Welcome to my blog about television licensing here in the UK.
Background information:
The law requires that a licence is obtained for any device that is "installed or used" for "receiving or recording a television programme at the same time (or virtually the same time) as it is received by members of the public".
This blog sets out to tell you everything you need to know about the television licence - how it works, when it is required and how it is enforced.
Revenue generated by the licence fee is used to fund the public service broadcasting of the BBC.
Implementation of the licence fee is the responsibility of the Licensing Authority, which is also the BBC.
TV Licensing is a trading name used by companies contracted by the BBC to administer the collection of television licence fees and enforcement of the television licensing system. The ten year contract was awarded in 2002 to a company called Capita Business Services Ltd.
Despite widespread concerns about Capita's approach to licence fee enforcement the BBC announced in December 2011 that it would be renewing their contract for a period of eight years, which would cost the viewing public an additional £560 million.
As the BBC is directly funded by the licence fee it is in their interests to sell as many licences as possible. There are strict quotas to fill and TV Licensing employees are on commission for every licence they sell, regardless of whether the person buying needs a licence or not. The BBC's need (and greed) for cash is even greater given the licence fee has been frozen until 2016. Unsurprisingly the BBC don't broadcast that fact.
My motives:
My first dealings with TV Licensing was as a student living in halls. I didn't have a TV or any other means of receiving or recording a television signal. The letters started to land on my doormat, each one increasingly accusatory in tone.
Early on I replied saying I didn't need a licence, but it got me nowhere. Still the letters arrived. The text on the outside of the envelopes implied that I was a criminal, which could not be further from the truth. It still makes me angry to think about it more than a decade later.
That an organisation can smear and terrorise innocent people in their own homes is abhorrent.
As this blog is frequently read by the BBC and their agents, I should also add that as a law-abiding person I reside in a correctly licensed property. That being the case they would be foolish to think they can intimidate me. That I comply with the law is no way condoning the sinister and deceitful tactics that the BBC and TV Licensing employ in the name of licence fee enforcement.
Our objective:
This blog is here to highlight the unjust persecution of genuine non-TV users at the hands of TV Licensing. These people do not require a licence and are entitled to live without the unnecessary stress and inconvenience caused by TV Licensing's correspondence and employees.
If you use equipment to receive or record live broadcast television programmes then the law requires you to have a licence and we encourage you to acquire one.
Reader contributions:
If you've been adversely affected by the licensing system or unfairly treated by TV Licensing we'd like to hear from you.
We're particularly interested in photographs or videos showing how TV Licensing employees and equipment operate. Please keep a camera by your door if you're expecting them to call. Likewise, if you see one of their detector vans try and get a few photos of whatever (if anything) is inside. Contrary to what the BBC and their supporters would have you believe, it is perfectly legal for someone to make photos or video recordings of TV Licensing employees on their property or in a public place.
We will look carefully at everything we're sent and publish anything in the public interest.
We also want to hear from former TV Licensing employees, who can give their inside story into what makes Britain's most hated revenue protection racket operate.
Legal notice and terms:
1. This site is in no way officially associated with either TV Licensing, the BBC or Capita Business Services Ltd.
2. The comments and opinions expressed on this site are those of the author. Unless specifically stated otherwise they are not endorsed by any third-party.
3. The copyright of all articles on this site rests with the author. Articles may not be reproduced without our prior permission. Please email requests to the address given in the sidebar.
4. By sending us any image or video files, unless already in the public domain, you confirm that you are the copyright holder and give permission for us to publish that material on this site. In the case of material already in the public domain you agree to disclose the source so that we can attempt to gain the necessary permissions before publishing it on this site.
Contacting us:
You can contact us by using the email address mentioned on the sidebar.
Unfortunately we can not guarantee to respond to every email we receive, although we will do so before publishing any material you have sent to us.
Background information:
The law requires that a licence is obtained for any device that is "installed or used" for "receiving or recording a television programme at the same time (or virtually the same time) as it is received by members of the public".
This blog sets out to tell you everything you need to know about the television licence - how it works, when it is required and how it is enforced.
Revenue generated by the licence fee is used to fund the public service broadcasting of the BBC.
Implementation of the licence fee is the responsibility of the Licensing Authority, which is also the BBC.
TV Licensing is a trading name used by companies contracted by the BBC to administer the collection of television licence fees and enforcement of the television licensing system. The ten year contract was awarded in 2002 to a company called Capita Business Services Ltd.
Despite widespread concerns about Capita's approach to licence fee enforcement the BBC announced in December 2011 that it would be renewing their contract for a period of eight years, which would cost the viewing public an additional £560 million.
As the BBC is directly funded by the licence fee it is in their interests to sell as many licences as possible. There are strict quotas to fill and TV Licensing employees are on commission for every licence they sell, regardless of whether the person buying needs a licence or not. The BBC's need (and greed) for cash is even greater given the licence fee has been frozen until 2016. Unsurprisingly the BBC don't broadcast that fact.
My motives:
My first dealings with TV Licensing was as a student living in halls. I didn't have a TV or any other means of receiving or recording a television signal. The letters started to land on my doormat, each one increasingly accusatory in tone.
Early on I replied saying I didn't need a licence, but it got me nowhere. Still the letters arrived. The text on the outside of the envelopes implied that I was a criminal, which could not be further from the truth. It still makes me angry to think about it more than a decade later.
That an organisation can smear and terrorise innocent people in their own homes is abhorrent.
As this blog is frequently read by the BBC and their agents, I should also add that as a law-abiding person I reside in a correctly licensed property. That being the case they would be foolish to think they can intimidate me. That I comply with the law is no way condoning the sinister and deceitful tactics that the BBC and TV Licensing employ in the name of licence fee enforcement.
Our objective:
This blog is here to highlight the unjust persecution of genuine non-TV users at the hands of TV Licensing. These people do not require a licence and are entitled to live without the unnecessary stress and inconvenience caused by TV Licensing's correspondence and employees.
If you use equipment to receive or record live broadcast television programmes then the law requires you to have a licence and we encourage you to acquire one.
Reader contributions:
If you've been adversely affected by the licensing system or unfairly treated by TV Licensing we'd like to hear from you.
We're particularly interested in photographs or videos showing how TV Licensing employees and equipment operate. Please keep a camera by your door if you're expecting them to call. Likewise, if you see one of their detector vans try and get a few photos of whatever (if anything) is inside. Contrary to what the BBC and their supporters would have you believe, it is perfectly legal for someone to make photos or video recordings of TV Licensing employees on their property or in a public place.
We will look carefully at everything we're sent and publish anything in the public interest.
We also want to hear from former TV Licensing employees, who can give their inside story into what makes Britain's most hated revenue protection racket operate.
Legal notice and terms:
1. This site is in no way officially associated with either TV Licensing, the BBC or Capita Business Services Ltd.
2. The comments and opinions expressed on this site are those of the author. Unless specifically stated otherwise they are not endorsed by any third-party.
3. The copyright of all articles on this site rests with the author. Articles may not be reproduced without our prior permission. Please email requests to the address given in the sidebar.
4. By sending us any image or video files, unless already in the public domain, you confirm that you are the copyright holder and give permission for us to publish that material on this site. In the case of material already in the public domain you agree to disclose the source so that we can attempt to gain the necessary permissions before publishing it on this site.
Contacting us:
You can contact us by using the email address mentioned on the sidebar.
Unfortunately we can not guarantee to respond to every email we receive, although we will do so before publishing any material you have sent to us.