Ireland NOT on the verge of extending TV licence to cover Internet

Run_to_da_hills

Irelands draft Broadcasting Bill includes a provision to extend TV licence fee payments to cover Internet access - and its soon set to become law. Even devices capable of picking up YouTube appear to be included in the Broadcasting Act 2009s definition of television:

WTF. If they're not supplying the broadband (which they're not as with almost all Sat TV) then they don't get to collect for it. This is so irritating and is the sort of stuff that got heaps of us to leave the country in the 1980ies.

http://www.samknows.com/broadband/news/ireland-extending-tv-licence-to-cover-internet-593.html

FearDark

How will they know I have a laptop?
Im sure they cant ask my ISP do I recieve broadband?
Proxies.

Redicilous law, and besides Im already paying RTE almmost 200 euro a year more than theyre worth.

Snowie

so what about the wireless broad band dongal things buy 3g and meteor..?

My name is URL

They can suck my balls

andrew

UPDATE: A reader emailed us to say that she’d contacted the government department in question in order to clarify the situation and this is the response she got. “Devices capable of displaying traditional television broadcasting services” need a TV licence. Any device that plays either YouTube or the RTE player (similar to the Beeb’s iPlayer), or anything from RTE or TV3’s online archives is exempt — which must mean mobile devices and PCs.

It is, however, the next para of the explanation, from the Broadcasting Policy Division at the Department of Communications, Energy & Natural Resources, that is confusing.

However, given fast moving nature of technology in this area, the Bill specifically empowers the Minister to exempt categories of devices which may fall into the broad definition of a “television set” from the television licence requirement.

Wouldn’t the “fast-moving nature of technology”, mean that the government would reserve the right to levy the licence fee on other devices if it thought that more people were moving away from their common-or-garden telly and towards the brave new world of Internet TV?

The final two paras of the statement clear up the matter. “As previously indicated, the Minister intends on enactment of the Bill to move to exempt mobile devices and devices capable of accessing services that fall with the definition of a linear “television” service available through websites, from the television licensing requirement. Therefore, the new legislation will result in the exclusion of a standard PC with a broadband connection from the television licensing requirement.”

So, that’s a no, then. Thanks, Mary!

From the linked website.

Nothing to see here!

Random

Tinfoil hats at the ready!

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

Local-womanizer

My name is URL wrote: »

They can suck my balls

Will that be before or after they charge you the internet fee?:pac:

RTE are a useless shower.Nothing but sh1te they show and they make us pay for it:mad:

FearDark

Captain Morgan wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Well they (govt) treble tax us on our cars, initial VRT, petrol tax, road tax and what do we get for that, utter **** roads. Why not tax us on oxygen RTE, it would be the same thing, you dont provide that either. If there was a way of blocking the RTE website and in particular their RTE Player then id do it, bastards.

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

Carlow52

The con here is as follows:

from the OP's link
The final two paras of the statement clear up the matter. “As previously indicated, the Minister intends on enactment of the Bill to move to exempt mobile devices and devices capable of accessing services that fall with the definition of a linear “television” service available through websites, from the television licensing requirement. Therefore, the new legislation will result in the exclusion of a standard PC with a broadband connection from the television licensing requirement.”

The reality is that he will NOT exempt the PC if there is not a TV in the house so the correct sentence is
"Therefore, the new legislation will not result in the exclusion of a standard PC with a broadband connection from the television licensing requirement.”
Cant wait for Lisbon 2

phasers

I am fine with this, RTÉ provide quality television and deserve at least double the license fee they currently get.

Blazer

phasers wrote: »

I am fine with this, RTÉ provide quality television and deserve at least double the license fee they currently get.

you forgot your sarcastic smiley.
hint: it's this one :rolleyes:

FearDark

phasers wrote: »

I am fine with this, RTÉ provide quality television and deserve at least double the license fee they currently get.

+1 Pat Kenny and Ryan Tubbbbbberrrrrrdy are genius.

AlmightyCushion

Carlow52 wrote: »

The reality is that he will NOT exempt the PC if there is not a TV in the house

How do you know this?

andrew

Carlow52 wrote: »

The con here is as follows:

from the OP's link
The final two paras of the statement clear up the matter. “As previously indicated, the Minister intends on enactment of the Bill to move to exempt mobile devices and devices capable of accessing services that fall with the definition of a linear “television” service available through websites, from the television licensing requirement. Therefore, the new legislation will result in the exclusion of a standard PC with a broadband connection from the television licensing requirement.”

The reality is that he will NOT exempt the PC if there is not a TV in the house so the correct sentence is
"Therefore, the new legislation will not result in the exclusion of a standard PC with a broadband connection from the television licensing requirement.”
Cant wait for Lisbon 2

actually, what it says is:

Therefore, the new legislation will result in the exclusion of a standard PC with a broadband connection from the television licensing requirement.”

Why did you put in that 'not'?

HarryPalmer

Captain Morgan wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

See the upcoming property tax for more information.

If I remember correctly, the cheese-eating surrender monkeys are currently at the same thing but struggling to get it past the courts.

punchdrunk

me hoop!

ejmaztec

HarryPalmer wrote: »

See the upcoming property tax for more information.

If I remember correctly, the cheese-eating surrender monkeys are currently at the same thing but struggling to get it past the courts.

What've the Greeks got to do with this?

The Mad Hatter

andrew wrote: »

From the linked website.

Nothing to see here!

Rockin'.

They can still suck My Name is URL's balls, though.

Joey the lips

My name is URL wrote: »

They can suck my balls

Me first!

HarryPalmer

Joey the lips wrote: »

Me first!

Hence, "the lips". Nice.

Borneo Fnctn

RTE are a shower of cundts.

stovelid

My name is URL wrote: »

They can suck my balls

Don't tell RTE that. They could send Gerry Ryan round as their proxy.

DubMedic

Pr*oxy government.

They would tax the air we breathe if they had a means to.


* Remove Bold Underlined Letters .

ronkmonster

Carlow52 wrote: »

The reality is that he will NOT exempt the PC if there is not a TV in the house so the correct sentence is
"Therefore, the new legislation will not result in the exclusion of a standard PC with a broadband connection from the television licensing requirement.”

but if there was a tv and pc in the house, wouldn't you be already paying the tv licence anyway. pc being exempt is not relevant then

cornbb

A ridiculous idea if I ever heard one.

If they really want to raise revenue via the internet by "taxing" access to RTE then a fair way be to charge a fee to access RTE.ie and associated sites. Not that it would stand a chance of being a commercial success, but least that way people would have a choice in the matter.

Krieg

I posted 6 months ago that this would happen and people thought I was crazy. I should get a prize or something.

Timistry

god almightly they are some shower. Its just another way of stopping them from going bankrupt. What next, charging per mb for rte player:rolleyes:

culchienator

phasers wrote: »

I am fine with this, RTÉ provide quality television and deserve at least double the license fee they currently get.

haha, i couldn't stop laughing when i read that!

Eoin

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

This is so irritating and is the sort of stuff that got heaps of us to leave the country in the 1980ies.

No, that's the sort of slightly annoying stuff that makes heaps of us write angry letters to the editor. The 60% tax and unemployment rates of close to 20% were probably why people left the country in droves.

Spear

Already debated and debunked before.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=60200150&postcount=135

kumate_champ07

i just moved into a new place. i can get a tv licence for free but im not gonna bother.(i didnt bring a tv) i dont want rte getting that money. they dont know how to make good comedies. they have wasted millions of euro for years now on crap. not just comedies. the big bow wow, who gave that the green light?
pat kenny, he is not a good interviewer for a chat show. he is good in other ways

kowloon

kumate_champ07 wrote: »

he is good in other ways

Meat?

Sharpshooter

They can kiss my toned ass if they think for one minute they will get anymore money from me.
RTE is the worst ever station and I don't watch it.
Fcuk them if IBB think they will get one over this candy ass.

Gummy Panda

Krieg wrote: »

I posted 6 months ago that this would happen and people thought I was crazy. I should get a prize or something.

You'll get a kick up the hole. They probably got the idea from your post. Seriously how is Biffo in charge of our country. There must be a law saying hippo/walrus hybrids can't hold a position in government

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

Sharpshooter

This is an awful taxing thread altogether.

javaboy

Thread title edited to reflect reality.

Gummy Panda

javaboy wrote: »

Thread title edited to reflect reality.

He's one of them!!

G-man, you can't hide the truth forever

Sharpshooter

Good job we don't need a licence to start a thread.

javaboy

Sharpshooter wrote: »

Good job we don't need a licence to start a thread.

Hmmm. Now there's an idea.

Sharpshooter

javaboy wrote: »

Hmmm. Now there's an idea if ever I wanted to bring Boards to it's knees.

FTP.:)

orestes

Sharpshooter wrote: »

They can kiss my toned ass

I stopped reading here

/goes to imaginationland

Run_to_da_hills

Sharpshooter wrote: »

Good job we don't need a licence to start a thread.

I wouldnt put a pass on it, they could yet bring in a paid subscription for all accounts.

orestes

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

I wouldnt put a pass on it, they could yet bring in a paid subscription for all accounts.

On here? Never gonna happen, believe me.

All that government-chip-in-the-head stuff and our dna being kept on profile in case they need to farm us out to aliens who hold the planet hostage cos they need to feed on a certain blood type stuff would happen first, seriously

120_Minutes

nah, we should just charge run_to_da_hills to post here. he was so paranoid he didnt even read the article properly

FAIL.

danger_mouse_tm

I live in an appartment in cork west where i cant get tv signal. Even radio is impossible because we are down in a dip. There is no communial antenna and cable doesn't come in to this block. We are forbidden from mounting sat dishes to the block. I use my 32'' lcd tv to watch dvd and stream internet. Should i pay the licence fee?

Joey the lips

danger_mouse_tm wrote: »

I live in an appartment in cork west where i cant get tv signal. Even radio is impossible because we are down in a dip. There is no communial antenna and cable doesn't come in to this block. We are forbidden from mounting sat dishes to the block. I use my 32'' lcd tv to watch dvd and stream internet. Should i pay the licence fee?

If you have a tele...... You need a licence. Although I would rec you get rid of it when the reminder comes and send back a notice sayin why you have not one. Add in you go to the pub most nights to watch.

ScumLord

I'm abandoning tv altogether to avoid paying that licence fee.

Just to make it clear, they're not making you pay a licence fee if you have a computer with broadband?

Eoin

If you buy 20 tellies, then the license only works out at €8 per telly. Bargain.