TV Licence article Discussion

Cornucopia

kaya wrote: »

.... i know of a guy who had no tv in his home and came back one day to find his front door smashed in by police and tv people because he didnt have a licence....

That's against BBC policy. I can only assume that the Police did it because there was suspicion of other more serious offences.

madmuppet5

kaya wrote: »

when you think that the BEEB were granted the right to charge a fee for their sevices by royal charter it makes a mockery of the fact that they now imply you need a licence to watch any other channels or even have the capability to watch live tv, im not sure about needing detector van evidence to get a warrant either as i know of a guy who had no tv in his home and came back one day to find his front door smashed in by police and tv people because he didnt have a licence and ignored their letters ,the court case is still ongoing against them. The way i see it is the bbc is a propoganda machine that usually does the governments bidding and has a few lords sitting at the top of the organisation getting paid a fortune for doing next to nothing (lets face it, the icelandic people threw out thier government and imprisoned the bankers but i dont recall the beeb reporting anything about such a historical event) , its in the governments interest to allow the beeb to continue charging a fee for services like channel 5 which they dont provide for this reason alone , why else would it be allowed to continue?

That's the first time I've heard of TVL forcing entry. Hope your friend gets a lot of money for that one

Andy_L

kaya wrote: »

when you think that the BEEB were granted the right to charge a fee for their sevices by royal charter it makes a mockery of the fact that they now imply you need a licence to watch any other channels

That would be because that is the law set by parliament. Don't like it?, lobby you MP to have it changed

kaya wrote: »

the fact that they now imply you need a licence to ...even have the capability to watch live tv,

That would be one of those facts that's not actually a fact then


"You need to be covered by a valid TV Licence if you watch or record TV as it's being broadcast. This includes the use of devices such as a computer, laptop, mobile phone or DVD/video recorder."


http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/


or
"The law states that you need to be covered by a TV Licence if you watch or record television programmes, on any device, as they're being shown on TV. This includes TVs, computers, mobile phones, games consoles, digital boxes and Blu-ray/DVD/VHS recorders.
You don't need a licence if you don't use any of these devices to watch or record television programmes as they're being shown on TV - for example, if you use your TV only to watch DVDs or play video games, or you only watch ‘catch up’ services like BBC iPlayer or 4oD."


http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/topics/what-if-a-tv-licence-is-not-needed-top12/

Cornucopia

Andy_L wrote: »

That would be because that is the law set by parliament. Don't like it?, lobby you MP to have it changed

I did that, and the message came back from a Minister at the DCMS that the Government are not interested in any discussion on anything to do with the Licence Fee.

They see it (somewhat bizarrely) as a matter of editorial independence for the BBC.

adouglasmhor

Paul_Varjak wrote: »

It may not be used on Court to prove an offence but is it ever used to get a search warrant? If I had a fake TV switched on it means I am out of the house.

Over zealous man knocks on door cos he thinks I have a real TV and I don't answer (cos I am out)

Over zealous man assumes I am not answering because I have seen the TV detector van.

Over zealous man applies to court to get a warrant to search my house.

Over zealous man detects my fake TV when he returns with his warrant. Does he then break in when I don't answer?

I agree it is a bit contrived but these sorts of things do happen. I have sat in Court listening to court cases occasionally and, on one occasion, there were a number of alleged TV licence evaders at Court. Some were guilty, some were innocent - simply because they already had a licence!

I had TVL round at my old flat in the past because I bought a new telly and did not according to them have a licence. My mistake was giving my address in the format.

11/4, 44 Average Heights
Any Place
Any town
A11 1A

On the retailers form when I bought the thing.

Instead of
Flat 11/4, 44 Average Heights
Any Place
Any town
A11 1A

As it was listed on their database.

I refused to let them in saying it wasn’t convenient, asked to see the data they had on me (which they wouldn’t show me), refused to tell them my name, asked to see their IDs and claimed they looked fake and they didn’t look like the men in the photographs, told them it was none of their business whether I had a TV or not (which it isn’t it’s not in their remit to find out whether licence holders are using or owning equipment, only non license holders). They told me equipment had been detected (my flat was on the 12th floor – they must have been using the SAS to abseil down the building and look through the window.
When I got an enquiry letter I wrote back with my license reference number and nothing else and never heard from them again.

Former_MSE_Becca

SallyinYorkshire wrote: »

I never, ever watch TV but I do read the BBC news on my computer. Do I need a licence for that?

Hi SallyinYorkshire, thanks for your question. I contacted the TV Licensing body about this, and here is their response:

You do not need a TV Licence to read content on the BBC website.

I have updated the guide to reflect this

Mnay thanks,
MSE Becca

Former_MSE_Becca

TKW wrote: »

Does using a television set to listen to a radio channel broadcast over DVB (ie Freeview, eg channel 704 for Radio 4) require a TV licence?

Hi TKW, thanks for your question. I put it to the TV Licensing body for confirmation, and here is their response:

You do not need a TV Licence if you only use television equipment to listen to digital radio broadcasts.

I hope this helps. I have added it to the guide, in case anyone else is in a similar situation

Many thanks,
MSE Becca

Former_MSE_Becca

rogerblack wrote: »

To clarify what a TV programme is, and what requires a TV licence.
It's a programme broadcast by a UK licensed TV service, watched in realtime.
If you watch live streams of CNN or a US TV channel, it does not count.

Hi rogerblack, thanks for your post, however I was unsure on this too, so checked with TV Licensing. This is their response:

[FONT=&quot]You need to be covered by a valid TV Licence if you watch or record live TV in the UK, regardless of the country of origin or the language of the broadcast.

I hope that helps clear up any confusion. I have updated the guide with this point


Many thanks,
MSE Becca[/FONT]

Former_MSE_Becca

mrobsessed wrote: »

Hi All,

I found this article very interesting as I am looking to cut the bills due to redundancy.

I almost never watch live TV and could easily do without it altogether. I watch iPlayer and 4OD occasionally but generally just watch stuff from DVD or my computer - the TV is used as a computer monitor, which is its main use.

HOWEVER, I DO have a live aerial connected to the TV so I am CAPABLE of getting live broadcasts.

If I cancel my licence and get a visit from a TV License man and he sees my aerial connected TV, is that grounds for me needing a license even if the TV is not being used to show a live transmission when he calls?

I KNOW that I will never be 'caught' watching live TV as I never do, but do I also need to disconnect the TV from the aerial? This seems odd as I could still watch live TV via iPlayer through the computer which would require a license.

The aerial is connected via a long extension to another room and I could easily remove this - will this make me immune to any risk of prosecution?

Is there any way they can prosecute me or compel me to get a license without catching me watching live tv being streamed via the internet or received from the aerial?

For that matter, even if I was caught watching BBC 2 from the aerial how would the TV License man prove it? It's his word against mine.

Many thanks for your help.
Mr O

Hi mrobsessed, thanks for the question.

I have added it to the guide, as it's a common misconception that just because you have the equipment to receive "live TV" you must have a TV licence. You don't - you only need a licence if you actually watch or record "live TV".

I hope this helps clear up any confusion (it's been added to the guide under point 7).

Many thanks,
MSE Becca

Paul_Varjak

MSE_Becca wrote: »

Hi TKW, thanks for your question. I put it to the TV Licensing body for confirmation, and here is their response:

You do not need a TV Licence if you only use television equipment to listen to digital radio broadcasts.

I hope this helps. I have added it to the guide, in case anyone else is in a similar situation

Many thanks,
MSE Becca

You also don't need a licence if you only LISTEN to (rather than WATCH) TV! So, you can connect your freeview/satellite box to your hi-fi and listen to TV without a licence.

Visually impaired people do this and, no, it is not just a dispensation for visually impaired - it applies to everyone!