TV Licence “Unenforceable”?

[Carth]

I use different ages depending on my mood and the place that wants to know it. I've been male, female, and on two occasions neither.

I have 2 email addresses specifically only used to catch all the crap out there.

I assume any service is going to be hacked sooner or later and the less they really know about me the better.

I'm probably considered a 'dead space' when it comes to internet presence

[SnoopZ]

This isn't going to stop me cancelling the license(soon) as I'll be uninstalling BBC iPlayer so I don't use it by mistake.

[Dude111]

I wonder if today more ppl do not have a licence than do??

Originally Posted by Dude111

I wonder if today more ppl do not have a licence than do??

There are around 29 million households in the UK according to ONS, and the BBC’s own figures suggest there are slightly fewer than 24 million active TV licences at present. So no, it’s nowhere near that.

That said, on the assumption that all of those households *should* have a TV licence (and I’m sorry folks but as I’ve been saying on this forum for more than 20 years now, I simply do not believe people who claim they never, ever, ever, watch any as-broadcast TV at home, even though a streaming app on their TV), the discrepancy is roughly 5 million, which for any tax is a whopping great big evasion rate and is doubtless the reason why the BBCs continuity announcers have been reading whiny ‘we can only do this because you pay us’ messages over the closing credits of everything, usually on Friday or Saturday evenings, for months now.

[papa smurf]

Originally Posted by Chris

There are around 29 million households in the UK according to ONS, and the BBC’s own figures suggest there are slightly fewer than 24 million active TV licences at present. So no, it’s nowhere near that.

That said, on the assumption that all of those households *should* have a TV licence (and I’m sorry folks but as I’ve been saying on this forum for more than 20 years now, I simply do not believe people who claim they never, ever, ever, watch any as-broadcast TV at home, even though a streaming app on their TV), the discrepancy is roughly 5 million, which for any tax is a whopping great big evasion rate and is doubtless the reason why the BBCs continuity announcers have been reading whiny ‘we can only do this because you pay us’ messages over the closing credits of everything, usually on Friday or Saturday evenings, for months now.

i logged inti iPlayer for the first time yesterday, had a brows and logged out nothing of interest for me atm

Oh don’t get me wrong, I agree there is a lot less of interest on the BBC these days. A brief glance at any of the many ‘on this day’ twitter accounts or tv nostalgia websites will leave you open-mouthed at just how much good new stuff there was especially at this time of the year when new series of drama, sit coms etc were all getting going for the new year.

The point is, the narrative has become so focused on the TV licence as effectively a BBC subscription that people forget it’s a legal requirement to have one to watch *any* broadcast TV channel from ITV, Channel 5 or anyone else. Actually it’s a licence to operate TV receiving equipment so technically you need a licence even to channel-hop through the dross you get with a sky or VM subscription.

[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by papa smurf

i logged inti iPlayer for the first time yesterday, had a brows and logged out nothing of interest for me atm

Kerching. (BBC)

[papa smurf]

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

Kerching. (BBC)

well i do have a tv licence so I'm only getting what i paid for [mostly unwatchable woke rubbish ]

[Anonymouse]

Originally Posted by Chris

That said, on the assumption that all of those households *should* have a TV licence (and I’m sorry folks but as I’ve been saying on this forum for more than 20 years now, I simply do not believe people who claim they never, ever, ever, watch any as-broadcast TV at home

Believe it. I'm one of them. I have over 100 DVDs, over a thousand books (some also on my Fire tablet, portability and convenience offsetting extra cost), and games on my tablet. Plus several films downloaded by torrent. Plus I write fanfic and browse the Internet. I don't need a TV. Ironically TVL themselves killed all desire for such.

To explain:

In 2000 my Mum was recording stuff for me to watch when I visited on weekends. But her VCR died on her - and a favourite program (Daria, for the record) was being shown the next day during the week. Not to worry, I was gainfully employed at the time. The plan was to buy a VCR in the interim, to tide her over until she could afford a new one. Then I would take that one to my flat and buy a TV (PLUS a licence, because I'm a good little boy) to use it on. But since it would be going to my flat, it made sense to buy it using my own name & address, in case of maintenance or whatever.

Then, though I didn't find out why until later, TVL (who were still, wrongly, calling themselves TVLA at the time - they were never an "authority") started harassing me over my lack of a TV licence. I blew my top (<rueful>doesn't take much, I admit - my Dad was a redhead and in some ways I am my father's son</rueful>). I sent them a sarky letter saying why I didn't need one. The threatening letters continued, as indeed they still do...though I have never received the threatened visit. I was in Little Lever nearly 10 years, I've been at my current address for over 16 years, and nothing. I'm "Legal Occupier".

Let 'em come! I almost wish they would!

The plan was aborted. The VCR never made it to the flat. Any plans I'd had to buy a TV card for my PC were abandoned - I'd since found out why I was being hassled. Some years back Bolton At Home sent me a letter offering a free upgrade of my aerial to digital. I ignored it. So I don't think I could connect a modern TV if I wanted to.

Some of us manage perfectly well without a TV. There's nothing I want to watch...or if there is, I'll watch it via downloads and/or Amazon Prime - neither of which I need a licence for because they're not live.

There should be a 'raspberry' emoji.

"Hey, Ive, I think there's something really screwed-up about me."
"I wanna say this in just the most loving way, but there is NO way this is just occurring to you now."

- Harley Quinn, "Being Harley Quinn"

"Jane. On a school team. That's pathetic. Hey, if she's the pathetic one, why am I talking to myself? And more importantly, why am I waiting for a reply?"

- Daria, "See Jane Run"

"So no texting, no talking, no shopping in 48 hours."
"Which makes her either dead or over 40."

- Lost Girl, "Oh, Kappa, My Kappa"

"You might want to put those [Cameron is topless] back in their holster."

- The Sarah Connor Chronicles, pilot