No TV Licence

[Regulator]

Regulator, did you actually go to the trouble of changing the spelling in your header back to the US version? 

Eh? [Looks at post header]

Oh!  Wasn't me... I just replied to Gruff's post....

[Pancho]

The law states that you need to be covered by a TV Licence if you watch or record television programmes, on any device, as they're being shown on TV. This includes TVs, computers, mobile phones, games consoles, digital boxes and DVD/VHS recorders.

You don't need a licence if you don't use any of these devices to watch or record television programmes as they're being shown on TV - for example, if you use your TV only to watch DVDs or play video games, or you only watch programmes on your computer after they have been shown on TV. If this is the case, please let us know, as this helps us to keep our database up to date and means you won't receive the standard letters we send to unlicensed addresses.

Ha-fucking-ha.

IME, it is impossible to stop them sending you increasingly threatening letters. During our TV-free phase, we phoned them, wrote to them and emailed them on about a monthly basis - telling them that we had no TV and, could they please annotate their database to reflect this.

It never worked and we found the only way to get them off out backs was to buy a TV and TV licence.

However, had they ever paid a visit (which they never did), we would have told them to poke off. They rely on bluster rather than any real powers so failing the attitude test matters not a jot. I mean, what are they going to do? Send yet more letters?

[Charlotte]

failing the attitude test matters not a jot.

Absolutely.  In fact, why not have a little fun with the jobsworth tosspots?

I'd be inclined to answer the door holding an axe and tell them to get off my front step before I have one of my "turns".

[robbo6]

When I was preparing to move, I sent the licence reminder back to the Authority with  a letter saying I was leaving the country, had disposed of my TV and had no need of a licence. A few days later a letter arrived asking to make an appointment for an inspector which I duly did. The inspector arrived at the time arranged, poked his head into the parlour, saw the space where I said the TV had been and left satisfied. That is all it took.

[Butterfly]

If you watch them an hour later or only have a tv tuned to the dvd player, you don't need a licence.

That's not right because you also can't record programmes without a license.  See the above quotes.

I meant on I-player or such, with the DVD soley used for non broadcast dvds. Does that make sense?

[hellymedic]

We've twice been visited by an inspector.
He didn't bother to come into the house first time cos he was convinced my 'I've got a non-TV in the lounge, and kitchen etc' attitude meant I was unlikely to have a TV.
We were left alone for about 3 years after the first visit. David dealt with the next inspector. I don't know if he came into the house; we don't believe in stopping them. If he did, he was gone pdq.

[Butterfly]

We haven't had a single letter or visit since I told them we don't have one. Once each for both residences. I think it might vary according to whose area you fall into.

[Pancho]

We haven't had a single letter or visit since I told them we don't have one. Once each for both residences. I think it might vary according to whose area you fall into.

Or, you never know, maybe they've updated their database to include a "no TV - stop bothering them" flag. It's been a good few years since we were TV-free so things may have improved since then. Certainly hope so as it used to irritate me beyond reason.

[Julian]

I don't know if he came into the house; we don't believe in stopping them.

Do you let burglars and con-artists in too? 

They are not police officers, they have no right whatsoever to come into your property (save if you invite them as you would any visitor).  Members of the public who think their crappy work pass entitles them to entry to my home really irk me.

[Wascally Weasel]

Back when I was a penniless oaf (Copyright Mr Larrington) I was caught for not having a TV licence – I was in a big, multiple occupancy building living in a one room bedsit on the top floor.  My bell rang and the guy at the other end of the intercom said he was from the post office, I buzzed him up thinking it was recorded delivery, on opening the door to him, my TV (on and tuned to Saturday morning cartoons) was clearly visible.  I was fined £200.

[hellymedic]

I don't know if he came into the house; we don't believe in stopping them.

Do you let burglars and con-artists in too? 

Nope.

We do check IDs.

Last burglars let themselves in
by removing a kitchen window.

[gordon taylor]

Do detector vans still exist? i thought "they" could nab you for using a TV without even knocking on the door.

[Regulator]

Detector vans do still exist - but these days TV Licensing tends to depend on handheld detectors and databases.

Everytime someone sells equipment capable of recieving a live broadcast (including computers with TV cards or the cards themselves) they're obliged by law to inform TV Licensing.

[Greenbank]

Do detector vans still exist? i thought "they" could nab you for using a TV without even knocking on the door.

They did exist, not sure they still exist.

They relied on detecting the EM signature of the flyback transformer of a CRT TV, it wasn't very reliable and only if the TV was on the ground floor (or the same level as the van).

It's not good enough evidence to be used for initiating prosecution on its own, but it helped narrow down which door to known on when targeting a bunch of houses that don't have TV licenses.

They have no hope of detecting modern LCD or LED TVs using the same method.

[Cudzoziemiec]

I don't know if he came into the house; we don't believe in stopping them.

Do you let burglars and con-artists in too? 

Nope.

We do check IDs.

Last burglars let themselves in
by removing a kitchen window.

What if they have no IDs? I've never known an electricity/gas/water meter reader in Poland carry ID, but they've never turned into burglars or con artists either. For one of the few countries without official, all-compulsory ID cards, the UK expects an awful lot of people to carry ID!

As for TV licences generally, I'm inclined to think they should be either abolished or made compulsory regardless of possession of TV, but that's probably for another thread.

[hellymedic]

No ID, no entry, unless individual is known to me.

Gas and electricity meters are in cabinet outside house so meter readers never enter anyway.

[Zoidburg]

Detector vans do still exist - but these days TV Licensing tends to depend on handheld detectors and databases.

Everytime someone sells equipment capable of recieving a live broadcast (including computers with TV cards or the cards themselves) they're obliged by law to inform TV Licensing.

Knowing a little about radio signals and direction finding I can tell you that the hand held detectors are complete and utter bullshit.

Non existant, hoo-doo voo-doo mumbo jumbo cooked up to scare the natives.

[keepontriking]

I have just received threatening letter No.19  

One has dropped through the letter box every a month for getting on two years, each saying my address has been passed to the Investigation team.

I haven't got a gun licence either but they've never asked about that.
It seems the TV is a far more important item to check up on.

[Deano]

Detector vans do still exist - but these days TV Licensing tends to depend on handheld detectors and databases.

Everytime someone sells equipment capable of recieving a live broadcast (including computers with TV cards or the cards themselves) they're obliged by law to inform TV Licensing.

Knowing a little about radio signals and direction finding I can tell you that the hand held detectors are complete and utter bullshit.

Non existant, hoo-doo voo-doo mumbo jumbo cooked up to scare the natives.

I did hear a rumour that even the vans weren't set up to detect the signal.  All they did was count the number of houses in a street, check the database to see how many people had TV licences, and start with that.

When I lived in Newcastle, there was a prominent campaign where large adverts were placed on the sides of buses saying "THREE HOUSES IN STARBECK AVENUE* DO NOT HAVE TV LICENCES".  These areas, of course, were popular with students.

*or wherever

[Zoidburg]

Detectors have always been bullshirt, they even claimed they could tell what you were watching, quite what the alleged science is behind that I don't know.

Next they will tell you they can detect ghosts as well.

[Greenbank]

I did hear a rumour that even the vans weren't set up to detect the signal.

I know some of the people that worked on the original vans (the work was done by BT out of, IIRC, BT Labs near Ipswich).

It's a really big bluff if they've gone to the trouble of getting a special amendment to RIPA to cover their activities:-

Statutory Instrument
2001 No. 1057


But, yes, not all of the vans needed to contain detection equipment for them to still provide a reasonable visual deterrent.

[Greenbank]

they even claimed they could tell what you were watching, quite what the alleged science is behind that I don't know.

Van Eck Phreaking.

Popularised in Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson.

[Zoidburg]

they even claimed they could tell what you were watching, quite what the alleged science is behind that I don't know.

Van Eck Phreaking.

Popularised in Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson.

I had heard bits of info about it but I still can't see it working beyond perfect test conditions.

And even if they pick up a signal how on earth can they prove it's origin?

Peak through a window and get arrested?

It's a fuzzy science that they have used to scare people with, the RIPA act section is to cover their backside should one of them get caught peeping by someone who quite rightly would take offence and have a right to seek criminal charges.

It does not refer to any "equipment" just the act of detection - detction refering simply to what their job role is, not what the mythical machine can do,

[Deano]

I did hear a rumour that even the vans weren't set up to detect the signal.

I know some of the people that worked on the original vans (the work was done by BT out of, IIRC, BT Labs near Ipswich).

It's a really big bluff if they've gone to the trouble of getting a special amendment to RIPA to cover their activities:-

Statutory Instrument
2001 No. 1057


But, yes, not all of the vans needed to contain detection equipment for them to still provide a reasonable visual deterrent.

It was just idle rumour wot I heard off some bloke in the pub.  I paid my bill!  Still, it seemed a bit OTT when it was, as I said, relatively easy to compare databases and narrow the search in that way.

[Jurek]

The dad of a lass I was at school with worked for the licence evasion / detection people.

According to him, the detector vans contained......

....... nothing.

Word also had it that there wasn't a telly licence for their house....