To ask if you have stopped paying your TV Licence?

[GodDamnITBarbs]

Basically that?
I understand a lot of people have just stopped paying.

Yup! We just watch streaming channels through our Xbox - tv license is just an unnecessary expense.

Yes. I don't watch or use any of the services so it felt daft to be still paying for it.

No, I pay.

And (before anyone spouts this nonsense) you have to pay for it if you watch ANY live TV, not just BBC.

I don't pay. I only watch a couple of programmes on live TV so I'm not paying £159 a year for 2 or 3 shows.

And (before anyone spouts this nonsense) you have to pay for it if you watch ANY live TV, not just BBC.

I think those of us who don't pay are well aware of this. I honestly don't know many people who watch live TV. Most people use streaming services.

I haven't "just stopped paying". I filled in the declaration form and they send a confirmation you don't need a licence.

Which, although true, is utter nonsense. It would be like having to give Ford £100 a year just to drive any brand of car.

The recent fucking insane royal mournefest has pushed me over the edge into cancelling.

'Stopping paying' makes it sound like you are making a statement / trying to get round things.

'No longer needing a TV license' would be more accurate.

We don't use streaming services, watch a lot of live TV, and listen to Radio4. I'm very happy to pay our license fee as I suspect it's cheaper than forking out for netflix or whatever.

We stopped paying and don’t watch live TV or BBC.

To be honest I don't even think I did this. I just cancelled the direct debit. I don't need the service so I don't pay for it not sure why I need to actively tell them I don't want it.

If I didn't want prime I wouldn't message them to say I don't want it. I would just make the choice to not pay for it.

It was to stop them turning up at my home.

I think there's a lot wrong with the system but I'm not going to stand around arguing with them about it. I also didn't want endless letters so took the route they ask you to take.

No, because I still watch it, but also because I think we need the BBC (flawed as it is) more than ever in today's political environment.

If you don't want to pay, then just don't watch it and you don't have to.

You don't have argue with them you can just ignore them they have zero powers to enter your house.

"If I didn't want prime I wouldn't message them to say I don't want it. I would just make the choice to not pay for it."

Then you'd be billed as usual on your net payment date because they're not psychic.

No because I use the BBC’s services a lot still and out of all my media subscriptions this would be one of the last to go for me.

We don’t watch live tv but use iPlayer occasionally so still pay for a licence.

Yes about 15 years ago I had some aggressive little man knock my door one-day to ask if he could come in my house to check that I didn’t have a television. I said no. He went away never heard anything from them since

Apparently we have just stopped ours as a letter came in the post today. My dad's been threatening the BBC quietly for years and that's one of 'his' bills 😂 shame as I was enjoying frozen planet two and I like the apprentice when it's on.

I don’t pay a tv lic but I didn’t just stop paying. I went online & declared I don’t need it anymore etc & then cancelled DD. I only have Prime & Netflix so didn’t need it.

I still pay. I watch mostly BBC & ITV live

I meant if I'd never wanted the service in the first place not if I had a contract with them and decided not to pay. Sorry I thought I'd made that clear.

If you don't want to use a streaming service like prime you simply choose not to use them. You don't contact them and say you're not interested in using them so it feels odd to me that I have to actively tell the BBC I'm not interested in their service instead of just choosing not to use it.

I've never had any problems since cancelling no visits or any letters either.

I still pay. Each time I vaguely consider stopping, something seems to happen where I want to watch live TV (which I believe includes iplayer etc. I assume it also includes anything I record on Tivo & watch later if it's broadcast live??)

No. I watch and listen to loads of bbc. I still circle programmes to watch in the TV guide.

I don't have the patience or time to watch streaming TV. I just want background TV news, radio and one decent programme at 9pm.

If Ford were legally obliged to build all types of vehicle irrespective of commercial viability and to provide access to vehicles to the general public then the comparison would be fairer.

The licence fee is a government tax on the users of broadcast TV under the Broadcasting act.

Currently the licence fee funds primarily the BBC (including the world service) but also includes funding going into the Freeview consortium (which includes ITV & Sky putting in funding) to ensure that digital TV channels (by members and non members) are provided throughout the UK without the need to subscribe to satellite or cable

The licence fee also funded Channel 4, but they opted out in recent years to remove the legislative obligations that came with the fee.

I filled their online cancellation form about 10 days ago.

I realised I had not turned on my TV for about a year and never watch live TV ( any channels) anymore.

I also did it out of principle because I believe the BBC , especially its news programmes, has lost its independence and just became a government propaganda mouthpiece in the past couple of years.

It has failed to report critically on Covid and Brexit and I thought the non-stop Queen's death coverage was over the top.

I am also not paying for the salaries of client journalists like Laura Kuenssberg who propped up the corrupt Johnson government.

It is sad in a way as I used to respect the BBC so much but they have done themselves incredible damage.