Licensing for UK Television

[julianburke]

I have always been curious about the British and their Licensing of TV's. I have known that they have vans that go around looking for and detecting unlicensed TV's. I have always thought that these "detectors" look for a horiz oscillator running. They also have hand held detectors and some of the engineers work in secret so that other engineers don't even know what each other is doing! They even say they can tell one TV from another that may be back to back with a wall in between such as in a duplex apartment! Also the price is different between a B&W and a color unit. What difference does that make? You are still watching TV. We don't get a break for that on our cable systems.

How do they detect say a computer running that is watching "live" TV? That seems to be the key that if you are watching TV as it is being broadcast, then you must have a license and pay the tax. How would they detect an LCD or plasma screen from up to 60 yards away? They even want you to have a license if you watch TV from your cell phone and how would they detect that? I suppose the phone company would turn you in on that one. How would they detect a laptop computer watching anything?

Even more surprising is the fact they say around 1000 people are caught every day watching illegal TV!! How many TV police do they have? Over 1000 caught every day??? That means that in about 3-5 months the entire country of England is caught?!

Reminds me of when we had the Boston Tea Party in 1773. (interesting read-England said we and the Brits could only buy British tea to keep out competition from Holland) Perhaps the UK should have their own "London TV Party" and dump their TV's all in their harbor!! We could give them all the analog TV's they need for this event!!

This is why we are getting DTV forced down our throats, so our gov't can sell the analog bands for billions-yes, Billions with a "B".

Let's not tell our gov't about this untapped revenue on TV's! I think we'd all get life with no parole.

Click below for the UK"s website regarding this issue.

http://tvlicensing.metafaq.com/templ...SCAIN1EH6FS04U

http://tvlicensing.metafaq.com/templ...SCAIN1EH6FS04U

[VinylHanger]

Crap, that just makes my Freedom loving hackles stand on end.

[merrylander]

As I understand it, in return for the license fee the TV is free of advertising. Not seeing that couple in the bathtubs in the wheat field might be worth it.

[tboat4]

Originally Posted by merrylander

As I understand it, in return for the license fee the TV is free of advertising. Not seeing that couple in the bathtubs in the wheat field might be worth it.

Not having to listen to or see Billy May would be worth the tax.

[andy]

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[juncers]

Originally Posted by andy

I
Over the air TV in the UK works more like cable TV does in the US (except that it's wireless). Every channel gets nation wide coverage. With a half decent antenna, the picture quality of over the air looks as good, or better than cable TV. For less than $20 a month you get a hand full of commercial free TV channels and a bunch of commercial channels with some of the best original shows around. I would happily pay $20 a month to be able to receive UK TV over here.

I wouldn't get too excited--you probably get the best of British Broadcasting-there's a lot of crap too. Having said that, I recently visited my mom in NJ and tried to watch a movie interrupted by a commercial every 9-12 minutes. It does drive you nuts!

Ray

[modge]

I gave my telly a way a couple of years ago to my mum. Its just utter rubbish on there. The price of a licence here, look at all the CDs and LPs you can buy with the money. Do I miss it, yes like a toothache

[merrylander]

We do get the best of Auntie Beeb over here. I recall a business trip to London back in the eighties. Turned on the telly in the hotel and there were several men debating something absolutely boring. Turned it off and wandered over to a pub in Shepherd's market. Had dinner and a few ales. Came back to my hotel, turned on the telly and they were still at it, must have been a good two hours later.

[andy]

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[Sandy G]

If the politicos could figger a way to put a plastic dome over everyone's heads that you had to put a quarter into or you'd get no air that day, they'd do it...

[merrylander]

We get a lot of good comedy shows here on PBS - when they are not begging for money.

[wa2ise]

Let's see, there the government collects a license fee from every TV user, and then gives some of that to the TV stations. Okay, problem is, the TV station better not annoy the bureaucrats in the government if they want to get that money... [scene: news dept "we just found out that the prime minister is sleeping with that famous movie star" "Okay, let's make that story the lead item in tonight's broadcast". "better not, he runs the TV licensing dept and he could have them "forget" to pay us..."]. I wouldn't want to give the government that kind of influence over my media. Here, we just have our Funny Cookie Corporation (FCC) enforce meter reading on transmitters and issue fines if someone says the F word...

I'd rather have the commercials than have the government's finger in the pie. Besides, commercials give you time to go to the bathroom or grab a sandwich. And with multiple networks, and multiple sponsor companies, no one orginization can screw with the media.

We Americans are rather squirrelly about that sort of thing, our 1st Amendment.

[andy]

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[nasadowsk]

Originally Posted by andy

I hear your concern, but it doesn't seem to be a problem in practice. They are frequently very critical of their own government.

They regular tow the government line about various topics - they were recently caught by someone towing the government line on speed cameras.

Then again, don't get the UK - one popular new website online refers to them as 'the nanny state', and frankly, the stories you hear, it fits...

The other difference - if you proposed a TV tax to prop up PBS in the US, there'd be mass outrage. Then again, PBS sucks, always has, always will...

[readmm50]

The BBC is not perfect but it does provide a wide range and of output and some of it is of a very high quality. For anyone who doesn’t know it provides eight national TV stations, special services for Scotland, Ireland and Wales, regional TV news and current affairs services in England, 8 national radio networks, 40 local radio stations, a large and highly rated website + on demand access in the UK to most of it’s radio and TV output over the previous 7 days via the internet and cable TV. All of this is commercial free but costs around 57 US cents a day for each household (not per person).

If you use any of these services on a regular basis – and most people in the UK consumer a lot of BBC news and entertainment output, I reckon it is terrific value.

The American system also produces some great stuff. I reckon we probably see some of the best of it over here. Having watched TV in the US it seems to me that you pay a higher price to see good programming. You either have to pay for premium channels or watch endless repeats of often mindless commercials. I thought the UK’s commercial networks were bad enough! PBS has some good stuff but the appeals for donations and sponsorship messages get in the way. I think that US citizens should get some kind of international endurance award for being able to see and hear the same message over and over again without turning off.

Neither the American or the British system is truly independent from the government. The good thing about the BBC is that it doesn’t have so many of the commercial pressures that the US networks have to cope with so it can say things and try things that the US networks don’t. Whatever you think of the BBC’s bias, it gives everyone access to intelligent information and some quality programming. I reckon anyone who can’t find some good stuff on the BBC hasn’t looked very hard.

By-the-way, as you may know, outside the UK the BBC also provides commercially funded international news and entertainment TV channels and non commercial overseas radio services in many languages (the radio services are funded directly by the government).

I am a great fan of American TV, radio and technology. I just think we get a better deal in the UK. I only hope the BBC can hold it together in an increasingly competitive market. Most UK citizens will miss it if it disappears. It’s a tough task to try and justify a license fee system if a lot of the population stop using the BBC’s services.

I am not sure why some people find it so outrageous that the BBC is paid for by a tax on each household. British and American citizens all pay taxes for services they may never use such as the state education system or even libraries. I guess it depends on your view on keeping people informed, educated and sometimes entertained.