TV licence fee could be replaced by broadband levy, says BBC
Told you so. Photograph: Shutterstock
The BBC has said the television licence fee could ultimately be replaced by a monthly levy on broadband connections, in response to the UK government’s proposals to decriminalise non-payment of the licence fee. From - https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/mar/31/tv-licence-fee-could-be-replaced-by-broadband-levy-says-bbc
Well Auntie finally worked it out.
I worked this out for her in 2014, but better late than never I guess! See https://ukfree.tv/article/1107052191/BBC_2017_Tell_me_about_the_16_options_to_collect_t
Funding method: Broadband bill tax
- How it works: Tax on having a broadband
- Who pays: 21.7m households pay £14 per month (or £11.50 per month if 5m mobile broadband also pay)
- Who uses: Everyone
- Collected by: BT, Virgin Media, Sky, TalkTalk and others
- Pros: Easy to collect from small number of private companies
- Cons: : Basically the TV Licence by another name. Could slow down broadband take-up.
This will be revenue neutral for most homes. For most people it would just have the added convenience of making the payment on an existing communications bill. There is certain logic to having the BBC services linked to broadband, especially going forward.
Read more here https://ukfree.tv/article/1107052191/BBC_2017_Tell_me_about_the_16_options_to_collect_t
Wednesday, 1 April 2020
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Simon Pryce12:38 PM
the BBC is not a 'special case', and hasn't been since commercial tv started in 1955. However lawful the system tries to make it, it is quite unethical and manifestly unfair to continue to force those who have no wish to use their services to support those who do. Its time the BBC entered the real world, encrypted anything it doesn't want us to see for free, and made that content so desirable, that people are willing to pay for it. Now you are suggesting that having made broadband an almost essential part of everyday life it should be taxed
I've never had to buy a licence from Vauxhall Motors yet, just so that I can drive a Ford, and any attempt to introduce such a system would be regarded as ludicrous. ts high time that the same principle was applied to broadcasting.
To give an example of just how restrictive the current situation is, as a licenced Radio Amateur, while I can transmit my own TV pictures, should I wish to receive those of another Amateur, I have to buy a licence from the BBC first. Why ??
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John Martin1:37 PM
As such a left wing anti establishment company paid for by tax payers it is time we got rid off the fee and they should be paid for by advertising like other broadcasters. Maybe then boring people like Norton, Linekar and Bruce might have to earn their extortiant wages.
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Chris.SE3:28 PM
Simple, it should be funded through general taxation to do all the PSB responsibilities - those that can afford to pay would be paying, those that don't earn enough aren't. And that could be supplemented by advertising for all the other stuff they want to do. I do NOT agree with subscription!
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If you don't use their services, you don't pay the licence fee. If you use the roads in a car you have to pay a tax.
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The BBC isn't left-wing or right-wing, as you can see when both extremes say it favours the other one.
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Chris.SE9:24 PM
David Mansell:
Even if you don't use any BBC services, if you watch ANY live TV you need a TV licence!
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Thursday, 2 April 2020
So the BBC's response to the consultation on decriminalising the licence fee is to devise another protectionist racket, ignoring the low-paid and smaller providers. It's just another outrageous tax on people whether they watch TV or not and shows how out of touch the BBC has become. It produces a tiny number of worthwhile TV programmes and rather more on radio, but its dominant presence in news and current affairs allows it to spew out an incessant stream of globalist, anti-British prpoganda, supported by the rest of the MSM. In recent years it has lost the trust of many ordinary people, it's audience is diminishing and it needs to be cut down to size.
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Saturday, 4 April 2020
We should all be very concerned about veiled attacks on the BBC whether from government or others. We should value this service as an inherent part of our democracy. Sure there are flaws but we dismantle the Beeb to our great cost. They produce great programmes of all types. The journalism is top notch with excellent programmes from Newsnight and PM and countless others. The license fee is something we should all be happy to subscribe to except of course where people need help. Same with the NHS... we should all want to support and contribute to excellent healthcare... especially currently. The BBC needs to seriously address its wage structures but we undermine it at our peril as a democratic nation.
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Monday, 6 April 2020
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Declan4:28 PM
I must bite my tongue. The BBC will always do what they want so just let them get on with it. But let me tell you this what ever Tax they place on another service I will personal stop using the said service forever and if the bbc wants to fight I think they need to think about there personal responsibility previous staff choices, some would say that a lot of people have paid the price For life through Saville.
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Tuesday, 7 April 2020
The best thing about the BBC is that the programmes are not stopped for 3 to 5 minutes of advertising every few minutes and one can watch a programme or film uninterrupted. I cannot envisage a better system in which the vast bulk of the nation can listen or watch uninterrupted programmes although a way will have to be found to restore free licenses for over 75s as is the wish of the government.
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