Best Get Your TV Licence Sorted

Cabaal · 06-05-2009 4:08pm

hellboy99 wrote: »

Do I now have to get a licence for this

And what about cars that have in dash TV's

Ah the good old Gamegear, I used to have one of those years back...never had the tuner though.

To answer your question, legally yes you'd have to have a license "if" the gamegear had a TV tuner or you had the tuner in your home (even if it wasn't inserted into the game gear)

Sparks · 06-05-2009 4:09pm

Boston wrote: »

Customs inspectors cannot enter you premises without your permission or a warrent.

I'm not so sure about that, I was under the impression that they have scary powers of search and seizure in Ireland.

Firearm inspectors have right of access as per your license.

Firearms inspectors don't exist. Firearms Range inspectors however, can enter wherever they want whenever they want if they suspect there's target shooting going on. See the last few paragraphs here. Note that there is no legal definition of 'target shooting' anywhere in Irish law btw.

Show the legislation whereby a TV inspector can enter your premises without a warrent.

I didn't say they didn't need a warrant - I said you couldn't deny them access (they're granted warrants almost by default by the DC and then they come back with a Garda in case you get stroppy).
Same goes for Comreg btw (anyone remember the pirate radio raids?).

hightower1 · 06-05-2009 4:10pm

hellboy99 wrote: »

Do I now have to get a licence for this

And what about cars that have in dash TV's

lol I am weak with laughter thats another excellent example ! Very good hellboy lol.

Garda checkpoints will be like mobile tax offices lol

Boston · 06-05-2009 4:19pm

Sparks wrote: »

I'm not so sure about that, I was under the impression that they have scary powers of search and seizure in Ireland.Firearms inspectors don't exist.

They do, but not in your home.

Sparks wrote: »

Firearms Range inspectors however, can enter wherever they want whenever they want if they suspect there's target shooting going on. See the last few paragraphs here. Note that there is no legal definition of 'target shooting' anywhere in Irish law btw.

If you hold a firearms license you are required to allow access to the area where there firearms are stored, regardless of warrent.

Sparks wrote: »

I didn't say they didn't need a warrant - I said you couldn't deny them access (they're granted warrants almost by default by the DC and then they come back with a Garda in case you get stroppy).
Same goes for Comreg btw (anyone remember the pirate radio raids?).

Thats completely different to what you implied. Of course you can't deny access to someone with a warrent. They need a Gardi with them to serve a warrent and no they don't get on by default since A) most people grant them permission to enter and

it cost prohibitive to get warrents for every inspection. As other posters have said, if you refuse entery, they fuk off and then come back with a warrent and a garda officer.

Sparks · 06-05-2009 4:39pm

Boston wrote: »

If you hold a firearms license you are required to allow access to the area where there firearms are stored, regardless of warrent.

Actually, I'm not.
But that's irrelevant because I'm talking about Firearms Range Inspectors here, who have power of search and entry into any place whatsoever (dwelling, office, car, plane, hovercraft, etc, etc, etc...) without a warrant or permission to inspect that place for evidence of target shooting if they suspect there is target shooting going on. Whether the owner of that place has a firearms certificate or not is irrelevant to the Inspector's power of search.

Of course you can't deny access to someone with a warrent.

Yes, but there's no stopping them getting the warrant either, which is what I was (clumsily, I'll admit) trying to say. They don't need the Gardai to get the warrant as the DC will issue a warrant to them directly, and "I want to check to see if he has a TV" is all the justification they require.

christophicus · 06-05-2009 5:41pm

Sparks wrote: »

Actually, I'm not.
But that's irrelevant because I'm talking about Firearms Range Inspectors here, who have power of search and entry into any place whatsoever (dwelling, office, car, plane, hovercraft, etc, etc, etc...) without a warrant or permission to inspect that place for evidence of target shooting if they suspect there is target shooting going on. Whether the owner of that place has a firearms certificate or not is irrelevant to the Inspector's power of search.Yes, but there's no stopping them getting the warrant either, which is what I was (clumsily, I'll admit) trying to say. They don't need the Gardai to get the warrant as the DC will issue a warrant to them directly, and "I want to check to see if he has a TV" is all the justification they require.

Ok, so they won't come to your house with a warrent initially ? Thats grand, so when they do come to your house you deny them access. You get all your stuff up in the attic/to a friends house then wait till they come back, let them in and they will see you have nothing. Then you're grand

:P .

Btw if its true that you only need one licence per household then the new legislation does not affect me anyway.

Boston · 06-05-2009 7:01pm

Sparks wrote: »

They don't need the Gardai to get the warrant

I didn't say they did. I said they need a Garda officer for when they wish to use the warrent. This is the way it works with CAD, and Customs and a whole host of others, I fail to see why a TV license inspector would have extra powers. So your position has changed from "you can't refuse entry to a TV inspector" to "you can't refuse entry to a TV inspector if they have a warrent". You might want to edit you original post to reflect that.

Sparks · 06-05-2009 7:12pm

Boston, my original post was

You can't deny access to tv licence inspectors legally.

Now that we've gone round and round to get back to the spot where we're both saying that same thing (albiet in more detail), can we move on?

To, for example, www.IrishInternetTax.com?

Calebmcd · 06-05-2009 7:13pm

Well i'm still not getting a licence!

I have a PS3 with a PC Monitor(Not a TV). No tv card either. And the PS3's browser is no good for watching tv.

I sold my TV so i didn't have to buy a TV Licence. (Left the licence i had at my old residence) RTE is the biggest load of rubbish, i dont want to be to hard on them though(my dad works for them, but thats radio not tv) I had Sky that was rubbish too.

Boston · 06-05-2009 7:32pm

Sparks wrote: »

Boston, my original post was Now that we've gone round and round to get back to the spot where we're both saying that same thing (albiet in more detail), can we move on?

You're original post is miss leading, if it wasn't so, you wouldn't have had so many people jump on it.

Capt'n Midnight · 06-05-2009 7:33pm

merlie wrote:

I prefer TV3 to RTE anyday and they are not in the licence fold but you dont hear them grumbling they just get on with it.

Yes they grumble about it

and Yes they are entitled to a slice of the pie, all they have to do is produce some public service broadcasts. RTE and TG4 do this both in house and contracted out.

Isaac702 · 06-05-2009 7:58pm

I do not have any experience in this area however I would like to bring up the actual definition of a “broadcasting service” from the Broadcasting Act 2008 which appears to nullify any complaints in this area. It is on page 12 of the document under the section on Preliminary and General matters.

The definition is as follows:

“broadcasting service” means a service which comprises a compilation of programme material of any description and which is transmitted, relayed or distributed by means of an electronic communications network, directly or indirectly for simultaneous or near simultaneous reception by the general public, whether that material is actually received or not, and where the programmes are provided in a pre-scheduled and linear order, but does not include:
(a) a service provided for viewing in a non-linear manner where each viewer chooses a programme from a cata- logue of programmes, or
(b) other audio and audiovisual services provided by way of the Internet;

As far as I can see this eliminates concerns on two fronts.
Firstly part (a) which excluded catalog based services which is exactly what RTE are doing with their online service.
But also part (b) which excludes the Internet as a method of distribution.

As I said though I have no experience in this area and so I could be reading the definition wrong. It would be nice to have this confirmed by someone who can actually clarify this. From what I can see however we are in the clear.

Belfast · 06-05-2009 9:30pm

http://www.itwire.com/content/view/24166/1090/
Australia introduces licences for internet users
by Sam Varghese
Wednesday, 01 April 2009
Internet users in Australia will have to take out licences from the next financial year else they will not be allowed to use the web, official sources told iTWire today.

The above was an april fool joke.

In the reaL world.

Looks like RTE are introducing licences for internet users.

I just got rid of my TV because I objected to the his salaries of the top staff and the poor quality programmes are are doing.

dxhound2005 · 06-05-2009 9:59pm

How many people here apart from Calebmcd have no television?

A TV licence covers any number of sets at an address and it will also cover any other device capable of receiving or displaying a picture if they are deemed to be subject to the licence. Whole lot of paranoid stuff going on here about TV Inspectors coming to look at your Ipod, Playstation etc.

Boston · 06-05-2009 10:04pm

dxhound2005 wrote: »

How many people here apart from Calebmcd have no television?

A TV licence covers any number of sets at an address and it will also cover any other device capable of receiving or displaying a picture if they are deemed to be subject to the licence. Whole lot of paranoid stuff going on here about TV Inspectors coming to look at your Ipod, Playstation etc.

Its money for nothing.

Belfast · 06-05-2009 10:49pm

dxhound2005 wrote: »

How many people here apart from Calebmcd have no television?

A TV licence covers any number of sets at an address and it will also cover any other device capable of receiving or displaying a picture if they are deemed to be subject to the licence. Whole lot of paranoid stuff going on here about TV Inspectors coming to look at your Ipod, Playstation etc.

I have No Television.

Sparks · 06-05-2009 11:19pm

Belfast wrote: »

I have No Television.

Ditto. Was offered one; refused. Whatever I watch comes from the 'net.

bk · 06-05-2009 11:29pm

Calebmcd wrote: »

I have a PS3 with a PC Monitor(Not a TV). No tv card either. And the PS3's browser is no good for watching tv.

Actually RTE Player works very well on the PS3 browser, as does youtube.

charybdis · 07-05-2009 4:58am

Wow. Slashdot.

BaconZombie · 07-05-2009 8:43am

Lets see if Boards.ie can hold up to be /.'ed

If this is picked up by Reddit and Digg I think the Server may blowup....

charybdis wrote: »

Wow. Slashdot.

Sparky · 07-05-2009 9:44am

Two words

fuck this!

Where does it end really?

jor el · 07-05-2009 10:56am

Sparky wrote: »

Where does it end really?

When every man, woman and child in the state is each paying a TV licence for every game console, mobile phone and TV in their possession.

OK, that's probably not true, but it's ridiculous to think that having a PS3, a monitor and broadband may mean you need a TV licence, even though you don't or won't use it for watching TV.

It's not even a licence, it's just another tax, which can currently be avoided by not having a TV, but now it will be more difficult to avoid, as you'll have to get rid of all computer equipment, and possibly mobile phones, too.

yawnstretch · 07-05-2009 11:02am

Can anyone say when this comes into effect?

I purposefully purchased a gaming monitor (no RF or scart) to play with my ps3 and xbox 360 and now it looks like I've wasted my money trying to avoid the tv licence.

I was all ready to show off my monitor to any inspector (actually received an inspector notice two days ago)

christophicus · 07-05-2009 11:31am

They give you a notice ? Just ship your stuff over to a friends house during the period that the inspector is set to come.

A_SN · 07-05-2009 11:53am

I wouldn't be opposed to this (no more than I'm opposed to the whole TV license concept) if at least we could get what we pay for. I want live streams to all the RTE channels, not just RTE News which is the same **** repeating every 10 minutes. So that we can at least get what we're supposed to get for what we pay for.

jor el wrote: »

You can deny them access, but they'll just get a warrant, and come back with the Gardai. This is how it works for TV inspection.

Gives you enough time to hide the TV in the attic ;-).

Calebmcd wrote: »

Well i'm still not getting a licence!

I have a PS3 with a PC Monitor(Not a TV). No tv card either. And the PS3's browser is no good for watching tv.

You can install Linux on your PS3 ;-).

dxhound2005 wrote: »

How many people here apart from Calebmcd have no television?

I don't either. No room for it.

By the way, at that point, why even bother checking people for a long list of devices that's even remotely capable of receiving TV, I mean if you make people pay for owning a TV enabled telephone they're gonna be pissed, so you might as well just make it another tax and don't bother inspecting?

Sponge Bob · 07-05-2009 11:53am

jor el wrote: »

When every man, woman and child in the state is each paying a TV licence for every game console, mobile phone and TV in their possession.

OK, that's probably not true, but it's ridiculous to think that having a PS3, a monitor and broadband may mean you need a TV licence, even though you don't or won't use it for watching TV.

It is a tax on every "Premises" as defined in section 140 and which premises is under your control and where a device is used and where that device is not Excluded by Minister Ryan by ministerial order .

If the iPhone becomes a Television because Minister Ryan did not exclude it then you only need a €170 licence for your home and a €170 licence for your car as they are 2 separate premises ...not forgetting a further licence for the Caravan / Holiday home .

Technically a Tourist with iPhone in pocket must also buy a Television Licence as they drive their caravan or camper van or car into the state . They also become liable as they sit into the hire car at Dublin Airport !

jor el · 07-05-2009 12:58pm

Sponge Bob wrote: »

IIf the iPhone becomes a Television because Minister Ryan did not exclude it then you only need a €170 licence for your home and a €170 licence for your car as they are 2 separate premises ...not forgetting a further licence for the Caravan / Holiday home .

Not to mention that you're employer will also need one if you bring it to work.

A_SN wrote:

By the way, at that point, why even bother checking people for a long list of devices that's even remotely capable of receiving TV, I mean if you make people pay for owning a TV enabled telephone they're gonna be pissed, so you might as well just make it another tax and don't bother inspecting?

As Sponge Bob mentioned earlier in the thread, this could lead to various companies becoming agents for licence inspection, not just an Post as is currently the case. Your broadband provider would therefore become an inspector, and look for you to pay the licence. Your mobile operator could do the same, and you'd also have An Post calling at the door looking for your licence.

This situation shouldn't happen, as the system should be set up to avoid such problems, but as Sponge Bob also said, look at how well eflow has worked (also remember e-voting, PPARS, PULSE). This state has a history of fu*king everything up, and this has the potential to be no different.

Sparks · 07-05-2009 1:00pm

Hmmm. Does this counteract it?

"broadcasting service" means a service which comprises a compilation f programme material of any description and which is transmitted, relayed or distributed by means of an electronic communications network, directly or indirectly for simultaneous or near-simultaneous reception by the general public, whether that material is actually received or not, and where the programmes are provided in a pre-scheduled and linear order, but does not include:
(a) a service provided for viewing in a non-linear manner where each viewer chooses a programme from a catalogue of programmes, or
(b) other audio and audiovisual services provided by way of the Internet;

Or am I mis-parsing that bit?