Best Get Your TV Licence Sorted

Sponge Bob

It is the car that needs a licence once the laptop is in it

Marlow

As an ISP, maybe we should be considering of providing a non-license requiring product. Simply offer broadband without access to RTE ??

/M

paulm17781

http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/article/12982/comms/government-says-no-tv-licence-needed-for-rte-online

No changes to the license model. Phones and PCs are still excluded.

jor el

Not quite excluded, the current wording does have them included, but Minister Ryan has said “Once the Broadcasting Bill is enacted, I will exempt these types of technology in order to encourage such industries and to allow for technological development.” which, assuming he does, will then exclude them.

Blaster99

I wonder how they would want to deal with cars with TV tuners. One of my cars has built-in TV, for instance.

watty

At the minute if you have a licence at home that covers portable/mobile TV on battery, but not a Portable TV in another house.

watty

paulm17781 wrote: »

http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/article/12982/comms/government-says-no-tv-licence-needed-for-rte-online

No changes to the license model. Phones and PCs are still excluded.

PC/Laptop based TV tuner or Broadcast service via IPTV isn't and won't be excluded. Only IPlayer/Youtube type video excluded.

Johnboy1951

watty wrote: »

PC/Laptop based TV tuner or Broadcast service via IPTV isn't and won't be excluded. Only IPlayer/Youtube type video excluded.

http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/article/12982/comms/government-says-no-tv-licence-needed-for-rte-online

I haven't seen the proposed bill but this seems clear about a TV card in a laptop not needing a licence ...

Interestingly, the Broadcasting Bill 2009 also exempts “laptops with TV cards” from payment of a TV licence, meaning that while the owner of a TV set will have to cough up the €160 for a licence, a laptop owner can tune in the exact same channels on their TV card, put AV out to a large monitor, and thereby neatly (and legally) sidestep payment.

trustno1

Does anyone know if there have ever been challenges to the TV Licence??.. example - I have a telly, I don't have SKY or Chorus, I am only able to get RTE1 and RTE2 while using rabbit ears (if I wanted to) but I never do and never watch them, I don't listen to any of the RTE radio stations, so basically I use my television for watching DVDs or playing the XBox - so why the hell should I pay for a service I don't use??.. especially with the sh*ite that they show on the two stations.. jaysus.. what a waste of our hard earned money!! :mad:

Onikage

trustno1 wrote: »

Does anyone know if there have ever been challenges to the TV Licence??.. example - I have a telly, I don't have SKY or Chorus, I am only able to get RTE1 and RTE2 while using rabbit ears (if I wanted to) but I never do and never watch them, I don't listen to any of the RTE radio stations, so basically I use my television for watching DVDs or playing the XBox - so why the hell should I pay for a service I don't use??.. especially with the sh*ite that they show on the two stations.. jaysus.. what a waste of our hard earned money!! :mad:

You are paying for a license that permits you to keep televisions in your house. Get a monitor without a tuner if you don't want to pay for the license.

watty

Bung up all aerial sockets with Epoxy resin.

Or get rid of anything with a TV Tuner, including DVD recorder, VHS, TV card on PC etc, cable Setbox, satellite setbox or tuner card, Analogue/Sat/DTT USB adaptors.

Invite the Inspector to visit and inspect.

jor el

watty wrote: »

TV card on PC etc

At the moment, the TV cards for laptops/computers are exempted from the licence, and this will continue with the new legislation, which is very strange. So you could watch television without a licence, as long as the only tuner(s) you have is a computer based one.

watty

I'd not rely on that being a true interpretation unless the court says it is. There is no such specific exemption in the current regulations I have read.

A_SN

trustno1 wrote: »

Does anyone know if there have ever been challenges to the TV Licence??.. example - I have a telly, I don't have SKY or Chorus, I am only able to get RTE1 and RTE2 while using rabbit ears (if I wanted to) but I never do and never watch them, I don't listen to any of the RTE radio stations, so basically I use my television for watching DVDs or playing the XBox - so why the hell should I pay for a service I don't use??.. especially with the sh*ite that they show on the two stations.. jaysus.. what a waste of our hard earned money!! :mad:

You really don't need a TV then. Just get a good VGA/DVI monitor instead .

ceret

trustno1 wrote: »

Does anyone know if there have ever been challenges to the TV Licence??.. example - I have a telly, I don't have SKY or Chorus, I am only able to get RTE1 and RTE2 while using rabbit ears (if I wanted to) but I never do and never watch them, I don't listen to any of the RTE radio stations, so basically I use my television for watching DVDs or playing the XBox - so why the hell should I pay for a service I don't use??.. especially with the sh*ite that they show on the two stations.. jaysus.. what a waste of our hard earned money!! :mad:

The law refers to owning a device that is capable of recieving TV. It's not a licence to watch RTÉ (which you (and I) don't do), it's a licence to own a TV (which you do).

Cabaal

ceret wrote: »

The law refers to owning a device that is capable of recieving TV. It's not a licence to watch RTÉ (which you (and I) don't do), it's a licence to own a TV (which you do).

Not even a TV itself, any capable device such as a VCR also requires a license

paikea

What exactly am I paying for?

Is it because I have a TV set? So why don't I have to pay tax for my toilet or the bath or bed?

Is it because the TV can capture and display broadcasted programs? So should I pay for the radio? Should we pay for the computer connected to the Internet? I know they want to BUT WHY??? What is the reason they think they should charge that tax?

Is it because of RTE??? Seriously, please. The salaries paid for some of the people that work there... Why do I have to pay them? I don't even like their work.

You cannot be forced to pay for a service you do not want. They would be right to sell their service and let people decide whether or not to buy it.

The law is defined by either the people/population or by dictators. Since we don't have dictatorship... This is a ridiculous tax and it only proves that we are just sheep obeying some ridiculous commands.

Sparks

paikea wrote: »

What exactly am I paying for?

Having a piece of electronic apparatus.

So should I pay for the radio?

Originally, you had to. If you have a radio that operates outside of certain designated frequencies (like the normal broadcast AM/FM radio channels, the frequencies used by WiFi, CB and walkie-talkie frequencies, etc), you still need to pay for a licence (and sit a test to get that licence in some cases).

Bruthal

Pa ElGrande wrote: »

If you don't want to pay, how feasible is it to block the RTE domain and ip address range on your router firewall. You then have a device that is not capable of receiving any "broadcasts" from RTE.


inetnum: 89.207.56.0 - 89.207.56.255
netname: IE-RTE-IPV4-NETBLK1

http://www.db.ripe.net/whois?form_type=simple&full_query_string=&searchtext=89.207.56.140&do_search=Search

well they will say you have equipment capable of getting rte if you want to, you can have a tv in house but get rid of all other equipment so you cant recieve any stations, but the tv is capable of tuning in rte so you need a licence according to them. But as someone else said, rte player only plays recorded stuff i think, not live broadcasts so that should not require a licence. The reality is they are trying to make sure every premises needs a licence, next you will need one for lookin at a tv in a shop window.

But a licence is not needed for the viewing of the recorded content anyway. Not yet

Johnboy1951

Sparks wrote: »

Having a piece of electronic apparatus.Originally, you had to. If you have a radio that operates outside of certain designated frequencies (like the normal broadcast AM/FM radio channels, the frequencies used by WiFi, CB and walkie-talkie frequencies, etc), you still need to pay for a licence (and sit a test to get that licence in some cases).

I know it is a requirement to sit a test and get a licence to broadcast, but are you saying that I cannot detune/retune my receiver to listen to your broadcast without a licence?

Sparks

Not sure johnboy - normal broadcast radios haven't needed a licence since 1972, but you're not talking about a normal broadcast radio there.

I think that the law says you'd need a licence but it's never enforced (the same way that you can walk in off the street into many shops and buy a metal detector without a licence) so long as you're just receiving and don't get noticed.

Do not take that as advice though, IANAL

watty

The HF Amateur transmissions can be tuned by a Broadcast receiver. No licence required.

No licence required for a VHF/UHF radio/scanner. But it's illegal to deliberately listen to Taxis/ Garda / Fire / Ambulance and especially to share anything you might hear with a third party.

Comreg site has lists of licence free transmitter devices (2.4GHz Video, 2.4/5.8GHz WiFi, 433MHz/864MHz SRDs, 27MHz & 49MHz SRDs, 27MHz CB (4W FM./SSB, 1W AM), 0.5W PMR446, Band II nano-Watt FM transmitters (iTrip type gadgets).

It would be hardly legal to use a Metal Detect for anything other than finding lost water mains or something dropped on Beach. "Treasure hunting" is illegal.

Receive only Scanners, radios, Analysers or other devices (unable to transmit or receive Broadcast TV) from 10KHz to 100GHz are legal without a licence, but application may not be (i.e. Monitoring State "Services", private Commercial/Security licenced traffic etc). Listening to Marine/Air traffic on VHF is a grey area as some HF broadcast receivers (even domestic Grundig/Sony) will easily listen to Short Wave Maritime/Aeronautical traffic and VHF CH16 announces weather report channel from coastguard and then that is a "Public" broadcast on other marine VHF channels.

Johnboy1951

Thanks Watty ..... things have not changed much, if at all, so.

howie2008

Hi Guys,
Just wondering the legality of "if you have a TV you need a TV license!". If you don't watch RTE and don't use their infrastructure eg Antennae etc then why should you pay a fee to RTE. I use SKY and their satellite infrastructure and don't watch RTE. I don't even have the option not to have the RTE channels as they come automatic with any Sky packages. Surely the license fee should only apply to users who select RTE packages in SKY or who use traditional aerials. If I don't use RTE infrastructure and they have to do no administration on my part and as a a result incur no cost then why must I throw them @€;200 to pay Pat Kenny & Ryan Tubridys salary. I'm sure part of my SKY subscription goes into the State Coffers thru tax and broadcasting rights so I just see the TV license as being premised on very shaky law. I was wondering if anyone dug deep into the law and the validity of "if you have a TV you need a TV license!" when u don't avail of the RTE service or infrastructure. I expect that all licenses in general can only be applied to services/consumers that ultimately consume state resources.
Thanks

Bruthal

howie2008 wrote: »

Hi Guys,
Just wondering the legality of "if you have a TV you need a TV license!". If you don't watch RTE and don't use their infrastructure eg Antennae etc then why should you pay a fee to RTE. I use SKY and their satellite infrastructure and don't watch RTE. I don't even have the option not to have the RTE channels as they come automatic with any Sky packages. Surely the license fee should only apply to users who select RTE packages in SKY or who use traditional aerials. If I don't use RTE infrastructure and they have to do no administration on my part and as a a result incur no cost then why must I throw them @€;200 to pay Pat Kenny & Ryan Tubridys salary. I'm sure part of my SKY subscription goes into the State Coffers thru tax and broadcasting rights so I just see the TV license as being premised on very shaky law. I was wondering if anyone dug deep into the law and the validity of "if you have a TV you need a TV license!" when u don't avail of the RTE service or infrastructure. I expect licenses can only applied to services/consumers that ultimately consume state resources.
Thanks

Once you have the ability to watch RTE you have to pay the licence. Even if you have a tv that can tune it in with indoor ariel you need a licence. I dont pay sky subscription anymore so just have free to air sky
channels and cant even watch RTE but still by law i must pay because i have a tv that can tune it in and also a sky dish which can receive RTE even though i dont have sky subscription and cant watch it.
To be exempt you need to have no tv capapable of tuning (i.e. a monitor cant tune), and also no ariels or tv receiving equipment. It is ridiculous i think and mostly because of the price of it, they should scramble it and let anyone that wants to watch it pay for it.

Sponge Bob

NOT UNLESS your telly is a portable and with a screen area of less than 160 square cm ..... OR you are watching SKY over the "public internet" not via satellite and thats if you read Ryans regulation on the matter in August.

http://www.attorneygeneral.ie/esi/2009/B27053.pdf

S.I. No. 319 of 2009
————————
TELEVISION LICENCE (EXEMPTION OF CLASSES OF TELEVISION
SET) ORDER 2009

I, EAMON RYAN, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural
Resources, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 142(3) of the
Broadcasting Act 2009 (No. 18 of 2009) hereby order as follows:

1. This Order may be cited as the Television Licence (Exemption of Classes
of Television Set) Order 2009.

2. In this Order—
“non-portable” in relation to a television set, does not include any television set
capable of simultaneously or near-simultaneously exhibiting television
broadcasting services transmitted, relayed or distributed by means of any of the
following networks, namely–
(a) analogue terrestrial television networks,
(b) cable television networks,
(c) digital terrestrial television networks,
(d) internet protocol television networks,
(e) multipoint microwave distribution system television networks
(analogue or digital), and
(f) satellite television networks;
“portable” in relation to a television set, means that the television set is designed
to be easily carried manually by a person and the set and, if it is used in
conjunction with another apparatus, that apparatus, is capable of displaying an
image of not more than 160 square centimetres.
3. The following classes of television set are declared to be classes of
television set to which section 142 of the Broadcasting Act 2009 (No. 18 of 2009)
does not apply, namely—
(a) a non-portable television set capable of exhibiting television
broadcasting services distributed by means of the publicly available
Internet, and
(b) a portable television set.
Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in
“Iris Oifigiúil” of 11th August, 2009.

Sparks

It's not because you can receive RTE that you have to pay; it's because you have any equipment at all that uses the electromagnetic spectrum in a frequency range not exempted from needing a licence. RTE only comes into things at the tail end, when the state's gathered its tax on your use of a natural resource and it gets an application for funding from RTE as the state broadcaster.

Bruthal

Sparks wrote: »

It's not because you can receive RTE that you have to pay; it's because you have any equipment at all that uses the electromagnetic spectrum in a frequency range not exempted from needing a licence. RTE only comes into things at the tail end, when the state's gathered its tax on your use of a natural resource and it gets an application for funding from RTE as the state broadcaster.

Well at the end of the day its a fee to pay for RTE, and to put as many people in the net they just say its any tuning equipment to reduce the possibility of being exempt. `Any equipment` is their term to cover as many people as possible. If you have any equipment that can tune in RTE then you have to pay. But do you? What about a scanner, or a hand held tv, they are equipment that can tune in on the "electromagnetic spectrum" but dont need tv licence at present i dont think. Any thing about electromagnetic spectrum`s is just making a complex statement from a simple fact, if you have a tv or equipment capable of tuning RTE you need a licence. You dont need a licence for a radio.

Having said that, even if you have a tuning tv that cant tune RTE you would still be asked to
produce a licence.

Sponge Bob

robbie7730 wrote: »

`Any equipment` is their term to cover as many people as possible. If you have any equipment that can tune in RTE then you have to pay.

Read my post earlier today , any equipemnet with a screen OVER 160 cm squared and that can receive ANY terrestrial broadcast and which device is located within the state of course

Sparks

Time was robbie, yes, you did have to pay a licence fee for a receiver of any kind (like a scanner or an AM radio or whatever). You still need to pay a licence fee for several other kinds of radio (amateur radio, etc). Not having to pay a licence fee is more the exception than the rule.