Licence For Your Pc??

[vorlon24]

You'll notice that it doesn't give a distinction between BBC and commercial stations - I think you'll find that you need one even if you don't watch BBC

[Neil]

Do I need a licence?

If you use a TV or any other device to receive or record TV programmes (for example, a VCR, set-top box, DVD recorder or PC with a broadcast card) - you need a TV Licence. You are required by law to have one. Back to top How much does it cost?

A colour TV Licence costs £121.00 and a black and white licence costs £40.50.

There are a number of ways to pay, click here to find out more from our Ways to Pay section.

The licence is not for watching any particular channel. It is for owning/using a TV ( or PC with TV card ). So it is basically a licence to receive TV signals. You need a licence to receive most radio signals ie CB, Amater Radio, PMR radios used by security firms/businesses etc.

They are trying to catch people who will stop watching TV by receiving radio signals, ie people using broadband TV straight up your PC, this is digital data all the way, no radio signals to licence for.

[MichiganRed]

Thanks for the link, Less. It was very informative. It may sound silly, but I have just one more question. Is the BBC a government owned and operated entity?

[Less]

Originally Posted by MichiganRed

Thanks for the link, Less. It was very informative. It may sound silly, but I have just one more question. Is the BBC a government owned and operated entity?

I'll let the BBC tell you:-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/thefuture/charter/charter.shtml

[MichiganRed]

Thanks again, Less.

Since this has no impact on me, I am somewhat hesitant in voicing an opinion on the matter. However, with your kind indulgence, I would have to say this is, from the individual taxpayer standpoint, even more grievous than the state of Michigan "Use Tax" (whereby we must pay state sales tax on purchases made outside the physical boundaries of the state) and on par with the "Religious" tax enforced in Germany.

Surely the person who dreamed up this scheme has been enshrined in whatever Pantheon of greatness bureaucratic minds use to celebrate themselves. The Royal Charter states the BBC is required "...to provide sound and television programmes of information, education and entertainment funded by advertisements, subscription, sponsorship, pay-per-view system, or any other means of finance..." and according to the BBC Freedom of Information report "About TV Licensing", just under 24 million of these licenses were in use at the end of 2003. The report doesn't seem to break down the numbers by type of license (i.e. color, black and white) but it does state that "More than 3 million customers aged 75 or over benefited from free licenses and over 30,000 customers received a 50% blind concession on their license fee." Even if the free licenses are deducted from the aforementioned 24 million, that is still a rather tidy sum of cash.

It must be nice to be able to generate new revenue streams at a whim and require others to comply. I wonder what would happen if I were to try something like that with my employers.

[vorlon24]

Like Donald Trump says (or Alan Sugar over here) "You're fired"

Both shown on BBC2!

Best read that article - doesn't that fall out of their parameters?

[ANNE]

I'm with MUMMIBOO we do need adverts, but not so many of them.
At the end of every programme would be plenty.
But extending the ads for 3min instead of two would be better.

[WillowTheWhisp]

Originally Posted by vorlon24

You'll notice that it doesn't give a distinction between BBC and commercial stations - I think you'll find that you need one even if you don't watch BBC

Originally Posted by weeble

Do I need a licence?

If you use a TV or any other device to receive or record TV programmes (for example, a VCR, set-top box, DVD recorder or PC with a broadcast card) - you need a TV Licence. You are required by law to have one.

It's a bit rich though isn't it when the money goes to the BBC?

I think this stems from the fact that in the beginning there was only the BBC and then we got ITV which funded itself by paid advertising. Now we have numerous choices but no matter what we choose we still have to pay a licence fee to the BBC.

It doesn't sound quite right somehow does it?

[Neil]

Nope is does not. I watch a lot of european TV which cost me nothing so maybe I am getting more for my money

[thejokerman]

Less
This site gives a brief description:-

http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/index.jsp

I think you may find more information if you go to this forum
www.tvlicensing.biz

[chav1]

i get most of my favourite tv shows from america in the way that tehy are recorded from american broadcasts and put onto teh internet

the rest of my tv shows i pay ntl for

cant say i ever watch the bbc so why shoudl i pay them for somthing i dont use

i am very surprised that in a country that prides its self on democracy and freedom of choice we are FORCED to pay for somthing we neither want or need

teh only channels that are truely worth their salt are channel 4 and the ITV stations as they are %100 free at no cost to us what so ever because they run of advetisments

the bbc have our money because the govenment says we have to pay them and SKY tv gets funded by the subscriber plus lots of advertsments as well which is a bit rich considering how much we pay them in subscriptions

[Robdunn24]

b**tards!! when are the BBC going to die a death anyway. I dont watch TV and the programs i download arent broadcasted on BBC I pay tv licence because i have a tv & I dont watch TV GRRRRRRRR

[chav1]

the law will have to be changed yet again to accomodate the bbc

has anyone else noticed how fast a law can be changed for the bbc yet it can take many years for a law to be changed that will proyect people

i guess theres no money to be made in protecting people