes. I would phone them to get it sorted out.

Jojo84a

I think its a disgrace that you can go to jail for not paying for a tv license. When you say the words out loud you realise how ridiculous it is. Nowadays when people have got so much more options its ridiculous that the bbc asks you to cough up £145 for a tv license, whether you can afford it or not.
Lets not forget this is the same corporation that paid their dodgy chief execs MORE than they were contractually bound to, once they left the corporation, because after all its not their money thats being thrown about, its the publics money.
The sooner they change it to a subscription service the better. They continually waste fee payers money on paying their senior managers silly money and we as a nation need to say "no more". Its time for the bbc to stand on their own two feet and if there so convinced about their quality programmes then enough people will sign up to a monthly subscription. I for one will be cancelling my license fee as ive recently lost my job and can no longer afford it. Im struggling to pay all my bills and the license fee detector van is the least of my worries.

System

BBC (and Capita) are only doing what governments (both labour and conservative) have mandated.

[Deleted User]

Jojo84a wrote: »

I think its a disgrace that you can go to jail for not paying for a tv license.

You can't go to jail, for not having a TV Licence.

Nowadays when people have got so much more options its ridiculous that the bbc asks you to cough up £145 for a tv license, whether you can afford it or not.

I agree but, as the law currently stands, that's the way it is.

The sooner they change it to a subscription service the better.

I agree.

Its time for the bbc to stand on their own two feet

And again, I agree.

and if there so convinced about their quality programmes then enough people will sign up to a monthly subscription.

But we both know, that the programmes (and the organisation) isn't that popular, and that's why they're not willing to go to subscription.

Im struggling to pay all my bills and the license fee detector van is the least of my worries.

Detector Vans don't exist, at least not in the way people imagine them.

However, being short of money is not a justification for breaking the law, so I would encourage you to go Legally Licence Free.