Thread: BBC licence fee to be reviewed by Conservatives
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Old 21-12-2019, 13:21   #21
OLD BOY
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Re: BBC licence fee to be reviewed by Conservatives
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr K View Post
You thought wrong then (and it isn't universal, no TV, then no fee). However the fact the fee is widespread is why its so cheap (£13 a month) compared to other providers, and it produces more original programming.

There isn't a profit motive with the BBC, anything made goes back into programming, unlike commercial channels where if it doesn't make money, it's not made. That's why it's output unique and high quality, it has a public service remit. It goes beyond TV with national and local radio and ad free website. Mess with it and it'll become another down-market Sky/ITV and cost more, with less original output.

Is it my imagination or have we had several BBC licence fee bashing threads like this before, mostly started by OB ?
I hardly think that drawing attention to the government's ultimate intention to abolish the licence fee and asking how this can be done at this stage is 'BBC licence fee bashing'.

I do think it is entirely legitimate, however, to ask why this outdated system is still relevant in this day and age, particularly given that an increasing proportion of the population would rather that BBC funding did not come from people who did not wish to use the service. We are no longer a 'one channel' country, which was the case when the licence fee was set up, and indeed, there is now a considerable choice available for our citizens via TV and radio.

Personally, despite the government's misgivings about the licence fee, I can't see them abolishing it until the late 2020s at the earliest. We need to wait for gigabit broadband to be rolled out across the country before abolition becomes a viable proposition. I doubt very much whether the government's determination to do something about the BBC following the blatant bias shown towards the Conservatives during and before the election campaign will come to much at this stage, apart from the tokenism of decriminalising non-payment of the licence fee.

The Beeb's Charter expires in 2027, and that is probably when a decision to scrap the licence fee will take place. It will be interesting to note whether this becomes a commitment for the future in the mid-term review which is due in 2021.

The big question is whether all TV is streamed by the end of the next decade, which will make a subscription model workable. The change may hit pensioners hard unless the government comes up with a funding arrangement to assist them to update their equipment.
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