General Discussion
https://www.gov.uk/find-licences/tv-licence
Gov website says
You need a TV Licence if you:
- watch or record live TV on any channel or service
- use BBC iPlayer
So even if I don't watch BBC and only watch [for example] live American Football on an American website, I still have to pay the BBC £170 for nothing and if I don't I get arrested and taken to court.
How is this right?
I have sent an email to our MP, asking him the question posted above.
When he replies, I shall post his response here.
Response from our MP Martin Wrigley.
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Hi Paul,
Thanks for the email. You raise an interesting point.
It does appear harsh.
It was set up long before the internet so broadcast live TV and radio was tightly controlled.
I notice that you can watch it if it isn’t live.
If we presume that we want to have a national broadcaster and continue to watch BBC with no adverts, what do you consider might be a fairer way of paying for it?
Best regards
Martin.
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Well that was a quick response from our MP and on a Sunday too. Kudos for that.
He raises a valid point, how else could a national broadcaster with no adverts be paid for?
If the BBC was a subscription based service, perhaps that would be fairer.
However, it would most likely result in the BBC receiving less revenue
and therefore it's ability serve the people who do watch it.
Maybe the current 'we all chip in' system is best?
@Carer, the BBC never stops. Every hot day, every cold day, every storm, every flood and every other bad event is "only getting worse" because of the "climate crisis". It's activism and guess work, not news reporting.
Then there are the outright lies such as this one.
@Paul, a subscription based service is the only fair option. The BBC can go back to producing world-class programmes that people actually want to see, like they used to.
The link provided is only one example.
So you think that extreme storms, heat, cold are all lies then?
What the hell have we just experienced?
Same as what happened in Valencia, Barcelona, Wales, and all the other countries that have experienced extreme weather.
Don't tell me, it was all lies and a conspiracy.
Where do you suggest we all get our news from. Tik Tok, YouTube?
One last point.
Exactly who are you trying to convince. Us or yourself?
Attenborough has been at it for years too, @Carer.
No, I don't think extreme weather is all lies.
What we have just experienced is weather that is beyond human control.
The same goes for weather in other countries.
Extreme weather has been happening for millions of years.
Wherever you get your news from is up to you but it's probably best to get it from more than one place.
I don't need to convince myself of anything. I was never taken in by the climate crisis in the first place.