TV Licensing??

Why in the world do we have to pay for a TV licence
I am already paying Virgin media for tv, telephone and broadband.
My husband and I almost had a heart attack after  receiving a letter last week where it said that unless we showed proof of a TV licence an officer was ordered to come to the house and fine us 1000 pounds.

Then we called to get this TV licence and guess what, it's 145 pounds a year!

Does anyone need to do this? and why?

It pays for the BBC!  (and worth it!) It's basically what takes care of all of the stuff on the BBC radio stations and their tv stations, the iPlayer, the news, etc.

We've actually gotten rid of our tv and just use the BBC iPlayer for everything. It's ace.

If you watch live streaming online you still need a license though.    But I guess if you have Virgin you are committed to the TV.

http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/topics/technology--devices-and-online-top8/

It helps pay for BBC and commercial-free radio.  It's considered a tax.

I guess you have to weigh up the benefits.  No commercials on BBC telly and radio.  The World Service.  They don't have to beg for money like PBS does.  And, with all things being equal, even after the TV licence costs, we were paying more for Time Warner than we're paying for Sky, and we didn't even have the phone service.  Just broadband and cable.  Plus there were so many commercials.  You really forget how many you had to endure until you're exposed to American telly again.  Awful.

Plus the radio can't be beat.  I miss NPR sometimes, but they can't even touch the programming offered here by the BBC, both on the national and local level.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV_licence#United_Kingdom

(the article isn't entirely correct about Channel 4 being only commercially supported.  It's mostly commercially supported but receives funding from the licence fees for things like the cost of digital switch over.)

If you watch live streaming online you still need a license though.    But I guess if you have Virgin you are committed to the TV.

http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/topics/technology--devices-and-online-top8/

Oh yeah, we still pay it (just for that).   We actually hardly watch ANY live tv, but I really love the BBC, and it feels like it's totally worth it to support the programming.

Yeah, I'm all for supporting programs, but there's gotta be a better way to do it then to send annoying, slightly threatening letters every month demanding that we pay for a TV license even if we don't have a TV 

Yeah, I'm all for supporting programs, but there's gotta be a better way to do it then to send annoying, slightly threatening letters every month demanding that we pay for a TV license even if we don't have a TV  

You can stop the letters from being sent:
http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check/viewtopiccontent.aspx?id=TOP12&iqdocumentid=TOP12&WT.mc_id=r001

No TV? Don't watch or record television programmes as they're being broadcast on any device? 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 DVD/VHS recorders.

No TV Licence is needed 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 programmes on your computer after they have been shown on TV. If this is the case, please let us know, as this helps us to keep our database up to date and means you won't receive the standard letters we send to unlicensed addresses.

The declaration form is good for two years at a time.

For me the fee is worth it.
Where else can I watch Glastonbury without having to camp or get muddy? BBC6 music is pretty much all that we listen to in our house.. Even when we have parties, thats whats playing in the background (seriously Craig Charles is a pretty kick ass northern soul dj) Original programming (no, not just EastEnders) and docs.. The quality of TV that I cant really find anywhere else in this world.

Well worth the yearly fee.

Just ring up the number on the letters. They will take you off the list.

Yeah, I'm all for supporting programs, but there's gotta be a better way to do it then to send annoying, slightly threatening letters every month demanding that we pay for a TV license even if we don't have a TV 

They do seem to be rather nasty at sending letters out demanding payment and the people don't even have a TV. It seems like the attitude is that they don't believe that a household would not have a tv!

To the original poster though, you can pay by monthly direct debit which splits the cost up. You can then opt to just have an emailed licence! I've not gone that far, I still make sure they mail me it and I keep it somewhere safe, but then if the house is registered as having a licence then it's unlikely anyone will come to check - I've never know that.

It pays for the BBC rather than having telethons etc. There's often debate about whether there should be a licence or not, personally I think it's value for money....BBC1, BBC2, BBC3, BBC4, BBC News channel, BBC Parliament (where on Sundays you'll get some C-Span), the BBC childrens channels, the BBC radio stations etc.
But you need a licence to receive or record live TV broadcasts, so even if you don't watch BBC or you watch live online you need a licence.

They do seem to be rather nasty at sending letters out demanding payment and the people don't even have a TV. It seems like the attitude is that they don't believe that a household would not have a tv!

The BBC is not allowed to collect the licence fee directly; it has to be done by a separate organisation and the money passed to the BBC via the government. It used to be collected by the Post Office who had a big organisation in Bristol, but in 2002 the BBC put the contract out to tender, and it was won by a private company, Capita Business Services. Some people may have heard of them.

As for not believing that a household would not have a TV, research has shown that around 98% of households have a TV. Comparing the TV licence database with the Royal Mail's Postal Address File (the PAF) shows that only 93% of households have a TV licence. The idea is to close the gap. This is the vein that needs to be mined to get any extra revenue for the BBC, especially given that the licence fee is frozen until at least 2016. Capita get a fee for collecting the licence plus a percentage of any extra money they can raise by increasing the percentage of households that have a licence. Thus they have an incentive to maximise the BBC's revenue. They know perfectly well that not all of the 5% unlicensed households that have TVs use them to watch DVDs or play with game consoles, so they use various methods to try to persuade the people in the gap to cough up.

People who have had dealings with Capita in its various guises or who have worked for them, may have an opinion about their methods and way of doing business.

People who have had dealings with Capita in its various guises or who have worked for them, may have an opinion about their methods and way of doing business.

Private Eye are certainly convinced that Capita should be pronounced with an R

Private Eye are certainly convinced that Capita should be pronounced with an R

Yes, they are right up there with Piers "Moron" and Carter, uh "Fudge". Gotta love Private Eye.

That said, we rang up to tell them we didn't have a tv last year (paid it even though we still don't have one this year), and we were taken off the list with no trouble.