" The BBC is funded via a license fee covered by British taxpayers"
Not exactly correct although some would argue the license fee is a tax.
Every household has to pay the Television License (£145.50 per annum - £12.12 per month) if they have a device capable of receiving terrestrial television signals *and* it is able to receive signals (i.e; antenna connected), or if a person in the household uses the BBC Internet iPlayer service [0].
As well as video services the license funds several national radio services and tens of regional county/city radio stations.
Japan has a similar Radio / TV Mandatory Fee - even if you didn't own a radio or a TV. For two decades, I've refused to pay - as do many Japanese. I have nothing against a tax to pay for the excellent programming, but please roll it into the price of a radio or a TV, and stop bugging me with additional payments. PS: If anyone forced me to pay for Downton Abbey, there would be blood in the streets!
Thing is that the BBC recently did a deprivation study where they invited people to opt out of using *ANY* BBC service and the BBC would refund their license fee for the period of the study.
This was of course offered to a self selecting group of people who thought the license fee was a waste of money. I for example would not be interested in taking part in such a study period.
The result was after just nine days of being deprived access to any BBC service 69% of the sample group of people who though the lice
The fancy is indeed no other than a mode of memory emancipated from the order
of space and time. -- Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Correction: funding per 'household' not taxpayer (Score:1)
" The BBC is funded via a license fee covered by British taxpayers"
Not exactly correct although some would argue the license fee is a tax.
Every household has to pay the Television License (£145.50 per annum - £12.12 per month) if they have a device capable of receiving terrestrial television signals *and* it is able to receive signals (i.e; antenna connected), or if a person in the household uses the BBC Internet iPlayer service [0].
As well as video services the license funds several national radio services and tens of regional county/city radio stations.
[0] http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/ [tvlicensing.co.uk]
Re: (Score:0)
Japan has a similar Radio / TV Mandatory Fee - even if you didn't own a radio or a TV.
For two decades, I've refused to pay - as do many Japanese.
I have nothing against a tax to pay for the excellent programming, but
please roll it into the price of a radio or a TV, and stop bugging me with additional payments.
PS: If anyone forced me to pay for Downton Abbey, there would be blood in the streets!
Re: (Score:2)
Thing is that the BBC recently did a deprivation study where they invited people to opt out of using *ANY* BBC service and the BBC would refund their license fee for the period of the study.
This was of course offered to a self selecting group of people who thought the license fee was a waste of money. I for example would not be interested in taking part in such a study period.
The result was after just nine days of being deprived access to any BBC service 69% of the sample group of people who though the lice