# Licences **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 12, 2009, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licences/499563 "2009-06-12T16:30:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2009, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licences/499563/101 "2009-06-20T13:18:25Z")
> [@chowder](#): > > As I understand it they point a hand held device (linked to a machine) at a particular flat. This picks up a signal telling them that a TV is in use and as different channels broadcast on different frequencies this is how they’re able to tell which programme is being viewed. > > Or summink I don’t buy that they can do that for tower blocks, at the very least. It would be unreliable for any flats at all. For my flat, you might be able to tell if a TV were being used in my living room, perhaps, but you wouldn’t be able to tell if a TV were in use in my bedroom or in my neighbour’s living room. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licences/499563/102 "2009-06-21T06:54:37Z")
> [@scifisam2009](#): > > I don’t buy that they can do that for tower blocks, at the very least. It would be unreliable for any flats at all. For my flat, you might be able to tell if a TV were being used in my living room, perhaps, but you wouldn’t be able to tell if a TV were in use in my bedroom or in my neighbour’s living room. Well then test it out. Don’t buy a TV licence and see what happens ---
**Author:** ![Dahu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahu/32/3416_2.png) [@Dahu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahu)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licences/499563/103 "2009-06-21T09:20:22Z")
> [@chowder](#): > > Well then test it out. Don’t buy a TV licence and see what happens I lived in a flat and didn’t have a license for several years (yes I know it was naughty of me). I got many letters telling me to pay up, but none of them said anything about being ‘detected’, and no-one ever called round. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licences/499563/104 "2009-06-21T10:45:25Z")
> [@Dahu](#): > > I lived in a flat and didn’t have a license for several years (yes I know it was naughty of me). > > I got many letters telling me to pay up, but none of them said anything about being ‘detected’, and no-one ever called round. So it’s buggers like you that keep forcing the price of _my_ licence up. Bastid;) BTW. Its licenCe in the UK not licenSe ---
**Author:** ![NineToTheSky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5a626/32.png) [@NineToTheSky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NineToTheSky)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licences/499563/105 "2009-06-21T10:54:05Z")
> [@chowder](#): > > So it’s buggers like you that keep forcing the price of _my_ licence up. > > Bastid;) > > BTW. Its licenCe in the UK not licenSe But, rather confusingly, it’s [licenSing](http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/buyorrenew/index.jsp). ---
**Author:** ![Dahu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahu/32/3416_2.png) [@Dahu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahu)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licences/499563/106 "2009-06-21T11:45:28Z")
I did it because I was young and angry. Having to buy a license is like being forced to buy a copy of the Radio Times before being allowed to read a book. ---
**Author:** ![NineToTheSky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5a626/32.png) [@NineToTheSky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NineToTheSky)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licences/499563/107 "2009-06-21T12:40:45Z")
> [@Dahu](#): > > I did it because I was young and angry. > > Having to buy a license is like being forced to buy a copy of the Radio Times before being allowed to read a book. No it’s not. It’s to provide finance for the best TV programming, unencumbered by advertising, in the UK, and arguably, in the world. ---
**Author:** ![Dahu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahu/32/3416_2.png) [@Dahu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahu)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licences/499563/108 "2009-06-21T15:35:57Z")
That’s not really the point. The point is that if you want programming unencumbered by advertising then fine, you pay for it. But why should I subsidise this when I don’t want it. How about licence payers contributing towards my Sky subscription hmmm? ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licences/499563/109 "2009-06-21T15:43:08Z")
> [@Dahu](#): > > I did it because I was young and angry. > > . Nonsense. I was young and angry once but that didn’t stop me from buying a TV Licence. I was also piss poor broke, married with a small child, I had obligations and there was no way on earth I was going to end up with a criminal record. You didn’t buy one because you took a gamble on getting away with it, I wasn’t prepared to do that ---
**Author:** ![NineToTheSky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5a626/32.png) [@NineToTheSky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NineToTheSky)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licences/499563/110 "2009-06-21T15:49:59Z")
> [@Dahu](#): > > That’s not really the point. > > The point is that if you want programming unencumbered by advertising then fine, you pay for it. But why should I subsidise this when I don’t want it. How about licence payers contributing towards my Sky subscription hmmm? Actually, that’s a good point. If you only watch Sky, why \*should \*you subsidise something you don’t use? There should be a way to disable the capability of seeing anything else, thereby exempting you. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licences/499563/111 "2009-06-22T00:43:32Z")
> [@chowder](#): > > BTW. Its licenCe in the UK not licenSe I think a lot of people here already know that. But why bring it up. Do you expect that those of us who spell it the American way should switch to the British spelling just because we happen to be talking about Britain? ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licences/499563/112 "2009-06-22T06:19:26Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > I think a lot of people here already know that. But why bring it up. Do you expect that those of us who spell it the American way should switch to the British spelling just because we happen to be talking about Britain? I brought it up because the poster who made the initial misspelling is from the UK and should have known better. OK? ---
**Author:** ![Dahu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahu/32/3416_2.png) [@Dahu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahu)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licences/499563/113 "2009-06-22T09:14:35Z")
I live in the UK now but I’ve spent a lot of time living in the US. Also, this is a US-based website. And, with over a [million words](http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/jun/10/english-million-word-milestone) in the English language, do you really expect me to be able to spell _every single one_ correctly? ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licences/499563/114 "2009-06-22T11:16:05Z")
> [@Dahu](#): > > I live in the UK now but I’ve spent a lot of time living in the US. Also, this is a US-based website. > > And, with over a [million words](http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/jun/10/english-million-word-milestone) in the English language, do you really expect me to be able to spell _every single one_ correctly? What the hell does the fact that this is a US based site have to do with it. Let’s face it, licenCe is hardly difficult is it? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licences/499563/115 "2009-06-22T12:06:07Z")
If it’s correct in _some_ standard of English, then it’s correct. I alternate between American and British spellings in these forums on my own whim. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licences/499563/116 "2009-06-22T12:52:32Z")
> [@tetranz](#): > > We used to have the TV license in New Zealand. The money funded local productions regardless of whether they were shown on the government owned TVNZ or a private station. Unlike the BBC, and ABC in Australia, TVNZ stations run commercials and competes like any other station. Until the mid 1970’s in NZ you even needed a radio license to operate an AM radio. All stations were government owned. The TV license was scraped a few years ago. When we were living in NZ, we had neighbours who, for some strange religious reason, absolutely would not have a TV in the house. Well, more specifically, the father was of the view that it was corrupting and immoral and would not have it in the house, so the rest of the family would just go to friend’s houses to watch TV instead. Anyway, the way the Broadcasting Fee worked was fairly simple: The Government assumed that everyone owned a telly, and just sent a bill to every address on the electoral role. Anyone who _didn’t_ own a telly then had to prove they didn’t own one, and the fee would be waived or reduced significantly (it was supposed to cover radio as well, IIRC). People like my parents strongly objected to the Broadcasting Fee because TV was full of ads anyway, and they didn’t want to be funding minority language or “special interest” radio programmes etc, and lots of people didn’t pay (my parents did, however). In the end, a combination of the whole thing costing more to administer than it was making, the confusing advent of computers with TV tuners in them, people owning TVs purely to watch DVDs/VHS tapes, and and the sensible argument that the country’s two State-Owned TV stations were making a healthy profit and didn’t need Public Subscription to fund them finally convinced the Government to discontinue the Broadcasting Fee in 1999, much to everyone’s relief. Also, the Detector Vans in NZ were, I believe, revealed to be completely for show- they had fancy antennae and radar-type dishes on them, but apparently just used to employ simple tricks like driving around at night and seeing if houses not on the List had flickering TV lights in the living room. There wasn’t any James Bond-style gadgetry involved, it turned out. ---
**Author:** ![Dunkelheit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dunkelheit/32/248_2.png) [@Dunkelheit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunkelheit)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2009, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licences/499563/117 "2009-09-29T10:22:11Z")
> [@PaulParkhead](#): > > If you absolutely cannot afford the licence fee then you can’t (legally) watch TV. In this sense, it’s just the same as anything else poor people can’t afford. There are payment plans available - I pay mine at a few pounds a week, for example. What with the availability of videos and such on teh innarwebs these days, I see little point in paying for a television licence. But then, I don’t watch much tv at all, at all. 😉 Do sort of regret missing that Derren Brown special, though. Oh well. ---
**Author:** ![Dunkelheit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dunkelheit/32/248_2.png) [@Dunkelheit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunkelheit)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2009, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licences/499563/118 "2009-09-29T10:30:30Z")
> [@constanze](#): > > Yes, I can understand the theory behind it. But from a practical standpoint, it seems to me to be easier to control if people know the basics before giving them the license, instead of giving the license to everybody who’s upright and breathing, and then controlling afterwards if they know what they are doing. Sounds to me as if you need far more wardens to control it. I agree, it’s better for the protection of the fish and their environment if the people doing the fishing are required to be aware of the relevant issues before being granted the licence. Enforcement takes time and resources which might better be spent elsewhere, and it doesn’t really do the unlawful fish in question any good if the fisher is caught after the fact. I suppose they consider the income from fines to be compensation for all of the above. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licences/499563.md?page=5)