lol brits, that sucks.

move to a non-ass-backwards country?

>>11537388
Do you have a TV at your home?

>go to court
>this defies the magna carta
>everyone gets free cable

>>11537411
yeah i do, not even sure how they pull you up on this shit to be honest but i'm not paying for a licence to watch a god damn tv

Can someone explain what the cock a "TV License" is?

many, MANY questions...

1) is that 131 pounds per month or per year
2) how many channels does that buy you?
3) do you have to pay for cable on top of that?
4) can't you just hide the TV in the closet when the cops show up?

lol

I got this letter last year, along with everyone else I know, when I moved into halls last year.
I don't even have a TV. Neither do any of the other people I know that got the letter. Nobody turned up to check.

BRITAIN

Where you can go to jail for watching tv without a license.

>>11537482
This. Do brits need a license to own a TV? What the fuck is that shit?

>>11537444
They're trying to scare you. I used to have a TV when I lived on my own and didn't want to pay 100pounds a year for a license for it. They sent letters like this constantly, trying to shit me up and make me pay the fee.

I had countless visits from reprensentatives, they would come in my house and ask me why I didn't have a TV. I claimed it went against my religious beliefs, just make up a religion, or say you're Muslim or some shit. Offer them a cup of tea or coffee.

As a precaution I hid the TV but they never really checked, as long as it wasn't in the room they were sat in, which I directed them to.

>>11537482
it's for the BBC, you pay a licence to keep them going without adverts

which is bullshit because they have like 1 good show

>>11537509
do they have to have a warrant to search your house? or does british law not work like that?

>>11537520
You seem to be under the impression that the british government has a single ounce of respect for "privacy" and "civil liberties" and such.

1984 was set in London, fyi.

>>11537489
For the full year.
It doesn't buy you any channels; it buys you the right to a TV.
Yes, you have to pay for any subscriptions on top of that.
You can. You don't need a license to have a TV, just use one.

>>11537489
It's per year. It gives you five channels. If you want cable, you pay someone else for that, my parents pay a monthly charge of 50pounds, as well as the license fee.

You can hide the TV, so long as you don't have cable, as you'd have a huge dish outside your house...

lol tv license


you fucking socialists.

>>11537550
Satellite involves satellite dishes.
Cable involves fibre-optic cables.

>>11537520
They usually just search the rooms on the first floor. Say some semi-intimidating shit and people allow them to do so.

131 pounds. for a TV license.
HAHAOHMAN.

You know what's cool about America?
I paid $25 to get my DRIVERS license.
And I only renew it every 5 years.

>>11537509
Wow. I can't believe we come from the same ancestors, you British cocks. Fucking stand up for yourselves.

>>11537573
You renew your driving license every five years? Hahahah, what a waste of your worthless dollars.

>TV License

Internet, how does it fucking work?

I'm an America, haven't owned a TV in years.

Dear god, UK really is ass backwards.

>Brits somehow get by two world wars that would have oppressed them
>Its 2010 and they live oppressed under their own fucking government

Yes ladies and gentlemen, thousands died to save you fucking Islanders. You would have been better of under the Reichstag.

>>11537566
what. the. fuck.

why even let them in the fucking door? what the fuck. are they seriously going to flip a shit if you tell them to fuck off?

or will they say something like "herp, we give you free healthcare, brah, you owe us some tv license"?

>>11537573
Our driver's licences last 50+ years. I'm not sure what the price is, but it's certainly cheaper than $250.

I'm definitely remembering this for the next America vs. Europe thread.

>>11537594
I renew my concealed weapons permit every 7 years.

How do you like them fucking apples, socialist?

>>11537482
In the UK TV licenses are mandatory for each property in which a TV is used. They must be bought annually. The fee of the license funds the BBC, allowing it to be free from adverts and corporate bias.

>police can question you and search your home because you choose to not participate in an optional (and expensive) government program

My recommendation is to move to a country with respect for civil liberties.

>>11537638
Well, the US government does the same thing with taxes. So, uhmm, fuck it?

>>11537651
What is worse, is the UK TV has like 1, just ONE fucking good show every other year.
Shit is hilarious man.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/DriverLicensing/NeedANewOrUpdatedLicence/DG_4022089
^UK drivers license fee info.
A one time 50 pound fee? Fuck.

Oh well. At least I don't pay for a TV license.
Besides, I plan on moving out of this retarded ass country before I'm 25 anyway.

Haha, you have to actually pay for a licence...for TV of all things, sucks to be you brits.

>>11537651
>allowing it to be free from adverts and corporate bias.

But not allowing it to be free of the zombie-like chant of "GIVE US YOUR LICENSE FEE, GIVE US YOUR LICENSE FEE, THIS PROGRAMMING IS FREE OF CONTROLLING INFLUENCES, GIVE US YOUR LICENSE FEE, EVERYTHING IS FINE, NO CORPORATIONS PAID FOR THIS MIND-CONTR--THIS PROGRAMMING"

>>11537654
The point is, asshat, I can legally carry a gun. i can legally own as many guns as I can afford. the US gov't has good reason to fear its populace here.

>>11537388
You piece of shit, your letter is dated 2006.

>>11537520
Yes, of course they do. The sad thing is, in the UK, we have no written constitution to be proud of, and as such most of our number are completely ignorant of all aspects of law.

Interesting fact: America's Bill of Rights was inspired by England's Bill of Rights. But only politics students know that over here.

>>11537651
>allowing it to be free from adverts and corporate bias.

Yeah, nevermind the government bias. Or the fact that noone in the civilized world with a DVR and/or access to the internet has even seen a commerical for years.

TV license... what the fuck? The fucking fuck?
What if you own a television that doesn't recieve any public broadcasting? You just use it to play dvd's and video games and the like?
Do you seriously have to be fucking LICENSED to own a television?

>>11537687
The BBC has nothing to do with the collection of licence fees. Fees are handled by a different body.

>>11537720
How do they get the warrant? Does a judge swear one out? Are you informed on by your neighbors? Or is the government simply allowed to monitor your "acceptance" of the "optional" pogrom---ahem---program.

>>11537720
>America's Bill of Rights was inspired by England's Bill of Rights.

The fuck are you talking about about-to-be-converted-to-islam Europeon, we learned that shit in 8th grade. We also know that the Magna Carta later on came to be the inspiration for the Constitution.

>>11537720
Your interesting fact isn't so interesting, you pseudo-intellectual. Huurrr Durrr it took you a politics degree to learn some new shit, aren't you clever?

Fucking hipster.

>>11537754
I guess the mind-contr---FREE PROGRAMMING!!---worked for you.

This is so fucked up, "Hey you, you have to pay a fee to get a licence so that we can afford to give you free propoganda! And we'll prosecute the fuck off your ass otherwise!!"
I love how that letter just assumes that everyone owns a television, too.

>>11537752
If you're not using your TV to play video games and watch DVDs then you don't need to pay a license fee.

>>11537752
If this is the case you have to write to them and explain

>>11537755
Warrants are issued by judges. I don't know about the specific circumstances, but I believe the TV Licensing Authority people use some sort of electronic scanning technology to tell of TVs are in use in unlicensed properties.

>>11537720
so the theoretical possibility that you may own a TV passes for probable cause of a crime in britain?

>*knock* *knock*
>*opens door*
>Excuse me sir, but it has come to our attention that it is theoretically possible that you are running a meth lab in your basement, and in accordance with British Privacyraep Code 123.4, we are going to conduct a thorough and invasive search of these premises to verify that there is no illegal activity ongoing. Failure to comply with or attempting to obstruct this search will result in you spending the next 6 months in prison.

I've never paid for a TV licence and never will. They used to send me letters like that every other month, but now they don't bother.

They used to come around and say to let them in the house to see if I had a TV, I just told them that without a warrant, they're not entering my house and should leave my property. After a few times of them coming around and me telling them that, they don't bother anymore (well, they haven't been for a fair few months now...)

95% of stuff I'd want to watch on TV I watch via the internet anyways.

>>11537804
If you're NOT?
So you don't need a licence to OWN a TV, just to use it in any way?
Either way, that blows my fucking mind.

*** OFFICIAL WARNING-THIS IS AN UNLICENSED PROPERTY***

"...we have authorised officers from our Enforcement Division to visit your home and interview you..."


Never have so many agents of a semi-tyrannical government been shot on my doorstep.

>>11537824
This. They, quite literally, drive around in one big truck equipped to detect Electromagnetic signals.

Failed Monarchies are so funny.

How does it feel to be living Orwell's 1984 UK fags?

>>11537853
A television licence is required to receive any live television transmission in the United Kingdom, whether it is received via terrestrial, satellite, cable or the internet. It is not, however, required for those possessing a TV set, for the purpose of watching pre-recorded content, or for use as a monitor for video games or computers

>from wikipedia

Don't let them in. They can't legally barge in and as long as they can't see the tv from the door/window you'll be grand. You can either be a dick about it and tell them to fuck off, or just tell them you're too busy for it.

Just ignore the letters, they'll try and bully you by them, but they can't do shit.

>>11537857
No fuckin way, brah. I can't believe that. Seriously? What the fuck, Britian. If this is true, how are you not on the street with a fucking rocket launcher waiting for HERP TV COMPLIANCE VAN to roll by?

>>11537853
Sorry, I typed that out wrong. It's past 4am here.

If you ARE using your TV just to play video games and watch DVDs, you don't have to pay a license fee.

When you start watching live BBC shit on it, then you need to pay a fee.

>>11537830
No, it just means that if a policeman goes to a Brit's door the policeman will either be shut out recklessly by the occupant or naively let in, in both cases because the occupant doesn't know the law or his rights.

>>11537857
America isn't much better, honestly.
We ARE better, but if we didn't have shit like this to compare to, you'd be hard pressed to call us "good".

>>11537902
Wow, you guys sure have earned all that blood spilled on your behalf.

>>11537896
This is the honest to god truth. They seriously have those fans.
It's fucking unreal...

Thread is tl;dr so I don't know if any cunts said this yet but write back and tell them you don't have a telly. If they ask to take a look around and see, ignore them. If they come around unannounced, tell them to fuck off and come back with a warrant.They have no right to enter your home unless invited or accompanied by a shiny new warrant. If they do come back with a warrant, shit pants and wave goodbye to a grand.

I have never heard of this. Really Britain? Get your government together.

>>11537915
I hate all this self-rightous prattle that comes out of America mouths.
We never fought a fucking war on anyone else's behalf. Every war we've been involved in has been purely for our own sake.
And those people that spout nonsense like "Freedom isn't free" and "They DIED for to protect YOUR rights!" are full of bullshit.

>>11537857
>>11537931
You two are dunces. They may have the vans but they can't do shit like tell which house/home is receiving an active television signal

>>11537946
>If they do come back with a warrant, shit pants and wave goodbye to a grand.

Okay, let's be clear on this.

If you do not have an uber-liscious-officila license from the UK gov't, then your "TV" is a crime. You are a **criminal** and now owe the UK gov't 1000pounds.

Just curious: what happens if you don't pay the fine?

>>11537976
jail, son

>>11537970
Doesn't make a difference, it's still pretty absurd for such things to even exist.
Hell, the singular fact of a "television" licence is ridiculous.

>>11537956
What's wrong with it? 131 pound a year for television with no adverts isn't bad. Plus that money goes towards a number of advert free radio stations. I see nothing bad with this.

>>11537931
But as long as there's a dvd player or a wii hooked up to the TV, you can claim that's all you use it for, right?

I mean, a TV doesn't give off different "electromagnetic signals" when it's playing a DVD than when it's watching live programming, right?

Oh fuck, I don't know. Once long ago I wanted to go to college at Oxford, but shit like this puts Britain down around Iran and Los Angeles on my places-i-never-want-to-fucking-live list.

Oh, and speed cameras.

>>11537931
They don't do this only for TV. Same thing for radio.

For example, in the U.S., you are allowed to record radio signals for personal use and/or display said radio signals to the public. Like for example, record a video of you dancing to a song on the radio. However, in the U.K., it is illegal to record, transmit, use, hear said signals without paying a "usage" fee or get risked getting fined, jailed, or both. So for example, you wanted to record yourself dancing to a song on the radio then later post it to youtube, you would be all sorts of screwed in the U.K.

Yes, they also have those vans to check that you aren't running any radio recording equipment.

Oh, you U.K. fags.

>>11537969
I was actually talking about British soldiers, sailors, etc., that have died defending their little island, defending all the British civilians...?

Nice work assuming though.

>>11537969
Britain is a shell of it's former glory.

>>11537976
I'd assume they would into further legal action. I've never known anyone stupid enough to be caught, to be honest.

>>11537915
We don't have a codified constitution...
It would take years to try to write one up after all of these centuries of legislation, and it would almost certainly not pass in parliament, both because of tradition and the simple fact that no-one would agree on its contents.

Can you imagine if America had no Second Amendment and tried to pass it today?

>>11538004
i do

i could be using that money for things i actually need rather than to just not see adverts and give the big cheese at the BBC a nice fat salary

>>11537986
>Doesn't make a difference, it's still pretty absurd for such things to even exist.


They exist because people are too stupid to question them, but yeah, I agree and see this post for why the idea of a television license isn't that absurd
>>11538004

>>11538004
It's only for 5 TV stations, sot of like the free station you get in the U.S. without cable.

If you want cable, you have to pay the TV fee PLUS the cable fee.