I am writing this page, mainly so that I don't lose the following very good links about TV Licencing in the UK. Please read them before reading my comments, as otherwise I suspect I will make little sense.
- http://www.jifvik.org/tv
- http://www.marmalade.net/lime/tvla.html
- And the official site http://www.tv-l.co.uk
Having read these, one thing that springs to mind is the fact that the TV licencing people fail to realise that these people who do not have a television, tend to be people who have lots of spare time to write interesting letters about anything that annoys them. It almost makes me want to get rid of my TV/stop watching television (as I wouldn't give up my DVD collection), just so that I can join in the fun. The most I have ever done was write in green crayon "I HAVE NO T.V." on one of their letters, when I was a student.
It is my opinion that the Licencing people intentionally mislead people and use threatening language in order to maximise revenues. It may well be true that the majority of households in the country have a television and use it, however that is no excuse for assuming that everyone has one. That is the guilty until proven innocent basis that should not exist in this county. However we are seeing more and more examples of guilty till proven inocent in this country, such as the rules about encryption keys under the RIP bill.
And finally, the situation on getting a refund. I cannot find clearly the conditions required in order to obtain a refund on a licence for part of a year. The only thing that I have actually discovered is that students not needing a licence for July, August and September can get a refund for this period. I can see nothing to cover such events as two licenced people moving to the same address or someone selling/throwing away their televisions. Or for that matter, detuning it and no longer watching it.
Last updated: 10:43, 23 Jul 2003 Link..