TV Licence Super Thread

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ken
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Why bother with the letters? It takes 60 seconds to tell them you don't need a TV licence online.

I appreciate we shouldn't have to do it.

You don't need a licence for NetFlix.

I haven't had a licence for over 10 years, TVL don't have a hoot who lives here, why should I give all my details to them which is exactly what they want so they can get a search warrant.

It takes 5s to bin the monthly mail shot. I'm happy with that.
 
I haven't had a licence for over 10 years, TVL don't have a hoot who lives here, why should I give all my details to them which is exactly what they want so they can get a search warrant.

It takes 5s to bin the monthly mail shot. I'm happy with that.
What on earth makes you think they'll go to all the lengths to obtain a Search Warrant? Unless you are watching live TV and should have a Licence? There are millions of properties now that don't have a Licence, why do you fear you'll be singled out?
 
I haven't had a licence for over 10 years, TVL don't have a hoot who lives here, why should I give all my details to them which is exactly what they want so they can get a search warrant.

It takes 5s to bin the monthly mail shot. I'm happy with that.

They can't get a warranty without some evidence first. Judges don't just dish them out on their word alone.

Even then I don't think they are actually enforceable. A private company can't use it force their way in to someone's house. They aren't even allowed to visit at the moment due to the plague :p
 
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Never seen one

Think I've might have visited once in old house. Unfortunately they visited during daytime when I was out.

Or it might have veg junk mail made to look like a card

Only seen one in 43 years when I was a young teen. Just after my Dad left the military we moved out of my grandparents house and into the new council one and the day after we arrived "The Man" was knocking on the door as we were unpacking everything. I haven't had a licence in well over a decade (I guess 15+ years???) and haven't had any "2 year" e-mail either despite the last TV I bought being in 2012.
 
They absolutely are enforceable and yes, a private company with a warrant could force entry.

Private company employees cannot force entry. Not unless the property owner gives permission. They don't really have the authority even if someone gives them a warrant and they aren't trained. If they mess even one thing up it's an illegal entry. If they try it and the occupier stands in the way there is little they can do without being on shakey ground. Same if they damage anything.
 
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Private company employees cannot force entry. Not unless the property owner gives permission. They don't really have the authority even if someone gives them a warrant and they aren't trained. If they mess even one thing up it's an illegal entry. If they try it and the occupier stands in the way there is little they can do without being on shakey ground. Same if they damage anything.

No, that's simply not correct. Courts can issue warrants to private companies and they can execute them - it often happens in regards to utilities who will get locksmiths to force entry to properties to change meters.
 
No, that's simply not correct. Courts can issue warrants to private companies and they can execute them - it often happens in regards to utilities who will get locksmiths to force entry to properties to change meters.

Utilities are different as they own the meters. The BBC doesn't own the TVs or anything else on the property.
 
That's completely irrelevant, it's the warrant that gives the power of entry.

A warrant gives the POLICE the power to enter.

Random Capita employees can't just turn up on the doorstep and execute a search warrant by force. Otherwise any company would be allowed to do it. Maybe Microsoft will break the door down to make sure you paid for windows lol
 
If you have a high court writ bailiffs can't force their way in but I'm sure they are allowed to enter though open doors even if the owner doesn't want them there.

That is to recover debts, not check if someone is watching TV.

One they decriminalise it the BBC will be forced to change anyway, as you will be able to fully mug them off.
 
A warrant gives the POLICE the power to enter.

No, the warrant gives the persons named on the warrant the power for entry. That doesn't have to be the police.

Random Capita employees can't just turn up on the doorstep and execute a search warrant by force. Otherwise any company would be allowed to do it. Maybe Microsoft will break the door down to make sure you paid for windows lol

No, only companies that have power of enforcement through legislation can enter and search to gather evidence of a criminal offence because the Communications Act specifically name them - that being TV Licensing and their agents. Microsoft or any other random companies don't have this ability.

So let me be clear - Capita as agents of TV licensing could get a warrant to allow them to gain entry to a property if the evidential threshold is met. This doesn't happen very often, but that's not to say it's impossible.
 
I've not watched a series on the BBC all the way through since they cancelled This Week with Andrew Neil, Portillo, and Johnson, since then a couple of docs over the last few years.

Personally, love sci-fi, but Dr. Who is a joke when compared to The Expanse, Amazon Prime just offers a lot more, for less money. It's a really archaic system that runs on nostalgia imo, just to legally watch anything with a live stream you're forced to pay a large sum.

Tying itself to taxpayers cushioned it from competition so much and for so long it's now a dinosaur, bloated, and unable to compete. The BBC brand went from being admired to a sad shadow that's slowly fading away.
 
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They are still stuck in the 90s. But even the shows which used to be good are now terribly written and full of political BS. Dr Who is now just an ongoing race/sexism lecture.
 
If they had freed themselves from the taxpayer in the 90s, during their peak, and really invested in iPlayer when it first launched, they may have been a force today, capitalising on a brand name that once carried a lot of weight. I don't mind political, when it's well done, i loved This Week for that reason, it had both sides on, and debated and informed me, the series about Labour and Thatcher were good, but rare. The rest of what it offers is largely inferior commerical productions. Dr. Who is just cheesy, and bad, the politics hits you over the head, rather than engages you on issues like sexism, racism, identity which can be done well. I'm a centerist, but yes I sometimes do get the lecture vibe which i don't appreciate.
 
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