Do I NEED a TV licence?

[NoTVlicencehere]

Hello all - I have changed my name for this as a group of us were talking about this today, I dont want to ruin my MN privacy!

We have a tv that we use occasionally (sp?) for watching dvds and videos on, it is in the lounge.

The aerial is in another room entirely!

When we moved to this house last year I moved the tv licence to this address for a month or so, essentially so that we could watch The Olympics! I cancelled it after that.

The licencing authority sent a letter saying they would visit to check, they havent...... yet!

The crucial questions are

1 Do I need a licence for a tv that I only ever watch dvds or videos on?

2 If I watch programmes on the internet, BBCiplayer etc is that illegal without a licence?

3 I am practically glued to my digital radio all day long! Do I need a licence for this?

I hope that makes sense

I really really dont want to get into trouble

MissAnthrope, ivykate, you are my heros! Thankyou

Hmmmmmmmmm should that be heroes........

Not strictly true about disabling your rooftop aerial - they could probably argue you could use a portable aerial.

But it comes down to getting caught at the end of the day. They can track a signal down to a very closely defined geographical area so if there was any TV watching at all and you were unlucky enough to be doing this while the van was outside, you could be slapped with a huge fine.

But if you are not watching TV they cannot track a signal so you will not be able to be caught.

One thing worth knowing is that these people have hugely extensive legal powers and don't need a warrant to enter your premises, just like Customs people don't.

TV licence officials can only enter your property if you let them in. It's highly unlikely they would be given a warrant to force entry. You don't have to answer the door to them.

As regards having a TV in your house, you don't need a licence if it is not being used to view/record live TV, as has been said above. The simple fact of having a TV in your home isn't an offence. The OP has made it clear she doesn't watch live TV whether on her TV or PC so she doesnt need a licence, nor does she have any reason to be concerned. OP, as a belt and braces approach, you could get rid of your aerial cable and/or any portable aerial you might have, that way you are beyond reproach

If you solder the aireal point in the back of your tv - then no airel will work, regardless of whether it is on the roof on the tv or on the top of a wardrobe.

They have to prove you are guilty and you can defend yourself and if the tv is not capable of recieving signal due to no airel then it will be difficult to prove that you do watch tv. The tv licencing pick their battles to win and therfore are unlikely to take you to court knowing they could lose and have costs.

Only 5 warrents were issued in 2008, so not many battles they are picking.

A question I often get asked is whether you need a TV licence to watch BBC programmes over the internet.

At the moment, the legal position is that you don't need a licence to watch TV purely on-demand, but you do if you are watching TV live (through any receiving device in the home).

So a live simulcast over the web from the BBC - of, say, the Beijing Olympics - will require a TV licence, but watching an on-demand (non-live) stream or download through the BBC iPlayer will not.

The Help section for the iPlayer confirms the position under "Will I need a TV licence to watch programmes on BBC iPlayer?" It states that:

You do not need a television licence to watch television programmes on the current version of the BBC iPlayer. You will need to be covered by a TV licence if and when the BBC provides a feature that enables you to watch 'live' TV programmes on any later version of the BBC iPlayer which has this option... A 'live' TV programme is a programme which is watched or recorded at the same time (or virtually the same time) as it is being broadcast... [etc]

This raises the next question: "so is the iPlayer undermining the licence fee?".

Well, the number of homes that currently have no television licence, but that do have broadband subscription is currently estimated to be infinitesimally small. The chances are if you want to watch BBC TV programmes via catch-up over the web, you are also watching some BBC programmes at other times, live or time-shifted, via a TV set, and will already have a TV licence.

If we saw, over time, that some people stopped receiving live broadcasts at all, stopped paying their licence fee, but continued to consume televison programmes, solely on-demand through the iPlayer (or other players), then we might have to consider talking to the Government about Part 4 of the Communications Act 2003 and the Communications (Television Licensing) Regulations 2004, so that they can then consider whether on-demand tv viewing might be brought within its aegis.

Try this link:
www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcinternet/2008/01/iplayer_does_not_require_a_tv_1.html

What BluesandTwos said.

No, you don't need a TV licence to watch DVDs, videos, iplayer...

They will continue to harass you though. Really hacks me off and is one of the reasons we don't have a telly.

as far as i am aware the problem arises with the TV Licence people if you have a TV (that you only use for watching DVD's/games consoles) but which has receiving equipment intact. The fact remains that if you wanted to you could plug it into the ariel and receive BBC programming. This is why they get their knickers in a twist.

An aquaintance of mine ran an electrical business, and TV sales/repair/maintenance was part of his business. He said in recent years he's developed a fair bit of business removing the receiving equipment from televisions so that they cannot receive a signal. I don't know whether this can be done to all televisions or not, but if you want to keep the TV to have a bigger screen for DVD's and gaming, without the worry of having the licencing people knocking on your door then maybe you could look into having this done.

MissAnthrope is correct.

You do not need a TV licence just for having a TV. You do not need a TV licence even if you have both a TV and an aerial, as long as you never watch TV. As far as I am aware you can legally even have the TV connected to the aerial without a TV licence as long as you never watch it!

The problem is that some dishonest people do claim they are only using the TV for watching DVDs etc, and unplug it from the aerial when the TV licensing people come to check - this is why people are so iffy on the law, they try and tell you all sorts to scare you into buying one anyway in case you are lying to them. If everyone was honest, etc etc.

They don't have any way of knowing whether you are receiving a TV signal or not - that is a myth.

You don't need a TV license to watch iplayer, at the moment, because programmes are not on iplayer until after they have been broadcast. (This has been covered earlier in the thread)

You need to write to the TV license people and explain that although you own the receiving equipment you are not using it. They will probably still send you 637 letters a year but you'll just have to ignore them, I'm afraid. Oh and you definitely don't need any kind of licence for listening to radio, that was abolished years ago.

Get a black and white one for £46, they never check as long as you have one.

I think it should be done away with tbh, outdated form of tax

There's a lot of erroneous information here.

You DO NOT need a Tv license to watch tv on your pc or Tv even SO LONG AS IT IS NOT BEING BROADCAST ON THE PC AS IT IS SHOWN LIVE. So itv catch up etc...all fine. (I have my pc connected to my tv and watch 40D on it... My ariel has been disconnected too and the ariel socket on the tv disabled...so essentially my tv is just a big screen.

And the Tv License people CANNOT just enter your home without a warrant !!!

Here are some points taken from:

www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/TV_Licence

A TV licence is not required to watch on-demand programming online (iPlayer 4oD etc.) regardless of whether the computer is plugged in or not. If however you use the computer to watch live TV as it is broadcast (i.e. Watching a stream of BBC One online) then you need a licence unless you are exempt for another reason

On the issue of detector vans. The BBC has long heralded these and has made many fantastical claims about them. Some people believe that TVs send out no signals. This is not strictly true. The LO (local oscillator) does generate some electromagnetic radiation which can be spotted with a spectrum analyser. How ever this radiation is not distinguishable as a TV and can be spotted at best from a meter away. Further Capita (who work on behalf of the BBC) could use a very sensitive directional microphone and a TV listing guide, how ever this is unlikely. They have how ever been known to stick an omni-directional microphone through the letter box.

How ever non of the above actually matters. For one simple reason. The BBC/capita have never used "detector van" evidence in court. For somewhat dubious reasons. The BBC claim that it would damage their detection ratings and public perception* of the devices if this evidence were to be used, as it would have to be accessible to the defence.

The TV Licensing Organisation (TVL), which is outsourced by the BBC to a company called Capita, monitor TV licence evasion. They have numerous investigation officers and send a good number of threatening letters even if they have no evidence to suggest that a television is owned. A few things should be noted when dealing with them:

• They don't have any more rights than any other saleman. They cannot come into your home without a warrant or your (or any other owner/occupier's permission)

• All enquiry officers carry identification cards which they should show. The enquiry officer must state the purpose of the visit.

• You don't have to have any dealings with them whatsoever. You have every right not to inform them if you don't need a licence, you can shut the door in their faces, you do not have to give your name to them or sign any documents they present you with.

• If you do allow an enquiry officer to come in, they will carry out a brief inspection of the main living areas. If they are satisfied there is no TV set, they can authorise a 'stop on contact' for four years. This means that no one will contact you about your TV Licence for four years.

• If you do not let the enquiry officer in, they may apply to a magistrates' court (sheriff court in Scotland) for a search warrant. They can do this only if there is good reason to suspect an offence has been committed. Refusal to allow entry to an enquiry officer is not, in itself, enough to justify anyone applying for a search warrant.

• The moment a TVL man suspects you of breaking the law (instead of just making 'general inquiries') then he must only interview you under caution in the same way a police officer does. Otherwise any confession you make will be inadmissible in court.

• Their employees are not given criminal records checks. In a few documented occasions, they have assaulted people going about their lawful business. As with any door-to-door callers, be very wary of them. Consider not answering the door to them if you are in alone. This will also help should you not need a licence and they try to pin something on you - they are given commission for every successful prosecution made.

• You live in Britain, not some bloody fascist dictatorship, despite what many people will try to tell you. You are innocent until proven guilty and don't have to answer for anything. Most of what TVL get up to is smoke and mirrors anyway... don't be scared of their 'final demand', 'notice of investigation' or 'notice of impending prosecution' letters. If they had any evidence to prosecute you, they wouldn't be sending you letters about it, you'd be getting a court summons.