TV license

victor

victor

Antediluvian as Feck
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I'm not sure how it is in other countries, but over here we have a so-called "TV license", which is basically an extra tax applied to you (although not automatically) if you own and use a TV, or any appliance with a TV/Radio receiver. I don't pay it. While frankly, the risk of getting caught is minimal, since it's based on agents going door to door, it's still quite expensive. I think it's something of the order of 250 euros a year. And the point of this fee? To uphold and maintain public access channels. Personally, I think these (three) channels are crap, I never watch them, and despite arguments against me, I think they were overrun by other, more accessible media like the Internet and newspapers ages ago. Basically, I don't feel the need to pay 250 euros a year to watch dogma documentaries about badgers' struggle in a war-torn Sudan, or (this is actually true) a reality show about wife-swapping.

As I haven't even turned on the TV in weeks, I was about to throw it out (it's also very ugly and old), since if I do get a fine, by some very unlucky event, I don't want to pay for something I never use, but my roommate protested, so it's basically his now. Incidentally, he got a fine/fee to pay because he didn't have the balls to tell the agent to fuck off when he came knocking; "I have a TV, but it's in the closet". Yeah, pal, he's going to go for that...
 
GEZ. Awful thing that.

The agents are private employees, so they have no special rights and resort to invasion of privacy (looking into your mailbox, digging through your litter, anything to find evidence to base an appeal to court for legal investigation on).

I don't pay the fee. I don't even have to, being a student and all that. I just can't be arsed to make it official because I don't want to be hogged once I stop being a student.

What's ridiculous is that they now even count internet access (i.e. computers connected to the internet) in addition to already basing the fee on a per-device basis (i.e. if you own multiple TV sets or computers, you're screwed).

A committee even established that they have been abusing the money for illegitimate purposes in the past year, but there's no real consequences to that, so the raise was approved with the justification that they need more money.

I don't watch the public channels much. I don't enjoy TV much at all. I most certainly never watch any public programmes via the Internet. If it wasn't for my girlfriend, I wouldn't even own a TV.

BTW, if any of the Germans here ever get a visit, point them to the constitution and say "§13", then close the door. If they keep on pestering you, that's invasion of privacy and illegal -- sue them (preferably if you are NOT applicable for the fee).
 
In sweden you are allowed to keep the tv in a shed (that would be any kind of storage not directly interconnected to your house/apartment) without paying the license fee. So if they ask you know what to say. If they call the cops (which they theoretically could do. Theoretically) just carry it there while you wait for them to come.

Luckily cops have better things to do.
 
The agents here have no authority whatsoever, either. Under no cirumstances do you have to let them in, but they can report you if they "hear" a TV, without even entering your apartment. Even if you get to skip the fee, it's still tons of annoying paperwork.

All in all, it feels like a relic of older times, when the State thought it could control information. Hell, other channels weren't even allowed to exist before the late 80's. Now that it's realizing information can't be controlled in a country that's already civilized, it's kind of letting go. There's already talk in the new right-wing government to skip the fee altogether, or at least make it optional.
 
Technically, in Germany, only "ready" devices count. I'd wager that could mean "plugged in and ready to be switched on", but as far as I know it usually only excludes broken or otherwise inoperable devices.

Also "device" is rather vague. I suppose a radio receiver built with a children's electronics kit would count if you keep it around.
 
I dont know, i got to watch heros last night, without any adverts.

I only watch a few programmes these days, ive seriosly given up watching smallville as there are just to many advert breaks.
 
That's usually an argument for public service channels, but with all the adverts they have for their own shows, it pretty much takes as much time as regular advert breaks on commercial channels.

Hell, a couple of years back they had a 40 second commercial about how they didn't have any commercials.
 
That's usually an argument for public service channels, but with all the adverts they have for their own shows, it pretty much takes as much time as regular advert breaks on commercial channels.
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you must be watching a different BBC than me.
 
German public service channels have pretty much the same amount of advertising as privately owned channels.

And they waste a good portion of the budget on airing volksmusik during the prime time! It's not even oompah, it's the worst kind of schlager. Like pop music for your grandma.

And they excuse that by claiming they're upholding cultural values. Bah. Where's the culture if the only programmes with intellectual content are aired after 10 pm or whenever nobody is watching?
 
Overseer, that's a rip-off. I have 3 dishes and they all catch different satellites. I have 4 TV's and only one official decoder and 3 japanese decoders called openbox, which are paired with the original one, thus i can watch 4 different channels at those 4 different TV places at the same time, thus i only pay for one every month. And i have an internet connection to them and hack all premier, multivision, porn and othet packs (which are for monthly fee) and get them for free. And every time those fuckers change the gate codes, my system automatically gets the new cracked codes and i can watch it for free again. 10000+ working channels.

EDIT: 80+ porn channels. Yeah baby!
 
BBC License Fee, although I personally don't pay it (wahey for still being a child and thus living with parents), I support - Here in sunny Angleterre the best TV (and radio) is from the BBC, so it's in my own best interests to pay. ITV and Channel Four are the shite. In the bad way.
 
wow... Licenses to own/operate TV's ... You know if they imposed that here in the USA there would be a fat man protest in every corner of the country. At one point a friend and I had nearly a dozen TV's all lined up against each other on a wall. Generally here in the US, older TV's are a dime a dozen. Especially since the flat panel plasma/lcd revolution and even then, those TV's are not that pricey.
 
we have "kijk & luister geld", or look & listen money/tax. :P

it's a rather small amount of money each year for maintaining the public channels. i dont really mind it. there's a lot of public tv and radio, and quality is acceptable.
 
ZDF, a major public service channel in Germany, is full of religious Protestant opinion pieces and fairly recently even aired a political/social/whatever/intellectual talkshow where Uri Geller appeared and was basically wooed for his astonishing powahs.

I most definitely don't intend to pay for that. It's not even anywhere NEAR the educational purpose those channels are supposed to have.
 
I am totaly agenst the TV licence in the UK, it only pays for the BBC an I don't watch it.

Me an a friend talked about this a while ago an we come to the consensus that if you don't watch the BBC you shouldn't have to pay. There is talk about them trying to raise the cost for a licence if you use HD.
 
In my country, public radio and television are mostly supported by public donations. There is some limited government and corporate support.

Sometimes, I think it is a horrible model. Other times, I am glad that public broadcast is relatively free from government money and the politics attached to it.

Since something like 70% of Americans have cable and/or satellite, and there are a lot of fees and taxes associated with both, I suppose we have an indirect form of TV tax, but I believe it all goes to regulation instead of public interest.
 
Muff said:
Me an a friend talked about this a while ago an we come to the consensus that if you don't watch the BBC you shouldn't have to pay.
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I kinda agree with this - there should be some sort of prrof involved that you do actually use the service that the licence fee pays for, or an option to use a doctored TV that is not able to show these channels.

Personally though, I don't have a TV at home (I do have two old ones at my parent's house, but I never bothered to take them with me) and find it difficult to watch when in another's house. We'd do well to stop watching it entirely.
 
Ah-Teen said:
Damn, no. In the US our PBS are paid for by donation. Works for us just fine.
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Yep, the second I see those phone numbers on the screen and the promotional tote bags being opened, I'm already back on something being shilled by Mountain Dew and Microsoft.
 
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