To think it's a terrible idea to scrap the BBC licence fee?

[dellacucina]

Inspired by this article: www.google.com/amp/s/www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1242927/BBC-News-Boris-Johnson-license-fee-subscription-British-Broadcasting-Corporation/amp

I'm recently naturalised and I think that the BBC is part of what makes Britain special. It makes me very sad indeed to imagine it being cut down.

BBC news employs people like Laura Kuenssberg who may as well wear a "I support Boris and Dom" badge.

And Fiona Bruce, so unbiased, said no one ever.

Let's face it the BBC pisses money up the wall - does rubbish like "homes under the hammer" really "do good" as people who promote the BBC do?

I never thought I would want to ditch the BBC and scrap the licence fee. But I do now.

We may as well have adverts because they waste time in between programmes advertising themselves. They have so little sport, but over pay a handful of elderly, male ex sports stars. The same with other presenters. BBC breakfast is too dumbed down and chatty. If I want that I'll turn to ITV because they do it better. BBC Question Time is a shadow of what it was. The BBC is far from politically neutral and reflects the London bias of most of it's presenters.

English regions are very poorly served. I guess London gets most of the cash (it always does in everything), BBC Wales, Scotland and N Ireland never go short. So it's bound to be the rest of us who miss out. Everyone pays the fee so everyone should feel their own community is served/reflected.

Sky always seem to have any 'breaking news' first now. BBC was always good for that. I guess they will still get any royal breaking news first but Sky is better over all.

It is the TV programming I have issues with. I like BBC radio and would be willing to pay for that.

Yes, this is purely your opinion and many people totally disagree. And either way, why do we need a “force for good” (according to you and the terribly worthy people at the BBC) constantly inflicted on us? Let people decide for themselves how much “good” they want in their lives. People can pay and choose to be constantly “educated” by the Beeb, or they can opt out and find alternative sources of information and entertainment, of which there are many. I know what I’ll do!

Well said (claps). I can't believe some people are too dense to understand that just because they believe something is "good" or "unbiased" or "value for money" does not mean other people share their opinions and should not be forced to pay for subjective content/beliefs. People who want the BBC should put their money where their mouth is and pay extra to fund it, not force others to do so! The entitlement!

I don't watch any live TV nor BBC iPlayer so don't pay for a TV licence. Haven't for a few years. We watch Netflix, Amazon, YouTube etc. No problems. Join me!

Jessi seriously why did you let him in , ? If they knock on your door either don't open it or say no thanks and close the door out don't have to engage at all they have no powers of entry.

The licence fee also funds OFCOM and other media related projects like the UK's broadband infrastructure, not just the BBC.
If OFCOM and the BBC were scrapped we would be stepping into an unregulated media model. Far from ideal. I dread to think what TV output would be like if it was just as unregulated as print media.

It’s completely unnecessary. They should advertise like every other channel. Some people don’t watch the BBC at all so seems unfair they should have to pay it regardless.

If the content on the BBC was so great they would have no worries about giving people a choice to subscribe or not because they would know that people would want to subscribe.
Of course I can get a voucher & watch Sky Movies all month for £7.50, or Sky Entertainment for £5 a month, or pay £6.99 for Netflix, or £79 a year for Amazon Prime TV with delivery, Prime music & Kindle reading thrown in so if they actually WANTED to compete they'd have to drop their price.
These companies somehow manage to make great profits on VOLUNTARY subscription services.

Trouble is, the content on the BBC is no longer what it once was.
When I was small TV was only on for a few hours a day & there were only 3 channels (although BBC wasn't on air most of the time)

If I look at a TV guide I see that they are frequently reusing content that has already been paid for from their 50+ year back catalogue to pad out however many channels they have right now (stopped paying attention over a decade ago) but every year they want more money for producing less quality or original content.

We live in a country where people are being prosecuted for non payment of a tv licence while they walk to the Food Bank so they can eat tonight, or sit in their home dying of hypothermia &/or starvation as their UC is suspended for no reason.

It is utterly obscene that a single one of those people working for the BBC are paid in excess of £100,000 a year.
The wages at the BBC, if it is publicly funded & payment backed by law enforcement (as it is) should be in line with the wages paid in other parts of the government.
Go & ask the people in the local council offices, or a Social Worker, or an NHS employee how much they get paid & tell me they should be on worse wages than Gary Lineker because they provide 'less value' to the country.
Is Graham Norton worth more than a few doctors?
The BBC think you should be legally obliged to let them choose to give these people enough money to pay them as if that is true.

It is a terrible idea to have a TV licence.
It is only of real value to the leeches who work there.

If you want the licence fee decriminalised, you can submit your views via the public consultation here;

www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-decriminalising-tv-licence-evasion

or respond online here;

dcms.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4SYtlb6X5UhQCO1

The licence fee also funds OFCOM and other media related projects like the UK's broadband infrastructure, not just the BBC.

OFCOM is funded by those it regulates and not under threat.

When I was small TV was only on for a few hours a day & there were only 3 channels (although BBC wasn't on air most of the time

Yes, I remember that era. It has to be said the Test Card that used to be shown in the gaps between programmes was far better entertainment than most of the BBC's current daytime offering.

I for one will be relieved if this happens. I also think anyone with unpaid licencing fees on their criminal record, and those currently paying after being found guilty of not paying should be pardoned and have the debt and the charges wiped.

It was a ridiculous thing to have in the first place and it becomes more and more absurd as technology advances.

The licence fee also funds OFCOM and other media related projects like the UK's broadband infrastructure, not just the BBC.
If OFCOM and the BBC were scrapped we would be stepping into an unregulated media model. Far from ideal. I dread to think what TV output would be like if it was just as unregulated as print media
It could be paid for out of taxation and get itv to contribute some funds. Channel 4 I think gets some licence fee money so they would have to contribute too. Not sure why. I agree when we look at how useless the Press Complaints Commission is and what a complete waste of time Leveson seems to have been that unregulated broadcast media is a problem. I think both print and broadcast regulators should be independent and funded. I don't think commercial broadcasters would want ads on n the BBC as there won't be a bigger pot of ad revenue, it would have to be shared with another broadcaster. I'd happily pay for a BBC subscription, but I'd get rid of Prime probably to do it, so that may worry other subscription services if lots of people do that.

Do you have to pay the tv license if you have a tv but only watch itv, channel 4 etc and no BBC co tent of any kind?

You wouldn't tolerate paying £150 towards electric that you haven't used, so why do we accept it when it comes to the TV license?

Do you have to pay the tv license if you have a tv but only watch itv, channel 4 etc and no BBC co tent of any kind?

Yes. You have to pay if you watch any live TV on any device, it doesn't matter what channel it is.

@adaline thanks for clarifying

@nemophilistrebel no worries!

It's a pretty shit system when you think about it...

In the Times they were saying that there would be some protected services like radio 3, 4 and the World Service as well as bbc2, 4, world service tec butchered would be subscription. That sounds fine to me (apart from radio 3- there are loads of classical.music channels) I dont think commercial broadcasters would bother with those services. I hope they also protect children's programming. It's a real benefit having original non cartoon childrens programming without them constantly being bombarded with toy ads.

Having no TV licence is not a recordable offence, and therefore it will not go on anyone’s criminal record.
You cannot be sent to prison for having no TV licence.
It is theoretically possible to be sent to prison for not paying the fine for having no TV licence but this is extremely unlikely as magistrates can simply deduct the fine from wages or benefits, or order its collection via the bailiffs. I know that 5 people were said to have been sent to prison for non payment in 2018, but I expect that they were sent to prison for other offences, and given a concurrent sentence for the TV licence fine as a device to write it off.
Magistrates are extremely unlikely to imprison a single mother for non payment of a fine for any offence, never mind an offence of no TV licence.

I'b be delighted for the license fee to be scrapped and I'd happily pay for any content that takes my fancy.

There is very little on the bbc that I watch or listen to so it will be much less than the license fee amount. Companies like Netflix often buy the most popular bbc programmes and make it available a few months later.

I currently pay as much for Sky TV as I do for my TV license. It is unfair considering that the BBC is less than 1% of my viewing.

Do we need all of the BBC digital channels and radio stations?
Bbc World isn't funded by license fee payers and has a good reputation internationally

They should not be able to make people pay for a licence
Its archaic going back to the days when we only had BBC
Let them put ads on instead
We've all got used to them
Why should we pay for a license for out TV when we pay for Netflix and Amazon prime
BBC could instead offer subscription only but... They would probably go out of business