The Future of the BBC

[Beef Oven!]

The point that we made in our submission was less about the actual cost but about the social consequences. This was also what the committee said: "Our view is that the justification for criminal penalties for non-payment of the TV licence fee and the way TV licensing enforcement is carried out is anachronistic and out of proportion with responses to non-payment for other services. "

We said:

"The licence fee has served the BBC well over the years but the inescapable fact is that it is an inherently regressive mechanism for raising funds, with the burden falling disproportionately on the poor/women who bear the brunt of prosecutions, fines and ultimately imprisonment if they cannot pay the fines."

So 'only 39p a day' didn't come into it.

But if one considers ability to pay, it is perverse not to consider the price. I'm thinking about your "less well off who find it hard to pay".

[french frank]

But if one considers ability to pay, it is perverse not to consider the price. I'm thinking about your "less well off who find it hard to pay".

The TV licensing website says: "Spread the cost of your colour TV Licence in weekly or monthly payments, from around £5.60 per week." I assume this is because you have 26 weeks to pay in full, not 52 weeks. There didn't seem to be an option of 39p per day. I think there are people who would find it hard to find £5.60 per week.

[Beef Oven!]

The TV licensing website says: "Spread the cost of your colour TV Licence in weekly or monthly payments, from around £5.60 per week." I assume this is because you have 26 weeks to pay in full, not 52 weeks. There didn't seem to be an option of 39p per day. I think there are people who would find it hard to find £5.60 per week.

So change it to 52 weeks!!!!!!!!!! £2.78

Then people will not have to go to prison!

[french frank]

So change it to 52 weeks!!!!!!!!!!

'Weekly payments: you pay for your first licence in 26 weekly payments.'

[Beef Oven!]

'Weekly payments: you pay for your first licence in 26 weekly payments.'

Then change it to "you pay for your first licence in 52 weekly payments".

Never has there been a simpler answer to such a big problem (poor and/or women going to prison).

[teamsaint]

So, no thoughts about the coming controls on iplayer? As a non techie, I would assume that this brings with it the possibility of subscriptions for certain services, as well as actual paywall type barriers to accessing services, rather than the current tickbox to say that one has a licence?


To play along with Beefy for a while, he has a certain point. Perhaps the BBC would win more friends by adding value to the services provided from licence fee, rather than adding barriers to access.

[Beef Oven!]

So, no thoughts about the coming controls on iplayer? As a non techie, I would assume that thhis brings with it the possibility of subscriptions for certain services, as well as actual paywall type barriers to accessing services, rather than the current tickbox to say that one has a licence?

I'm not a big fan of TV, but I like to watch MOTD. Increasingly often, I get out-voted by my family and can't tune in.

Do you mean that I could have just watched it on my laptop with iPlayer as it is being broadcast?

I thought iPlayer was just a 'watch again' facility.

[teamsaint]

I'm not a big fan of TV, but I like to watch MOTD. Increasingly often, I get out-voted by my family and can't tune in.

Do you mean that I could have just watched it on my laptop with iPlayer as it is being broadcast?

I thought iPlayer was just a 'watch again' facility.

Yes.


No.

But you have to promise that you do have a licence.




FF isn't allowed to watch MOTD live on line, for example. Well, not in her own house, at least.

[Beef Oven!]

Yes.


No.

But you have to promise that you do have a licence.

FF isn't allowed to watch MOTD live on line, for example.

OMG!! That's what they (family) meant when they said "can't you watch it on your laptop?" I thought they meant "can you watch it on your laptop"?

Of course I've got a licence!!! Always had one since I left home and went to university.

[french frank]

Quite right that you can watch the live online stream on your laptop if you have a home licence.

Team, I take your point that the iPlayer 'controls' could lead to a separate subscription, but I didn't gather that that was what was being proposed at the moment. I thought it was On Demand being freely available to non licence fee payers. This seems to be the main suggestion:

"243. We believe that conditional access offers opportunities to ensure that only those households who have paid a licence fee or its equivalent would be able to access BBC or television services. Introducing a means of authorising access to television services would solve the criminalisation issue associated with non-payment of the television licence. However, as there would be significant costs attached with the widespread introduction of conditional access technology, the Government would need to decide over what timescale it should be introduced."

'Or its equivalent' presumably means subscription ...

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I thought iPlayer was just a 'watch again' facility.

The i-Player is, but you can also watch live television on your laptop (/smartphone/whatever): if you go to the BBC Homepage, there's a "panel" at the top of the page with "News, Sport, Weather, i-Player, TV, Radio, More" - click on the "TV" option and you get the full BBC TV schedules together with the option "Watch Live". Click on your programme of choice, and a pop-up asks you to confirm that you have a TV licence, click "yes" and you get to watch the programme as it is broadcast.


Rather confusingly, this panel is also at the top of the i-Player Homepage, too - so it might seem as if you're watching Live telly on the i-Player.

[Beef Oven!]

The i-Player is, but you can also watch live television on your laptop (/smartphone/whatever): if you go to the BBC Homepage, there's a "panel" at the top of the page with "News, Sport, Weather, i-Player, TV, Radio, More" - click on the "TV" option and you get the full BBC TV schedules together with the option "Watch Live". Click on your programme of choice, and a pop-up asks you to confirm that you have a TV licence, click "yes" and you get to watch the programme as it is broadcast.


Rather confusingly, this panel is also at the top of the i-Player Homepage, too - so it might seem as if you're watching Live telly on the i-Player.

Many thanks ferneyhoughgeliebte

I just gone on the site an' it works!!!

Never knew that.

Amazing what you get for a mere £2.78 per week

[french frank]

I wonder what the position is if you watch MOTD on your laptop in a local cayfe with WiFi access. Or on the bus Licences aren't personal, are they - they relate to addresses.

[teamsaint]

Quite right that you can watch the live online stream on your laptop if you have a home licence.

Team, I take your point that the iPlayer 'controls' could lead to a separate subscription, but I didn't gather that that was what was being proposed at the moment. I thought it was On Demand being freely available to non licence fee payers. This seems to be the main suggestion:

"243. We believe that conditional access offers opportunities to ensure that only those households who have paid a licence fee or its equivalent would be able to access BBC or television services. Introducing a means of authorising access to television services would solve the criminalisation issue associated with non-payment of the television licence. However, as there would be significant costs attached with the widespread introduction of conditional access technology, the Government would need to decide over what timescale it should be introduced."

'Or its equivalent' presumably means subscription ...

additional subscription services are an obvious next step, once contols are put in place on access. This might be a good thing, of course.
The controls mentioned seem to suggest that all TV viewing should have access controlled, which presumably means digital coding, and a number of technology changes.
I would imagine that controlling iplayer access would be much simpler to implement.

[Beef Oven!]

I wonder what the position is if you watch MOTD on your laptop in a local cayfe with WiFi access. Or on the bus Licences aren't personal, are they - they relate to addresses.

Good question. Wouldn't the person registered at the address be liable?

Cayfe - did you mean that? It's a great combination of cay (tea) and cafe!