Many thanks MSR - have completed the survey.

Originally Posted by SkiCarver

Originally Posted by Ulster_Rifleman

Originally Posted by SkiCarver

six months ago I bought a big tele to use as a computer monitor

Problem is that you do not have to have a telly - owning what they call a 'receiving apparatus' (VHS recorder etc) makes you liable.

no, it doesn't.

My bold
...from the BBC

Who needs a TV licence?
[b]You need a TV licence to use any television receiving equipment such as a television set, digital box, DVD or video recorder, PC, laptop or mobile phone to watch or record television programmes as they're being shown on TV.

In this area (the hills of Mid Wales as in other remote-ish areas of the UK)) the BBC do not provide any service - one has to subscribe to a third party provider - in the case of this area that is Sky. The BBC have refused to update their service or equipment which would remedy the situation - even if one wished to watch the cr@p they put out along with their Marxist propaganda.

I miss the days of Bordon where every Wednesday morning the grumpy tiffy would come around and ask to see your tv license, cue the same weekly discussion where you point out that you only require the license if you are using the tv to actually watch tv and not if it is only for a games console. It's on part one orders comes the response, so apparently part one orders actually overule the law.

A couple of years ago, I went about 12 months without a TV and benefitted fromm the whole range of threatening and not-so-threatening letters. All of which warned that I was "under investigation" and effectively accused me of criminal avoidance. As Halo commented earlier, if they'd supplied a free way to tell them I was sans TV then I would have done so, but was not prepared to pay for that privilege. Besides, if you do confirm your lack of TV then they don't take your word for it, they send an inspector anyway to check - so you're actually paying to arrange for someone to disturb you in your home!

A little research at the time uncovered the following:

1) You do not need a licence to own a TV but you do if apparatus is "installed" capable of receiving live broadcasts. So, a TV which has an aerial connected and is tuned to your local transmitter needs a licence but a TV which is untuned doesn't - possibly even if it's connected to an aerial (not sure if that last bit's ever been tested in Court).

2) The "inspectors" have absolutely no right of entry without a warrant. Many will try to tell you they do but they don't.

3) In order to obtain a warrant they, like anyone else, have to approach a Magistrate and present evidence to demonstrate they have reasonable grounds to suspect a criminal act. Since "everyone has a TV, Mi'lud" is hardly evidence, if you genuinely don't use a TV to watch broadcasts, they would have to make a false statement in order to obtain said warrant. That leaves them open to criminal proceedings.

4) (at the time) There had been no prosecutions for evasion based on detector evidence alone. It seems that detection may not stand up in court on technical merits and they've never been prepared to test it. So, if they do "detect" you, they use that as pressure to make you admit the offence. If you stick to "your detector was wrong" they have a problem. Of course, this only matters if you've been naughty in the first place but it's still worth a mention.

Finally, a useful one for any of you with stoodent sprogs. This one has been used, tested, and (grudgingly) confirmed by TVLicencing themselves on behalf of SM Junior. A Student at Universitiy is still covered by their parent's licence provided that they only use a battery powered receiver. It doesn't matter if it's capable of being powered by the mains as long as they only use batteries to watch TV. Most students have a laptop which, when fitted with a £20 TV tuner stick, becomes a abttery powered receiver. No licence required ;)

That last one re battery power and parents licence 'Spunkmonkey' must be driving capita to be grinding there teeth i suspect that they will no doubt try to terrorise students parents with the thought of fines and criminal procedings though to make a penny or too for capita.

They rarely i believe send detectors round as it costs them the employ technicians rather than door knocking chancers.

So is there any useful info that might help your average squaddie in the block? Obviously the detector people will have been granted access to the camp by the relevant authorities, but can they then go in the rooms without permission from the occupants?

Some interesting stuff here. e.g:

If TVL/BBC technology is secret, what role can it play in the legal enforcement process?

The answer is none. Courts cannot convict without evidence, and evidence cannot be heard unless it is available to both prosecution and defence. Since TVL/BBC is unwilling to divulge the inner workings of a detector van, its evidence cannot be used in a prosecution.

http://www.bbctvlicence.com/Detector%20vans.htm

So even if "detector vans" are real and there are hand held devices around, a question: how easy is it to actually "detect" a modern LCD televison as opposed to the old CRT efforts?

My Father had not been in the UK for almost two years,he got home from the airport he downed his bags put the kettle on switched on in the TV.
Before he had finished making the brew there was a knock at the door from the TV licence inspector.
How much of the fee money goes into such a service as good as that?

Originally Posted by BuckFelize

As ever, yer good ol' ARRSEpedia tells it like it is. Not only am I in favour of scrapping the fee, I'm also in favour of scrapping television. There's only so much Celebrity Kitchen Ballroom Talent Factor on Ice that a chap can take.

TV License

I agree entirely,

Some nights, after a bottle of wine or two, I sit and watch the television for hours without switching it on.

I don't watch much TV, but I have to say I'd pay my 40p a day just for radio 4

It really is simple - as others have said.

Knock Knock

"Yes?"

"Have you got a TV Sir?"

"Why?"

"I'm a TV licence detectoring person and I want to know"

"Am I under any legal obligation to tell you?"

"Umm"

"Ta Ta"

Slam.