# Over the air broadcast television in the United Kingdom **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 29, 2016, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-the-air-broadcast-television-in-the-united-kingdom/770048 "2016-10-29T19:16:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-the-air-broadcast-television-in-the-united-kingdom/770048/21 "2016-10-31T23:39:11Z")
> [@UDS](#): > > Dog licensing in Great Britain ended in the 1980s, but you do have to register your dog with the local government, and have it microchipped. Eh? No you don’t. Where did you get that notion from? ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-the-air-broadcast-television-in-the-united-kingdom/770048/22 "2016-10-31T23:48:11Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Eh? No you don’t. Where did you get that notion from? I’ll just leave this here as an example of me knowing fuck-all about something. Hey ho. ---
**Author:** ![lilihob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a9adbd/32.png) [@lilihob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lilihob)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2016, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-the-air-broadcast-television-in-the-united-kingdom/770048/23 "2016-11-01T08:52:44Z")
> **[Compulsory dog microchipping comes into effect](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/compulsory-dog-microchipping-comes-into-effect)** > > From today (6 April 2016) it will be compulsory for owners to ensure their dog is microchipped. Just in case anyone has been confused by the baron, 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2016, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-the-air-broadcast-television-in-the-united-kingdom/770048/24 "2016-11-01T10:16:39Z")
Of course, it’s cheaper if your dog is only black and white. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2016, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-the-air-broadcast-television-in-the-united-kingdom/770048/25 "2016-11-01T15:49:17Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Eh? No you don’t. Where did you get that notion from? To be fair, UDS is right about the microchip, but wrong about the local government register. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2016, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-the-air-broadcast-television-in-the-united-kingdom/770048/26 "2016-11-02T15:08:10Z")
Meanwhile, the BBC is going to treat(?) us to a re-creation of the opening night of BBC Television 80 years ago: [http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-08-26/bbc4-to-recreate-the-first-ever-night-of-british-television-80-years-to-the-day](http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-08-26/bbc4-to-recreate-the-first-ever-night-of-british-television-80-years-to-the-day) ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2016, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-the-air-broadcast-television-in-the-united-kingdom/770048/27 "2016-11-03T14:31:51Z")
> [@HeXen](#): > > wow, a TV license. Do you need a license to have a dog too? In all seriousness, the UK is one of the only places on earth that is free of rabies and various other nasty pathogens, and that is primarily because of its somewhat draconian quarantine and animal registration laws. ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2016, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-the-air-broadcast-television-in-the-united-kingdom/770048/28 "2016-11-03T19:46:09Z")
Yep, we Brexited rabies first. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2016, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-the-air-broadcast-television-in-the-united-kingdom/770048/29 "2016-11-03T20:38:44Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > Meanwhile, the BBC is going to treat(?) us to a re-creation of the opening night of BBC Television 80 years ago: > [http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-08-26/bbc4-to-recreate-the-first-ever-night-of-british-television-80-years-to-the-day](http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-08-26/bbc4-to-recreate-the-first-ever-night-of-british-television-80-years-to-the-day) It was pretty damn cool. I knew about the Baird scanning camera for presenters seated and talking, but didn’t know about the film-to transmission device (studio action shot on movie film that was then fed directly through a continuous developing process and then scanned and broadcast with a 54 second delay from live. Amazing. ---
**Author:** ![Nansbread1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Nansbread1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nansbread1)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-the-air-broadcast-television-in-the-united-kingdom/770048/30 "2016-11-04T08:29:10Z")
But you have to report to the police if you have run over a dog whlst driving. You are not legally obliged to report hitting a cat with your vehicle. And yes, the entire licence fee goes to just one lefty, labour party loving, paedophile breeding TV station, the BBC. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-the-air-broadcast-television-in-the-united-kingdom/770048/31 "2016-11-04T09:42:28Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > The TV licence is about £150 per year and if you have television equipment capable of receiving live TV broadcasts, you are required to have one (even if you never watch BBC, who get all the money from it) Unless the rules have changed in the past couple years, this isn’t quite correct. You need a TV licence if you _use_ equipment capable of receiving live TV broadcasts, not if you merely _have_ such equipment. > [@N9IWP](#): > > One could argue you only use it to watch DVDs, but unless you are using a monitor incapable of getting broadcasts I’m guessing the authorities would not believe you. No one ever need make such an argument unless they are stupid enough to allow a licence inspector onto their property to examine their television. The burden of proof is on the licensor, not the licensee. When I lived in Britain, the house I rented had video equipment that none of the tenants ever used to watch live broadcasts. We were pestered by the TV licence inspectors for years, in person and by mail, but we never answered the door and never responded to their letters. Eventually we got sufficiently annoyed that [we complained to the head office](http://psych0naut.livejournal.com/37457.html). We didn’t state whether or not we had a TV or what we used it for; we just said that we felt we were being harassed. They wrote back promising never to contact us again. After that the letters and attempted visits stopped. Much later we did start watching TV, and promptly bought the licence. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-the-air-broadcast-television-in-the-united-kingdom/770048/32 "2016-11-04T10:02:57Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > Unless the rules have changed in the past couple years, this isn’t quite correct. You need a TV licence if you _use_ equipment capable of receiving live TV broadcasts, not if you merely _have_ such equipment. I think you’re right. I believe the wording (quite a while back maybe) used to refer to just having receiver apparatus on the premises, but it doesn’t now. The licence inspectors of course will argue all kinds of bullshit variations in order to cave in the householder. I knew a guy who put epoxy glue in the antenna inputs on all his TVs so he could show them he wasn’t in possession of any capable apparatus (but he could have just refused them entry). ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-the-air-broadcast-television-in-the-united-kingdom/770048/33 "2016-11-04T13:59:24Z")
> [@Nansbread1](#): > > And yes, the entire licence fee goes to just one lefty, labour party loving, paedophile breeding TV station, the BBC. **Moderator Note** **Nansbread1** , political jabs are not permitted in General Questions. No warning issued, but don’t do this again. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-the-air-broadcast-television-in-the-united-kingdom/770048/34 "2016-11-04T14:51:04Z")
Do the blind get a 50% discount? Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-the-air-broadcast-television-in-the-united-kingdom/770048/35 "2016-11-04T15:16:05Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Do the blind get a 50% discount? Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Nansbread1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Nansbread1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nansbread1)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-the-air-broadcast-television-in-the-united-kingdom/770048/36 "2016-11-04T19:39:20Z")
And i think the over 75s dont pay a licence fee. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-the-air-broadcast-television-in-the-united-kingdom/770048.md?page=1)