WHY in this day and age are we FORCED to BUY a T.V. license ?

Question

ONLY the B.B.C. charge up front to watch their programmes, leaving us NO choice BUT to pay IF we have a television.
None payment turns us into criminals, JUSTICE, I think NOT.

Does anyone agree / not agree and why.

This applies to people here in the UK.
To own and receive ANY tv programmes it is compulsory to have a TV license, whether you watch the BBC or not.

Answer 1

I totally agree. Why can't we have a system where you could get the BBC if you are willing to pay the TV licence or if your not then you just don't receive the BBC channels but get all the others.

Answer 2

If they changed the law tommorow so you only had to pay if you watched any bbc channels or listened to any bbc radio stations, then millions of people would just lie and say that they don't watch it, and therefore not pay. The bbc would be plunged into a funding crisis and programmes would suffer. There would be chaos in the broadcasting industry. However, with the UK moving fast towards a digitally dominated age, the technology will no doubt exist to know exactly what channels a given household is watching. Then, there may be a reasonable case for changing the law.

Also, I would be totally AGAINST privitisation of the bbc! Once the main agenda becomes profit based, you're opening a whole can of worms. At the moment, the bbc caters for specialist interests, but if it were privatised, it is highley questionalble whether that would continue. Radio 1 for example has been consistently voted the best radio station in the world for credible dance music. No commercial entity in the world would be as commited to such cult things as this because maximum profit is always the main concern and that means prioritising tv and radio programs that appeal to the widest audience and stuff the minority. Also, i wouldn't be able to put up with adverts on the bbc. It's bad enough having to put up with being patronised by them on all the other channels!

I have to say though, after channel 4 and E4, BBC 1 is the best channel in the UK, closely followed by sky 1. I mean there is just no comparisum between it and the crap they have on ITV (aka Granny/Saddo TV!). Most of the 500 or so channels on sky are a load of crap aswell. I mean hardly any of them actually produce any tv do they. They either buy it in from the US or elsewhere, or it's just repeats from the main 4 channels.

Tv as we know it will have had it's day soon anyway, and on demand services will take over. As ever, channel 4 is at the forefront of this with their new 4OD service. The bbc do need to get their act in gear though to keep up, hence their justification for the increase in the license fee. I just hope they don't use the fact that they didn't get all the extra money they wanted as an excuse for not producing quality programmes and media services. They should stop wasting so much money on trying to get OAP's to sign up to digital aswell. If they haven't got it by now, they either can't afford it but know all about it already, or they're just too stupid too understand it, in which case they'll get a shock when the government start switching the analog signal off at the end of the decade!

Answer 3

...Because if you didn't you would be stealing television images. Since the channels are recievable on any tv set without special apparatus (except maybe and aerial lead or something!) its easier to charge everyone that has a tv than it is to charge only those that watch the BBC. Think about it, how would it work? Right no license, but you have to pay i dont know 2p for every minute you watch terrestrial television. Would probably work out more expensive over the course of a year. It just wouldnt work because unfortnately 'in this day and age' nobody can be trusted to tell the truth. All will cut corners where there are corners to cut.

Answer 4

it isn't right and with the recent rise just agreed by parliment, the bbc are still complaining it isnt enough. i pay for sky tv and do not watch the bbc channels at all. and what are we paying for? repeats. and "comedys" the word itself is a joke. i pay be direct debit and am actually charged an extra fiver for the privelige! how screwed up is that? we cant win tho. if we boycott then we get taken to court and screwed there putting more money in the governments greedy little paws. i dont see why there isnt a system where if we dont pay we dont receive. they wont abolish the licence cos the bbc would have to compete for viewers and they know they aint up to the challenge. rant over!

Answer 5

Maybe in the days when the BBC was turning out quality programmes they could justify the licence as they didn't have adverts. But now all the other channels support themselves by advertising, I dont see why the BBC shouldn't. They are no longer at the forefront of broadcasting, and to make us all pay for one channel is unfair. Although the powers that be will tell you that the licence is for having receiving equipment. But it does all go to the BBC.

Answer 6

I think the BBC should do what ITV & Channel 4 do - they don't have advert breaks on a massive scale, like the cable channels - & could still generate enough revenue to pay for programmes like BB or Deal or No Deal. I doubt they'd be decent programmes (nothing the BBC ever produces IS good), but at least we wouldn't be paying for it.

Answer 7

I agree, we should have the option to whether or not we recieve BBC programs. But basically the TV licence is for any equipment capable of transmiting or recieving TV programs too. Its just like the council tax we are forced to pay it - and what for, they still charge us extra for things that should be covered by this. Make us recycle and get rid of our own rubbish, water meters, the roads are a disgrace, the police are never around when you need them. Thats right you end up in court for non payment.

Answer 8

It is an absolutely stupid policy. I own a TV, is it compulsury I watch BBC? If not why should I be made to pay for what I don't watch?

If its possible to subscribe to stations you want to watch, then BBC should charge those who watch their programmes.

The UK TV License is simply charging people for a service they don't use or apply for.

The true name of the license should be the BBC license.

Answer 9

the licence is not to watch bbc progs, but a governmment tax to own and use a television set! Even if you NEVER watch bbc, you must still have a licence to watch the others .
I forsee a time in the not too distant future, when we will need a licence to use a COMPUTER to watch tv progs on If you look at the licence, you will see it refers to any equipment capable of receiving tv signals or words to that effect

Answer 10

I agree, we should at least have a choice as to whether we receive BBC channels or not. Fair enough the BBC don't make money selling advertisement time but with all of the phone-insthat they do these days you'd have thought they make quite enough money to at least lower the prices of licences!