Should the BBC licence fee be replaced with a compulsory utility bill charge?

[FunStork]

The BBC has acknowledged that the licence fee is no longer fit for purpose, and the chair of the BBC says she wants the money to be a tax that's paid out of utility bills, ensuring everyone pays it.

Do you think this is a good idea or not?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c20yjjm7n87o

You think this government is ‘left wing’? 🤣🤣

Well, it’s not right wing is it This government seem determined to keep the BBC and make everyone pay, whether you watch it or not because it’s the state telly. I have to have a licence because I record Sky and DH watches live sports but we don’t watch BBC

If the government force us to pay for this bullshit it will be more evidence that it (the BBC) supports the governments narrative. Why would any government choose to allow citizens energy bills or any bill to increase to fund a TV channel and Radio Station if it’s not in the governments interest? Maybe if the BBC broadcast things worth watching people would tune back in?

There are numerous examples of bias and poor reporting. If people don’t appreciate poor practices and a series of issues with people like Saville and fake news surely the BBC could apologise and be impartial and try and win back viewers. Instead the BBC think their funds should come regardless of whether people watch it.

As for YouTube pushing what clips Labour want us to see - it’s pathetic and I hope someone sets up a competitor. It’s like Labour are scared they are losing their propaganda arm (BBC) so are now trying to find a new one!

Absolutely this.

We haven't had a tv licence since covid. Its not a cheat - we stopped watching tv and haven't missed it at all. I would strongly object to paying a licence fee, or a revised version of it.

The bbc are outdated and no longer relevant there should be no licence fee. It’s a joke I have to pay when I never watch it and have to contribute towards the horrendous salaries some of their so called stars get. Bin the bbc.

Just don’t pay it. When the time of year comes when the salaries of BBC employees is published, you can relax safe in the knowledge that you haven’t contributed a penny to the overpaid autocue readers.

Agree 100%

At the moment you can do this, but you may be harassed and intimidated by people pretending to have legal powers that they don't. Both via letters and sometimes house visits.

Blackbelt barrister is brilliant on breaking down all the laws this may be breaking but because they're part of the establishment apparently behaving in a way that would have an individual up in court or being talked to by the police is ok.

However, the BBC and Government are talking about taking away this ability to opt-out AND also flooding everyone's alternative news sources with BBC content so we can't find other stuff easily. Everyone needs to take notice and fight back. I'm not up for living in the novel 1984 personally.

I’ve not had anything in six years.

Ok, but lots of people have.

Utility bills have gone up by an extortionate amount and forcing people to pay the tv licence as well as gas and electricity wether they watch TV or not is absalute madness, especially in a cost of living crisis, where those who are economically inactive pay a higher price.

The World Cup. Wimbledon. Drivel. Dont think so they are both extremely popular.😄

But not things people should be forced to pay for through taxation.

I’m sure a commercial broadcaster would be happy to show both.

@Ginnyweasleyswand BBC pay Capital an eye watering £90 million to ‘enforce’ the licence fee, What a total waste of money, I can’t seem to find any figures that offset that, WRT how much Capita bring in but I’d bet it’s not reading anything like the spend.

@OnlyMabelInTheBuilding you are missing out ! There’s one in the perpetual repeating cycle that has some sort of print/font to make it look like a hand signed signature in blue biro, to make it look ‘personal’ rather than churned out en masse. 🤣

ITV is showing some of the World Cup matches.

Whichever way you look at it, it's a bill. Call it what you like, invoice it any way you like there's not much difference.

I watch it out of habit and for the news, although recently that's been dumbed down so much to allow for those who are incapable of coherent thought it's irritating.

I get that . .Not all,and not tennis, not Olympics,,,
I think some things BBC do well.

Nope, not compulsory. It needs to become a subscription/fee based service so those who want it can pay for it. Utterly unfair that "everyone" has to pay for something that lots of people don't use.

That's absolutely shocking. Not surprising Capita are so keen on their bully boy tactics and extortion if they're paid that much for it.

It should be criminal, really. Absolutely morally repugnant. How many vulnerable people's TV licenses would that £90 million pay for? Obviously they're not at all interested in vulnerable groups, it's all a massive grift.

This is my first google hit on the horrendous abuse of people via this process, but if you look there are hundreds of cases. IMO the only reason TV licensing are 'sorry' in this case is because the media has covered it. They don't care when it happens to people day in day out.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/single-justice-procedure-fast-track-courts-tv-licence-prosecutions-b1168599.html

I personally have had experience of elderly very disabled and mentally declining relatives who receive bullying letters and are scared. It's just not ok.

There's a worrying trend in organisations such as the BBC treating normal people with utter contempt and as if they are entitled to do whatever they want. It's fundamentally just not decent behaviour and arguably anti-democratic since I doubt most people are in favour of vulnerable people being bullied or a BBC tax.

lol, still waiting for the van with the receiver to stop outside my house to pick up my kids watching mr bean

@Ginnyweasleyswand very well said, they are so contemptible, they’re like an evil cult

One of the things I hate about this is that it seems these days if you're a decent law abiding person and want to be a nice person, do the right thing, you get shat on from all angles. That is manipulated by TV licensing, who don't care if they scare or upset people, to get people to cough up money for something they don't need. There's no honesty involved, none.

At the same time as people being paid money from the public purse behaving in a morally repugnant, harmful or sometimes even a criminal manner and getting away with it. Multiple examples in the BBC.

It's not a society I want to live in really.

@Ginnyweasleyswand how much did the public donate to Huw Edwards which he hasn’t repaid ? I remember reading something about that maybe nearly £300k ?