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Saint in Paradise
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provides more **** ones than good imo. i would rather have adverts and not pay a licence.

Anyone saying this has never lived abroad and seen what the alternative is to having the BBC. The BBC is streets ahead of any alternative and most people won't realise exactly how valuable it is until it's gone. I use it for TV viewing, but it is also one of the best resources for me professionally.

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It's a disgrace that the TV Poll tax is not based on watching the BBC. I could buy a TV not watch one BBC programme or listen to one BBC radio station, and yet still have to fund the BBC.How on earth that is justified in 2012 is beyond me. If you dont want to watch it, you shouldn't have to pay for others that do. I dont expect non Sky viewers to pay towards Sky . If it's as good as people make out, then I'm sure they'll have no issues with paying for it. It's the compulsary side of it, I object to.

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Lord D - your argument applies to Sky also, does it not? We pay something in the order of £70 pcm for Sky and watch perhaps one or two channels only apart from the Sky Sports channels (four?). If we want to watch these few channels we also HAVE to pay for all the dross that's put out.

 

The BBC is far, far better value for money.

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It's a disgrace that the TV Poll tax is not based on watching the BBC. I could buy a TV not watch one BBC programme or listen to one BBC radio station, and yet still have to fund the BBC.How on earth that is justified in 2012 is beyond me. If you dont want to watch it, you shouldn't have to pay for others that do. I dont expect non Sky viewers to pay towards Sky . If it's as good as people make out, then I'm sure they'll have no issues with paying for it. It's the compulsary side of it, I object to.

 

You pay to subsidise the rest of us. On behalf of everyone, I thank you.

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Lord D - your argument applies to Sky also, does it not? We pay something in the order of £70 pcm for Sky and watch perhaps one or two channels only apart from the Sky Sports channels (four?). If we want to watch these few channels we also HAVE to pay for all the dross that's put out.

 

The BBC is far, far better value for money.

 

You have a choice, pay £70 for the channels you do watch, or think that's too much and dont pay it. You dont have a choice with the BBC, you have to pay it just for switching on the TV. Whether it's good vaule or not is beside the point,that's just an arguement over the level that the licence fee should be set at. In principle people should not have to pay for the BBC if they dont want to watch/listen to it.

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You have a choice, pay £70 for the channels you do watch, or think that's too much and dont pay it. You dont have a choice with the BBC, you have to pay it just for switching on the TV. Whether it's good vaule or not is beside the point,that's just an arguement over the level that the licence fee should be set at. In principle people should not have to pay for the BBC if they dont want to watch/listen to it.

 

Or go on their website (which is brilliant), listen to their radio stations, or use BBC iPlayer.

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Anybody in the world can go on their website, I don't see any of the international users paying the BBC licence fee.

 

And I think many people living in troubled times around the world are grateful for the fact that they can access the BBC to get a balanced view of events in their countries where there is often censorship.

 

If a bit of my licence fee goes toward such a service then I'm very happy.

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I read some website a few years ago where somebody demonstrated how you could leaglly get out of having to pay the license on the grounds of the government breaching the terms of the 'tax' in some way, by serving some kind of notice on the inspector when he/she visits. Can't remember where I found it but it's worth searching on if people really object to it.

 

I used to be very much against the idea of a TV tax (which is all it really is - you are paying the government for the right to use your TV set and they, in turn, provide funds to the BBC from the revenue) but I'm not so bothered now. As many people have pointed out, if the BBC were forced to operate as a commercial station we would lose all of the wonderfully educational stuff they output because their sole focus would be on getting in maximum viewing figures to increase their profits.

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And I think many people living in troubled times around the world are grateful for the fact that they can access the BBC to get a balanced view of events in their countries where there is often censorship.

 

If a bit of my licence fee goes toward such a service then I'm very happy.

are you seriously taking the pish...?

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And I think many people living in troubled times around the world are grateful for the fact that they can access the BBC to get a balanced view of events in their countries where there is often censorship.

 

If a bit of my licence fee goes toward such a service then I'm very happy.

 

Good for you.

 

My point was, Wade was suggesting that the licence fee covers you to use the BBC website or iplayer. It doesn't, you can use them without one.

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Good for you.

 

My point was, Wade was suggesting that the licence fee covers you to use the BBC website or iplayer. It doesn't, you can use them without one.

 

I think you're wrong there:

 

3.2.2 If you do not have a valid television licence You may not watch television programmes using BBC Online Services on any device (including mobile phones, "smart" phones or devices, laptops, tablets and personal computers) at the same time (or virtually the same time) as the programmes are being broadcast, simulcast or otherwise made available by the BBC on television, unless you have a valid television licence. For more information on this requirement please see the Frequently Asked Questions or you can contact TV Licensing by calling 0870 241 5590 or by visiting www.tvlicensing.co.uk.

 

from http://www.bbc.co.uk/terms/personal.shtml

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I think you're wrong there:

 

3.2.2 If you do not have a valid television licence You may not watch television programmes using BBC Online Services on any device (including mobile phones, "smart" phones or devices, laptops, tablets and personal computers) at the same time (or virtually the same time) as the programmes are being broadcast, simulcast or otherwise made available by the BBC on television, unless you have a valid television licence. For more information on this requirement please see the Frequently Asked Questions or you can contact TV Licensing by calling 0870 241 5590 or by visiting www.tvlicensing.co.uk.

 

from http://www.bbc.co.uk/terms/personal.shtml

 

I'm not.

 

That only applies to things being broadcast live online... "at the same time (or virtually the same time) as the programmes are being broadcast". You can use iplayer without a licence, and the same goes for the BBC website.

http://iplayerhelp.external.bbc.co.uk/help/playing_tv_progs/tvlicence

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I'm not.

 

That only applies to things being broadcast live online... "at the same time (or virtually the same time) as the programmes are being broadcast simulcast OR OTHERWISE MADE AVAILABLE BY THE BBC ON TELEVISION". You can use iplayer without a licence, and the same goes for the BBC website.

http://iplayerhelp.external.bbc.co.uk/help/playing_tv_progs/tvlicence

 

I would have thought the bit in bold covered iPlayer.

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I would have thought the bit in bold covered iPlayer.

 

The whole thing is prefaced with "at the same time". It only applies to programmes broadcast online or anywhere else at the same time as on TV.

 

From the link I posted.

 

"You do not need a television licence to catch-up on television programmes in BBC iPlayer, only when you watch or record at the same time (or virtually the same time) as it is being broadcast or otherwise distributed to the public"

 

The issue is that there are a lot of people who watch TV but don't pay the licence, which leads the BBC to aggressively pursue people who genuinely do not watch TV.

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The whole thing is prefaced with "at the same time". It only applies to programmes broadcast online or anywhere else at the same time as on TV.

 

From the link I posted.

 

"You do not need a television licence to catch-up on television programmes in BBC iPlayer, only when you watch or record at the same time (or virtually the same time) as it is being broadcast or otherwise distributed to the public"

 

The issue is that there are a lot of people who watch TV but don't pay the licence, which leads the BBC to aggressively pursue people who genuinely do not watch TV.

 

Quite right - I stand corrected. I just read that bit in a Q & A website about it.

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Ref the BBC iPlayer, as I am not in the UK it won't work for me. IF I found someway

to fool it into thinking my computer is in the UK could I watch it legally then?

 

There are ways of doing this, expatshield for example.

 

People really don't understand what a good thing the UK has got with the BBC. It's obviously not perfect, but it's streets ahead of anything else you'll find.

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I haven't had a TV since 1988 when my B&W one went phut. Now I'm in Italy even less incentive to have a TV: from what I've seen of it it is seriously crap. But when I was still in the UK it was tiresome to get all the automatic letters, which stopped when I invoiced them for my time in replying to them. I think I made my point. Actually, when I move back at some time it will be quite fun to resume the baiting.

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Ref the BBC iPlayer, as I am not in the UK it won't work for me. IF I found someway

to fool it into thinking my computer is in the UK could I watch it legally then?

 

You could watch BBC iplayer legally without a tv licence if you live outside the uk. You should be able to access it by using firefox and loading their autoproxy plugin set to the uk. Thats what some american mates of mine do. There are other proxy servers as well, that ones free.

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You could watch BBC iplayer legally without a tv licence if you live outside the uk. You should be able to access it by using firefox and loading their autoproxy plugin set to the uk. Thats what some american mates of mine do. There are other proxy servers as well, that ones free.

 

Is this a pain in the arse and could it mess up/slow down my computer?

 

I try to download episodes I'm interested in from thebox.bz but an iPlayer option would be so much nicer.

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