SpuffMonkey Posted July 10, 2007 Posted July 10, 2007 I very much doubt there is anyone that doesn't want to receive any BBC services at all The thing is that the licence doesn't cover all BBC services - they might be funded out of the licence fee, but you don't need a licence to access them. If I didn't have a TV I could listen to a radio or go online for free and not watch BBC TV; I, however, also listen to the radio, go online, don't watch BBC TV yet have to pay for it because I do watch some other commercial channels. Barking. You can also get equipment which receives the sound from BBC but no picture (my blind grandmother has one), and this doesn't require a licence!! This is fairly recent though - I can remember the Radio license - it only got rolled into the TV license when most homes had a TV.
Heebeejeebee Posted July 10, 2007 Posted July 10, 2007 I hate adverts The BBC also spends nearly as much time "advertising" their own programmes as ITV do with proper adverts. They even do it during news programmes - "The BBC has learned that insert obscure article here and by the way you can see the full report on such and such a programme later tonight" HBJB
Joedetic Posted July 10, 2007 Posted July 10, 2007 @spuff monkey...you dont pay road tax if you declare your car off the road with a SORN declaration...bad example The only things worth wating on the TV these days are House, QI and maybe the odd episode of Grand Designs. To be honest, from a student's point of view...not having a TV means less destraction and more time spent "studying" (read drinking / playing with cisco kit).
localzuk Posted July 10, 2007 Posted July 10, 2007 more time spent "studying" (read drinking / playing with cisco kit). I don't know what kinda student you wre, but not much time was spent with cisco kit when I was at uni! It was spent clubbing whilst drinking!! And a bit of work I spose.
Joedetic Posted July 10, 2007 Posted July 10, 2007 OK.... 1) clubbing ftl 2) clubbing in stafford == zanzibar == stabbings in the neck == bad 3) i'm doing network engineering ffs....game students spend time playing games....i spend time engineering networks! and please note that i'm *issed whilst writing this and also that drinking came first in the list!
roland Posted July 10, 2007 Posted July 10, 2007 Hi, When lived in the UK, I went through a spell on not watching TV, great period of my life actually, I wrote to the BBC / License department and explained why I don't watch TV and they were ok with that. Retrospectively I now realise that British TV is probably the best in the world,(my known world) here in Australia we get what we pay for! (TV is free here) and worth about the same, or perhaps a little less that nothing. - here it's just another social engineering tool. Best regards Roland
enjay Posted July 11, 2007 Author Posted July 11, 2007 No - but you pay your Road Tax whether or not you drive your car. Yes, that is sadly the case, although I've seen stuff in the media about considerations for making the charge based on the number of miles driven. Could really hit business users, but will be a blessing for the stereotypical "little old lady who uses it once a week to go to the shops" (actually, the previous owner of my dad's car genuinely was that person!).
gwendes Posted July 11, 2007 Posted July 11, 2007 You can also get equipment which receives the sound from BBC but no picture (my blind grandmother has one), and this doesn't require a licence!! It does actually - the licence is half price. BBC - About the BBC - Licence fee People are missing the point, whether you use all the services or not, all the signals are broadcast and the way that has been chosen to charge for this at the moment is through TV licencing.It's not a particularly good way but this will change. Unfortunately only watching a little BBC does not make your exempt for paying for all of the products all the time - this is where the car tax example holds up. Don't drive at all you don't pay. Seems like there are a few of you that just don't think you should pay... I don't think I should pay for unemployment benefits, since, if I lose my job I will need to find another. If I am injured then my work will pay - I'm paying into two systems and one doesn't benefit me at all. If I could opt out then the system collapses. Watch and pay, or, don't watch and don't pay. Seems like a lot of complaining for such a small amount of money.. I, for one, think the fee is good value considering the weatlth of wonderful television the BBC has produced and will produce in the future. I imagine a lot of us would be very different people without it. If you can't afford £10 a month then I would recommend cutting down on drinking/smoking/etc, cycle instead of driving and cooking your food from scratch just to start with.
webman Posted July 11, 2007 Posted July 11, 2007 gwendes: It's not that we don't want to pay at all; we don't want to pay for something we don't even want to use.
mrforgetful Posted July 11, 2007 Posted July 11, 2007 People are missing the point, whether you use all the services or not, all the signals are broadcast and the way that has been chosen to charge for this at the moment is through TV licencing.It's not a particularly good way but this will change. Unfortunately only watching a little BBC does not make your exempt for paying for all of the products all the time - this is where the car tax example holds up. Don't drive at all you don't pay. Seems like there are a few of you that just don't think you should pay... I don't think I should pay for unemployment benefits, since, if I lose my job I will need to find another. If I am injured then my work will pay - I'm paying into two systems and one doesn't benefit me at all. If I could opt out then the system collapses. Watch and pay, or, don't watch and don't pay. Seems like a lot of complaining for such a small amount of money.. I, for one, think the fee is good value considering the weatlth of wonderful television the BBC has produced and will produce in the future. I imagine a lot of us would be very different people without it. If you can't afford £10 a month then I would recommend cutting down on drinking/smoking/etc, cycle instead of driving and cooking your food from scratch just to start with. You are missing the point! It's NOT MEANT TO BE A TAX. Read my other posts! If you find it good value fine then pay, but IT SHOULDN'T BE COMPULSORY! You keep saying YOU don't think it's bad value. But why should EVERYONE have to pay? Stop comparing it to tax and try think of some other product you HAVE to buy whether you use it or want it or not.
enjay Posted July 11, 2007 Author Posted July 11, 2007 Watch and pay, or, don't watch and don't pay. Seems like a lot of complaining for such a small amount of money. It's not that simple though - if it was, I wouldn't pay. The problem is that I am LEGALLY required to pay it because I own a television even though I choose not to watch the relevant channels. I choose not to watch Sky Movies and therefore don't pay for it; I choose not to watch BBC1 yet pay still have to pay for it.
enjay Posted July 11, 2007 Author Posted July 11, 2007 You can also get equipment which receives the sound from BBC but no picture (my blind grandmother has one), and this doesn't require a licence!! It does actually - the licence is half price. BBC - About the BBC - Licence fee No, it IS free. The 50% discount for blind people refers to the licence for a colour television; if the equipment receives sound but cannot display pictures, it is free - see http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/information/index.jsp
gwendes Posted July 11, 2007 Posted July 11, 2007 It basically is a tax. The BBC was founded by the state. The BBC doesn't even control the cost of the licence - this is set by the government.
localzuk Posted July 11, 2007 Posted July 11, 2007 Unfortunately only watching a little BBC does not make your exempt for paying for all of the products all the time - this is where the car tax example holds up. Don't drive at all you don't pay. Seems like there are a few of you that just don't think you should pay... What you'll have read is people saying that if they didn't have to pay for it they wouldn't watch it, they would watch ITV and other non-license funded channels instead. Watch and pay, or, don't watch and don't pay. Seems like a lot of complaining for such a small amount of money.. It is a lot of money for someone on low income - obviously you aren't in a financially dire situation like many people in the population so you should stop making this comment. If you can't afford £10 a month then I would recommend cutting down on drinking/smoking/etc, cycle instead of driving and cooking your food from scratch just to start with. I don't drink hardly at all (possibly one night out a month, if that). I don't smoke, I don't drive and I cook all my food from fresh (and I don't eat meat). And £10 is still 5% of my monthly money for the list of things I described earlier. Your view of what people do with their money is not a very good one and you should stop pursuing it.
mrforgetful Posted July 11, 2007 Posted July 11, 2007 I know it's basically a tax, hell it's basically someone mugging everyone in the street, but when deciding if it's a relevant way of finding in the modern age it shouldn't be compared with taxes it should be compared with other services of a similar nature. It may be set by the government but the BBC Trust analyse and propose the cost.
gwendes Posted July 11, 2007 Posted July 11, 2007 You can also get equipment which receives the sound from BBC but no picture (my blind grandmother has one), and this doesn't require a licence!! It does actually - the licence is half price. BBC - About the BBC - Licence fee No, it IS free. The 50% discount for blind people refers to the licence for a colour television; if the equipment receives sound but cannot display pictures, it is free - see http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/information/index.jsp Fair enough - I assumed that that the same rules would apply. Seems crazy to pay for a service, even half price, that you CAN'T see!
Pottsey Posted July 11, 2007 Posted July 11, 2007 “If you can't afford £10 a month then I would recommend cutting down on drinking/smoking/etc, cycle instead of driving and cooking your food from scratch just to start with†It’s not that easy. Sure it might only be £10 but we all have lots of things that are only £10 and they all add up. I don’t drink, don’t smoke and I cook my own food as well so it’s not possible to cut back more. I don’t watch BBC or listen to BBC or use there website or anything else so why should I be forced to have a licence to pay for BBC? The only BBC stuff I watch are the old shows I bought on DVD. But as far as I am concerned I paid for those when I bought the DVD. Why should I have to pay twice?
enjay Posted July 11, 2007 Author Posted July 11, 2007 Fair enough - I assumed that that the same rules would apply. Seems crazy to pay for a service, even half price, that you CAN'T see! Yeah, it seems almost as crazy as having to pay full price for a service you don't use :-) Seriously though, being registered blind doesn't necessarily mean you have no sight at all, it also applies to people with severe visual impairment but some sight. Also, I guess it would cover the use in a house where one person was blind, but other householders weren't?
gwendes Posted July 11, 2007 Posted July 11, 2007 The only BBC stuff I watch are the old shows I bought on DVD. But as far as I am concerned I paid for those when I bought the DVD. Why should I have to pay twice? To fund the production of the programme. Then to pay for the DVD? Do you expect DVDs to be given away for free? Was this a real question?
Pottsey Posted July 11, 2007 Posted July 11, 2007 “To fund the production of the programme. Then to pay for the DVD? Do you expect DVDs to be given away for free?†If the DVD was sold for free or at cost then perhaps the BBC licence would be worth it for me. But the point is the DVD is full price. I am paying for the production of the programme with the full cost DVD then a 2nd time with the BBC licence even though I don’t watch BBC channels. I shouldn’t have to pay for a licence when I don’t watch BBC channels Effectively I am paying for the production costs twice.
gwendes Posted July 11, 2007 Posted July 11, 2007 Sold for free??? If you don't like it then don't buy it? You obviously enjoy watching these programmes - why do you resent paying towards funding future programmes and technology. Fifty years ago it wasn't possible for you to watch the programme you wanted to watch when you wanted to watch it.. now we have VoD just around the corner.. in part funded by your DVD purchases. Not only have you supported a worthy institution, you have DVDs of it's employees work to watch whenever you want. I'm thankful...
CHR1S Posted July 11, 2007 Posted July 11, 2007 All of this is insignificant, Top Gear clearly deserves the fee in it self! Hell even if you dont watch it you should feel safe in the knowledge that your making me a happy man But seriously, it is outdated and needs revamping but its still a small bit of British pride left right?
gwendes Posted July 11, 2007 Posted July 11, 2007 Out the current programming I would agree - Top Gear is awesome and justifies doubling the fee... add Q.I. and I'm also a happy man
Joedetic Posted July 11, 2007 Posted July 11, 2007 This is all coming down to the point of "boycotting the BBC." There was a big debate at LugRadio Live at the weekend about how to get the BBC to re-assess the use of DRM on the iPlayer and also to do with making it available on other platforms than just Windows XP and the rights of the license payers to have un-restricted access to the media they are providing in return for the license fee for people on all operating systems. It came down to a discussion from the Open Rights Group rep (i think that's who it was) about whether or not us, as linux users, should be boycotting the BBC and how that could even be remotely pheasable. She said it was a daft idea and tbh i dont think that a minority such as linux users are going to manage to persuade the BBC.
SpuffMonkey Posted July 11, 2007 Posted July 11, 2007 I, for one, think the fee is good value considering the weatlth of wonderful television the BBC has produced and will produce in the future. I imagine a lot of us would be very different people without it. Seconded! I hate the thought of all the media in this country run by Murdoch and his like - its worth a few quid to stop that happening.
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