Do you need a t.v. licence to.....

[pillj123]

Watch stuff on a laptop,like BBC i player??
My elderly friend cannot afford to renew her licence,so is there another way to watch telly without a licence?Thanks in advance for any replies..I will phone her later with your ideas!

[sunny-dave]

It's about time the government got their act together and cleared up the anomaly with 'catch up TV' - there is no logical reason for it to be free, just that it didn't exist when the current TV licensing laws were drawn up.

Anyone watching any BBC programme without paying the licence fee is basically poncing off the rest of us who do pay - it doesn't matter a fig whether they are watching it 'live' or not, they are still freeloaders.

There is a whole different argument about whether the BBC should be funded from general taxation (or advertising) - but whilst the licence fee exists it should apply to all methods of watching TV.

[ChuckFickens]

<upset at being called a freeloader>

I've not had a license for 4 years due to living somewhere that has a crap aerial and I'm not allowed to put up a sat dish (damn listed buildings), as a result I can only watch catchup stuff.

That said I agree that it's an anomaly in the law that should be rectified, but while the loophole exists I'm going to take advantage of it.

(Though I'm moving house this week, so as of next week I will be paying for a license as I will be required to)

[jno]

does watching on a plus one channel count as catch-up? Even if the programme hasn't finished on the main channel yet?

[ChuckFickens]

No, it's classed as being broadcast live still (just time shifted)

[ChuckFickens]

Oh and besides, if you could watch a +1 channel than you'd have equipment in use that is able to receive broadcasts, so you'd need a license even if +1 channels weren't classed as live..

[slinky.kate]

It's also the case that you don't need a TV license if it is something which is not joined into the mains! So anything running off battery power doesn't need a TV license :P

[sunny-dave]

Catch-up is only exempt if watched via an 'on demand' service (via an internet/data connection of some sort)

+1 channels count as "watching a broadcast channel at the time of initial broadcast"

nonsense isn't it ;=)

[sunny-dave]

Errr - I don't think so kate ....

[sunny-dave]

Unless you are 'temporarily away from your home residence and have a TV licence in force there'

[ChuckFickens]

"Battery-powered equipment
A TV set powered by its own internal batteries, such as a pocket-sized TV or mobile phone, is covered by a licence at your parents’ address. However, it must not be plugged into the mains while being used to receive television.
If there is no licence at your parents’ address you will need to buy your own."

Bit odd :)

[Zeuhl]

L O L

watching a +1 channel is still watching a 'live broadcast' as much as watching the non +1 channel

It's just that the +1 channel is showing a repeat.

[ChuckFickens]

That seems to imply that even though I live in my own property and I'm nearly 40 if I was to plug a USB tuner into my laptop and watch TV I'd be covered by my parents (free due to age) license!

[dickythecook]

I bought a new flat screen TV and was asked if I had a tv license. I replied that the house was covered and thought no more about it. A letter arrived from the TV gestapo demanding that I buy a license or court action would result. I, in turn wrote to them with all the details of the current license and pointed out that according to their advert they had the technology to find all the unlicensed houses in the country. That being so, they must have a list of all the licensed properties to which they send reminders. Please check my address against your records and my current tv license number. I heard nothing until the door bell rang accompanied by a loud knocking. A rather aggressive man was busy trying to tell me he was from the tv licensing authority showing me his identification through the glass of the front door. I asked him what he wanted, (it was I am sorry say peeing down with rain) he replied that he wanted to come in and see the tv license. I told him to go round to the back door (cos the back part of the house always gets the worst of any weather) and made him wait until I dug out the folder with the relevant and up to date tv license. He was a little miffed to say the least, and almost choked making an apology for wasting my time. It was only when he had gone that I noticed that it had my better halfs' name on it although I pay the bill when it comes. Serves them flippin well right. It really would not have been too hard for them to check before sending someone out.

[sunny-dave]

The whole thing is mad as a box of bonkers frogs.

Needs sorting properly to either fund from general taxation or impose on everyone except the genuine "I really, really, really don't have a TV" cases - all this faffing around is ridiculous.

< and I wasn't getting at genuine cases like yours chuck - more the "deliberate refuseniks playing the flawed system as a way of evading paying their fair share of a legitimate tax" who get right up my nose >

[Bedsit-Bob]

commoner says "but....you will have seen also that not only do you have to fill in a declaration"

You don't HAVE to do anything of the sort.

commoner says "But another quote..."Our officers may visit the licensed place at any time to check that our records are correct and inspect TV equipment."

You've abriged it.

Here's the rest of it

"However, you don’t have to let them into your home or business."