TV Licence article Discussion

System

They also forget that other broadcasters make programing just as good if not better than the BBC in this country. The best programming in the world I would say comes from America if you were to look at worldwide sales and neither is funded by a TV Licence................its only the BBC and its supporters are a mean bunch who refuse to fund their own viewing habits

[Deleted User]

I've just received my 8th copy, of a letter which begins:-

As you have not responded to our letters yet, you have left us no option but to proceed with the final stages of our investigation

Not responded YET.

Given they had already sent me 38 letters, shouldn't it have dawned on them by now, that I won't EVER be responding?

System

Same here, apparently because I've not contacted them about the TV I bought for my games console their sending round the "Enforcement Officers". They said they've tried to contact me three times since I bought it but as you know I'm under no obligation to contact the BBC filth so don't.

When/If they come round they'll just get ignored and if they pretend to be someone else as they have before they wont get anything from me until I've seen ID................if it turns out to be the BBC I will laugh in their faces and close the door again meaning they have nothing on me as before

Steve059

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

<snip> A gentleman, who goes by the username of M Shakey, tried that, and ended up in court, on a trumped up charge.

What was the verdict?

Although it's an indictment of the UK legal system that I have to ask.

[Deleted User]

TheWise1 wrote: »

When/If they come round they'll just get ignored

I have a policy of saying nothing, and I mean literally NOTHING.

[Deleted User]

Steve059 wrote: »

What was the verdict?

Guilty at Magistrates Court - No Case To Answer at appeal to Crown Court.

The appeal Judges determined that, no tribunal of fact could have reasonably found against the defendant.

IOW, the prosecution case was so deficient, it couldn't possibly have proved guilt, beyond reasonable doubt.

Mr_Chilli

Regarding item 7...
"IF YOU HAVE THE EQUIPMENT TO WATCH, BUT DON'T WATCH, you DON'T NEED A LICENCE
Many wrongly believe that you'll need to be covered by a TV licence if you have the ability to watch "live TV",
this is even if you don't watch it.
This is an urban myth: just because you have the ability to watch "live TV" doesn't neccessarily mean you need a
licence. You'll only need a licence if you actually watch "live TV".
So, if you've got an aerial on your roof/satellite dish/TV with built-in Freeview etc, but you don't actually
watch "live TV", you don't need a licence".

This is my setup. I have a VirginMedia set-top box which has the minimun TV package for live-tv together with a catch-up service. I tend to watch catch-up tv through the set-top box most of the time as I like to decide for myself when to watch a
programme rather than have it dictated to me by broadcast schedules and also because the catch-up services do not
have many, if any adverts - and they can be fast forwarded through anyway. I HATE programmes being interrupted by adverts.

I never considered not having a tv licence before because, like most people I always assumed that I would need one
if I had the abilty to watch or record live tv broadcasts - and I have still done so anyway - but I am now
seriously considering ONLY watching catch-up services through my VirginMedia set-top box if this means I can legitimately become licence free.

The question is though, can I become licence free if I only use my set-top box for catch-up services if the box
retains the ability to also receive a live broadcast?

I genuinely do not want to watch live tv and I have enquired with VirginMedia to see if they can stop the live-
broadcasts to my box whilst at the same time still allowing me to access catch-up tv on that box, but they said
there is no package which would make this possible. I am therefore in the situation that from the TVL perspective
they would only have my word that I don't use live-tv.

I called TVL earlier today to check the implications of my proposal and they said I would still need a tv licence
as the set-top box would still be receiving a live-broadcast even if I chose not to watch it. This does seem to
contradict item 7 of this report though and even contradicts TVL's own website which clearly states "If you don’t
watch or record television programmes as they are being shown on TV, on any device, you don’t need a TV Licence";
it does not state you need a tv license merely to be in possession of the means to receive live-tv.

I'm wondering how things will pan-out if I do decide to cancel my licence by simply making a declaration that I no
longer watch live-tv but omitting to tell them that I still have a VirginMedia set-top box? I stress again that I am not looking to avoid paying the tv licence whilst still watching live-tv on the side, but as I know TVL will naturally assume I'm guilty of this anyway - and having a set-top box will merely strengthen their case - I'm just trying to avoid unecessary complications by not giving them this detail.

I know that I won't ever have to talk to TVL or let them into my premises if tney send round one of their
Enforcement Officers and from what I've read there's not much they can do to secure a prosecution if I take this stance - even if I was breaking the law.

However, if hypothetically I was to let them in - or if they turned up with a valid warrant giving them legal rights of entry - then I was thinking of handling the situation like this:-

I would explain that it was only illegal to watch live-tv without a licence and the only thing they would be able to determine if I let them into the property is that I wasn't watching live-tv; they would only find that the tv would either be switched off altogether, or they would indeed see that it was tuned only to a catch-up service (or a DVD or a video-game) No offence so far - right?

The EO would then attempt to try and get a Live broadcast by re-tuning to a channel with a live broadcast on it.
And herein lies the problem; these channels would exist as I am unable to de-tune them or have VirginMedia prevent
them being delivered to my premises. But if I informed the EO beforehand that I could not allow him to access those
channels as it would be an offence for him to do so as there was no tv-licence at the property, what would he do?
Surely he could not deliberately commit the offence of tuning to a live broadcast himself and then try to prosecute me because I allowed him to do so? Would that stand up in court?

Of course I would have the whole EO visit recorded on video and I would constantly state that I never used the tv
for watching live-broadcasts and I would never admit or sign anything to the contrary. To my mind I believe that
to bring a prosecution they would have to prove that I had been watching live tv without a licence - and they
would never be able to do that as I would genuinely not have used it for that purpose.

Incidently, I have also confirmed with VirginMedia that they keep logs of what channel is being watched at any particular time, so if TVL wanted to prove that I was watching live-tv they would have to obtain prove from VirginMedia - and instead they would only have prove that I wasn't.

The only possible problem with all this is that I would have to be very careful that the set-top box was never accidently tuned into a live-tv broadcast otherwise, rather than protecting me, TVL would actually have the evidence to prosecute me

Cornucopia

Mr_Chilli wrote: »

Regarding item 7...
"IF YOU HAVE THE EQUIPMENT TO WATCH, BUT DON'T WATCH, you DON'T NEED A LICENCE

The problem with that, as you have spotted, is that it is right on the boundary of both the law and the practices of TVL.

You could simply say: I know I don't need a licence. I will never speak to TVL to discuss the matter. I will do as I think correct in my own home.

Search warrants for TVL are extremely rare. Probably in single/double figures per year for the entire UK.

Or you could ditch VM and get something that does what you want without the downside.

I spoke with Talk Talk yesterday, and they are quite happy to proceed with a Youview installation that will work for Catch-up and Video on Demand only.

System

Mr_Chilli wrote: »

Incidently, I have also confirmed with VirginMedia that they keep logs of what channel is being watched at any particular time, so if TVL wanted to prove that I was watching live-tv they would have to obtain prove from VirginMedia - and instead they would only have prove that I wasn't.

VM and Sky have both confirmed to me that they do not pass details onto BBC TV Licensing as its their customer base and not the BBCs.

Also if they were to give anything to them it wouldn't be any use in court because you could say it came with the phone but I don't know what channel etc is on because I don't have it plugged into the TV.........................its up to the BBC filth to prove it and not you to admit it

System

Cornucopia wrote: »

I spoke with Talk Talk yesterday, and they are quite happy to proceed with a Youview installation that will work for Catch-up and Video on Demand only.

It's a simple case of just having the Lan cable plugged in and not the aerial.................mind you a commission seeking BBC goon wouldn't be interested in that