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The TV Licence: Loopholes and evasion

(September 2003)

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CO
Corin
If you have a TV and have its tuner removed, so that it is incapable of receiving broadcasts, and then connect a DVB-t set top box to it using a Peritel S.C.A.R.T. connector, can the detector can detect the DVB-t decoding, especially if you were to
place the box in a Faraday cage?

Also if you then ensure when the detector van man arrives that you are only using the
DVB-t set top box to listen to the radio through your TV, would you still need a license?
GA
Gareth Founding member
Corin posted:
Also if you then ensure when the detector van man arrives that you are only using the
DVB-t set top box to listen to the radio through your TV, would you still need a license?


You require a TV license to own a device capable of receiving TV signals, therefore even though you would be listening to radio the device would still be capable of receiving tv signals so you would require a TV License.

Pocket TVs or any TV device powered by it's own internal batteries is covered by the license at your home address (when you are away) however, TVL don't tell you what you need if your Pocket TV is your only TV at home!

Gareth
:-(
A former member
Well, let's face it, in 10 or so years there won't be a licence, so what are we all moaning about!!?!?
CO
Corin
Are they going to be abolished as a result of the Andrew Gilligan affair?
SL
SteveL
Corin posted:
Are they going to be abolished as a result of the Andrew Gilligan affair?

I would think so, the way things are going. It's a great shame, as it's one of the world's finest public broadcasters.

If Tony B.liar was offended by the BBC's 'lie', has he ever tried to read anything in the Daily Mail? Or indeed any publication from Alastair Campbell's office?

Still, I'm just glad the Tories haven't got a hope of getting in. The damage they'd do would probably be far worse.
:-(
A former member
Are you kidding me?
CW
cwathen Founding member
Quote:
You wouldn't need to have all the channels tuned into the colour tv - you could simply have them tuned into a vcr and swap the cables over as needed, and use the colour tv as "monitor".

The licence is not giving you the right to watch a TV - it is giving you the right to own or otherwise posess any equipment capable of receiving TV signals. You can tell them that you are just using a TV as a monitor to a games console, or tune the channels into your VCR's tuner as much as you like, you are still possessing television receiving equipment and so would still be fined if discovered.

Quote:
I thought they had a special statutory right to enter your home at will (although I'm sure they can't break in). Anyone want to discuss this with reference to the Human Rights Act...? Or, alternatively, inform me that I'm wrong...

No, TV licencing officials are suvillians with no more right to enter a person's home on demand than you have. All they can do is knock on your door and ask if they can come in to inspect your premises. If you say no, they can't come in and there's nothing they can do about it at the time (although they will probably hang around outside to see if you try to hurriedly remove any equipment). As was said, the only way they can forcibly inspect your home is after obtaining a court order (and they need to be reasonably sure that you are an evader before this will be granted) and only then with a police officer in attendance who must also accompany them wherever they go in your house.

Note also that even if they blatantly know that you are removing TV equipment from your house, they can't fine you unless they've actually seen the equipment. If you walk out carrying the TV in a box they have no right to look inside it.

A lot of people are caught by mistakenly thinking that TV licensing officials are like police - they are not. They have no powers at all. Without a court order, they have absolutely no right at all to interfere with your property. Unless they actually see the equipment itself (not a box to it nor anything else) you can't be fined.

Quote:
I wonder what the case is with pocket tv's...

pocket TV's must be licenced but unlike other forms of TV equipment you (or a person who normally resides at the licenced premises) do have the right to operate them wherever you choose - not just on the licenced premises. The same applies to any TV receiving equipment which is powered by it's own internal batteries. Note however that if you were to power it from a mains adaptor/car cigarette lighter or any other external power source, then technically you would require a seperate licence when using it at another location (although I doubt that this is generally enforced).

This is the only loophole which allows students to have a TV without a licence (although they don't publicise it at all).

As for actual loopholes to help students from getting caught - if you buy any TV receiving equipment give your home address so they don't know you've bought any equipment to use at university. This is not breaking any law because your home address is still your legal place of residence - your term address is (unless you've permanently moved out from home) just a correspondance address with no legal status (which is why I think it's wrong that students are forced into buying a seperate licence).

Don't put your TV where it can be seen from a window, and if possible don't put it where it can be seen from the doorway of your room.

Every student will undoubtedly get bombarded with threats from TV licencing telling them that they are coming round next week and they are on your list etc - ingore them unless you get one that actually has your name on it (everyone I've got has been to 'Present Occupier' so they don't actually know who is living there (or even if anyone is). In 9/10 cases they have no intention of coming round and they are just trying to scare you into buying a licence. I should know - I responded and bought a licence, and continued to get warnings that I didn't have a TV licence. I even rang them up (twice) and told them, the mailings never stopped. And more to the point, no one ever came round despite being told on at least 5 occasions that someone would be round to inspect within a few days.

If you live in accomodation which has a warden (such as halls) you are laughing - almost all of them will work with you and should anyone come around they will knock on your door with something on the lines of 'are you in, there's a guy from TV licensing here'. Keep quiet and that will be that (the warden may well have keys to your room but these will be strictly for emergency use only unless they have your permission to enter the room - TV licensing visits are not an emergency and so they will not let them in).

May need to be a bit more careful in a house though (although again, if anyone comes round don't let them in - the landlord can't take them round for you either).

And in the (unbelievably unlikely) event that you are caught, in many cases they won't go ahead with prosecutions on students because they know the judge will rule them unable to afford the fine in a lump sum (or reasonable number of instalments) and will end up letting them pay £1 a week for 20 years - which they don't want.
GS
Gavin Scott Founding member
Oh for goodness sake. Pay the god damn licence.

I mean - "build a Faraday cage"? Rolling Eyes
:-(
A former member
SteveL posted:
Still, I'm just glad the Tories haven't got a hope of getting in. The damage they'd do would probably be far worse.
They'll get power at the next election because they're anti-Euro and anti-"EU Constitution".
CW
cwathen Founding member
Quote:
They'll get power at the next election because they're anti-Euro and anti-"EU Constitution".

I doubt they'll argue so strongly on it this time actually - almost their entire election campaign last time was based on 'keep the pound, keep the pound, keep the pound' and it did nothing - Labour won with a second landslide.
:-(
A former member
Yeah, but there was no threat of losing the Queen as our figurehead that time. Royalists will vote Tory, and that's the majority.
:-(
A former member
Digifiend posted:
Yeah, but there was no threat of losing the Queen as our figurehead that time. Royalists will vote Tory, and that's the majority.


What boll0cks!

We are in no danger whatsoever about losing the Queen as our figurehead. It's stupid and ill-informed people like you which undermine the 'No' campaign.

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