TV Licence and iPlayer
- Thread starter Mesquite
- Start date
Mate I hope you don't think I'm hounding or preaching, but you're wrong.
I'm only showing you so you dont get caught out...
The policy can be downloaded from here:
http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/topics/telling-us-you-dont-need-a-tv-licence
It's a pdf and for some reason I cant upload it here , but here is a screenshot
They clearly state in point 1, (purpose) that to cancel you must agree that you don't have any TV receiving equipment....
Removing the aerial from a telly stops it from receiving a signal though, so technically no aerial, no TV receiving equipment.
As I said before though, even doing that doesn't stop them hassling... sometimes simpler just to pay the money and accept it as another tax (which is pretty much what it is).
As I said before though, even doing that doesn't stop them hassling... sometimes simpler just to pay the money and accept it as another tax (which is pretty much what it is).
Disconnecting an aerial from a TV doesn't remove the fact that you still have TV receiving equipment.
You have to actually physically remove the aerial from your premises to be able to say you don't have the equipment to receive TV signals
The offence is to USE television receiving equipment to watch or record broadcasts without a licence, not to own it, so it is utterly irrelevant whether it is connected or not. If you are not using it, then you are not committing an offence.
We ditched the license this February after 1 year as there wasn't anything worth watching. I paid online so I cancelled it online. I'm still waiting and hoping someone knocks on my door as I plan to have some fun with them. When we cancelled the license I unplugged the cable and honestly haven't missed it since. Our TV and phones have the iPlayer app but we've never used it.
With over 2500 DVD's and a growing collection of books most nights we put on some music low and read our books or simply just talk and enjoy each others company, occasionally we'll pop in a DVD. TV has a habit of distancing families from each other. We live in a rental property so removing the aerial isn't an option, nor should we as I take offence to the fact that the BBC and Capita assume guilt until you prove your innocence by letting a complete stranger into your home to look at your TV.
My wife's hair dresser was caught the other week. She had a direct debit setup and for whatever reason either the bank didn't pay or the BBC didn't take it but she got the knock on the door. She lives in the village in fact if I stand in my front garden and look over the field I can see the roof of her house, she got the knock but we didn't.
With over 2500 DVD's and a growing collection of books most nights we put on some music low and read our books or simply just talk and enjoy each others company, occasionally we'll pop in a DVD. TV has a habit of distancing families from each other. We live in a rental property so removing the aerial isn't an option, nor should we as I take offence to the fact that the BBC and Capita assume guilt until you prove your innocence by letting a complete stranger into your home to look at your TV.
My wife's hair dresser was caught the other week. She had a direct debit setup and for whatever reason either the bank didn't pay or the BBC didn't take it but she got the knock on the door. She lives in the village in fact if I stand in my front garden and look over the field I can see the roof of her house, she got the knock but we didn't.
I think having a TV plugged into an aerial and plugged into the mains would make it interesting convincing an inspector you do not watch TV.
It's your choice at the end of the day what risk you are prepared to take. I doubt that you could satisfy 12 of your peers that you never watch an episode of Eastenders with the set up above.
It's your choice at the end of the day what risk you are prepared to take. I doubt that you could satisfy 12 of your peers that you never watch an episode of Eastenders with the set up above.
The problem is, they're expanding the coverage now to include anything that can receive it, not whether you use it.
So smart phones, tablets, laptops, PC, MAC, sky box, freeview, TV, or ipod touch devices are now included.
When I phoned up, they said the new rules mean it doesn't matter if you don't use it, if you have the equipment capable, then you're liable to pay, unless you can prove 100% you've not used the service. This includes providing a complete search or browser history, if you do not comply they can go to your ISP, or if using a phone, to your communications provider to check if you use the app or service (they use specific online ports).
So basically... They're forcing you to pay whether you watch TV or not.
So smart phones, tablets, laptops, PC, MAC, sky box, freeview, TV, or ipod touch devices are now included.
When I phoned up, they said the new rules mean it doesn't matter if you don't use it, if you have the equipment capable, then you're liable to pay, unless you can prove 100% you've not used the service. This includes providing a complete search or browser history, if you do not comply they can go to your ISP, or if using a phone, to your communications provider to check if you use the app or service (they use specific online ports).
So basically... They're forcing you to pay whether you watch TV or not.
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We ditched the license this February after 1 year as there wasn't anything worth watching. I paid online so I cancelled it online. I'm still waiting and hoping someone knocks on my door as I plan to have some fun with them. When we cancelled the license I unplugged the cable and honestly haven't missed it since. Our TV and phones have the iPlayer app but we've never used it.
With over 2500 DVD's and a growing collection of books most nights we put on some music low and read our books or simply just talk and enjoy each others company, occasionally we'll pop in a DVD. TV has a habit of distancing families from each other. We live in a rental property so removing the aerial isn't an option, nor should we as I take offence to the fact that the TV-L and Capita assume guilt until you prove your innocence by letting a complete stranger into your home to look at your TV.
My wife's hair dresser was caught the other week. She had a direct debit setup and for whatever reason either the bank didn't pay or the BBC didn't take it but she got the knock on the door. She lives in the village in fact if I stand in my front garden and look over the field I can see the roof of her house, she got the knock but we didn't.
Exactly, under the 2003 Communications Act section 4 it makes it an offence to install or use a television receiver to watch or record any television programmes as they are being shown on television without a valid TV Licence. It is not illegal to own said equipment but it is if it is used to watch or record TV as it's being shown. I've never heard of anyone being prosecuted for merely "installing" a TV, VCR and aerial.
With over 2500 DVD's and a growing collection of books most nights we put on some music low and read our books or simply just talk and enjoy each others company, occasionally we'll pop in a DVD. TV has a habit of distancing families from each other. We live in a rental property so removing the aerial isn't an option, nor should we as I take offence to the fact that the TV-L and Capita assume guilt until you prove your innocence by letting a complete stranger into your home to look at your TV.
My wife's hair dresser was caught the other week. She had a direct debit setup and for whatever reason either the bank didn't pay or the BBC didn't take it but she got the knock on the door. She lives in the village in fact if I stand in my front garden and look over the field I can see the roof of her house, she got the knock but we didn't.
Exactly, under the 2003 Communications Act section 4 it makes it an offence to install or use a television receiver to watch or record any television programmes as they are being shown on television without a valid TV Licence. It is not illegal to own said equipment but it is if it is used to watch or record TV as it's being shown. I've never heard of anyone being prosecuted for merely "installing" a TV, VCR and aerial.
Last time I watched Eastenders was in the 80s... unless Lofty, Den and Angie are still in it and Pete on his market stall, I doubt I could name a single character now.
This is from the TV licence website
You need to be covered by a TV Licence to
watch or record live TV programmes on any channel (including BBC)download or watch any BBC programmes on iPlayer live, catch up or on demand.
To me that suggests I don't need one unless i watch BBC programs on catch-up
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Though I do use a TV and pay my license, there's nothing to stop you running your service through a VPN. I paid £20 for three years of use from VPN Unlimited. My usage of the app is generally in free wifi areas, or if I'm using the phone to make PayPal or BT on my providers data connection. That's when I want to guard my privacy.
With the way television has changed in recent years, I really think the licensers are clutching at straws in much the same way as BT monopolising broadband connections, it just isn't workable.
The BBC have seemed to go about this all backward. Why can't they issue name & password on the TV license, like every other normal website behind a paywall.
Complete bonkers.
And there's plenty of sites that effectively proxy BBC live channels... like www.tvcatchup.com or www.filmon.com
Complete bonkers.
And there's plenty of sites that effectively proxy BBC live channels... like www.tvcatchup.com or www.filmon.com
They have no right to enter your property so unless you are insane enough to give them information, whatever the status of your equipment is, is your own affair.
Makes you wonder whether the standard legal stance of innocent until proven guilty applies... surely the burden is on the BBC to prove you have watched one of their programmes either live, on catchup or any other way? If they can not categorically prove you've seen one of their programmes beyond any reasonable doubt, you're not breaking the law, therefore have no reason to pay.
In other news, I saw a squadron of pigs doing a flyby earlier. Instantly made me think of bacon sarnies.
In other news, I saw a squadron of pigs doing a flyby earlier. Instantly made me think of bacon sarnies.
Except that the Act covers all broadcast TV, not just the BBC. Think of the Licence Fee in exactly the way you pay Vehicle Excise Duty - you have a car, you run it, you pay it. Its a licence to run your car on the road, nothing more (and the Road Tax myth is just that - it vanished some time in the 1930's). The licence fee says the same thing - and its doesn't matter if your just watching ITV3, you still need a licence.
And of course you can watch live programmes on other devices, so yes, that is included.
I'm not actually sure what all the fuss is about. Firstly, its £145.50 for a year, for a household. Its as cheap now (due to government insistance) in real terms as its been since the 1970's, and is actually rather cheaper than the many licence fee charging countries in Europe https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_licence . So people are fussing about paying less than £3 a week for an all you can eat service, where you have over 70 channels to chose from, plus loads of radio stations. From the BBC alone, you get BBC1. 2, 3 (now online only), 4, plus News, CBBC, and Cbeebies. There are some 8 national BBC radio stations (try Radio 6 Music - its great), plus the World Service (which is fantastic), plus the website, plus the apps, plus Iplayer (and seek out the archive stuff). Its a bargain (I can't actually keep up with all the programmes that catch my eye), and delivers stuff the commercial channels simply dont. Something like 96-7% of the TV audience use the BBC on a weekly basis (92% use BBC1 alone), so its hardly as if there is a huge number of people paying for something they are not using.
To those who insist that buying DVD's and watching them on a laptop, etc is somehow great value, just think what they are missing (Bake Off is back! Plus a load of great documentaries), plus we can watch DVD's etc whenever we like. And on a bigger screen than even the largest monitor. And yes, Amazon prime/Netflix do some good stuff - but the excitment that Netflix has just added the wonderful Wolf Hall to its lists should be tempered with the thought that the rest of us watched it last year, on the BBC.
I've never understood the outrage that somehow people should have to pay for BBC content, just because they dont use an aerial - Sky doesn't allow people to stream their stuff for nothing, and until they do, then the BBC is perfectly right to insist that people pay up - the more column dodgers there are, the more the rest of us have to pay, or the less money the BBC gets to actually make programmes.
True - its like someone saying 'yes, I did have a bag of tools, including this crowbar, which could be used for breaking into this house at 2am, but honestly, I was just out for a stroll'. Saying you never watch TV when you have a TV connected to an aerial seems unlikely, and the vast majority of people who stick to that story end up paying when the paperwork goes to court. They normally assume guilt, because the bulk of people not paying up are actually guilty.
The BBC isn't in fact going to use ISP's, etc to check up on people. I suspect they will simply go round and check, based on people who havn't paid or say they havn't got a TV, never use Iplayer, etc. personally, I'd be more than happy for them to use ISP's (the number of people who know how to avoid that are relatively small) or eventually licence fee numbers as a log in (but thats going to take a lot of software being rewritten), but at least people are on notice.
I read last year the excellent book by Anthony King and Ivor Crewe The Blunders of Our Governments. They quote a US based British businessman talking to the Conservative politician, Sir Kieth Joseph. Joseph, (an arch free marketeer,) asked the businessman what he missed about Britain. He replied 'The NHS and the BBC'. I suspect Joseph wasn't happy with that reply, but its right. Perhaps it takes some distance to see what we should value.
That is, to use a technical legal term, utter nonsense. The nature of the offence has not changed in any way, only the scope to which it applies. I cannot in fact remember the last time I saw any client being prosecuted for not having a TV licence or indeed saw the offence appearing on the court rolls for anyone. And no-one has to prove they did not commit an offence, the Crown have to prove you did commit it.
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