Largely, except for the “government controlled” assertion. Mandated it may be, but it’s totally independent of government control. While it has a brief to be a public service and educator, where the news is concerned, it is a proper “fourth estate” - a check and balance. While other media may pander to government/corporate interests, the BBC is vehemently and viciously independent, and always highly skeptical of any government in charge - sometimes to its detriment.
The BBC has picked up the responsibilty for the digital changeover. I think that was the reason for allowing the current sequence of licence fee increases.
Not to mention social services, education (ahem), emergency planning…
Yep, I’m on a meter. It’s great, I only pay for what I use. And when I flush the toilet, I can watch the dials spin 
Completely incorrect. See previous posts, about the BBC being something which cannot be recreated through commercial broadcast, and the lack of understanding of the concept of non-commercial television.
To be quite honest, you Europeans put up with far more taxes with far flimsier rationales than we do here in America. This is perhaps the most egregious.
Yes, it’s plain wrong. IMHO, of course.
To be honest, this is a condescending, rather insulting, and possibly ignorant comment. Some of us are actually capable of voting for parties who will increase taxes, you know.
Yeah, I know. My apologies.
I wish I could vote for a party willing to increase taxes, because IMO we sorely need to do so, given the budget deficit and the public debt, the lack of funding for essential services (justice, for instance) , the deficit of the healthcare system, and so on. However, we must be in a minority, because there’s no party advocating higher taxes to be found. Maybe you have one in the UK, but somehow, I doubt it…
The Liberal Democrates in the UK have specifically said they would raise some taxes during previous campaigns.
The BBC also have a rather large research department. Without the license fee there would be no NICAM stereo.