TV Licence - ALL TV licence discussion/queries in this thread.

Sam Russell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122513213#Comment_122513213

You are quoting a post that is 14 and a half years old!

icdg

The user did the exact same in another thread, illogically tying the content of the thread to India News(!) Am assuming spambot, automatic permanent ban. The user can PM me to make the case that they are a real person and if they can satisfy me the ban will be reduced to 48 hours.

"Funding from general taxation puts a risk that if RTE go against the government, the government could cut the money that goes to RTE."

This argument overlooks the fact that as it stands the licence fee is not index-linked but gets increased highly intermittently at the whim of the minister of the day. Such an arrangement is hardly conducive to guaranteeing independence from government influence.

Sam Russell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122975191#Comment_122975191

That is a very real threat by Gov.

However, the Gov spends a lot on advertising - 'brought to you by the Government of Ireland' even in the official language understood by few. This is a much more relevant lever to use to control RTE.

An alternative is the introduce a Household Charge added to the lecky bill at a rate of €10 per month - this is to be paid by the user of the electricity. (It would apply to commercial users as well)

Given that there are approximately 2 million addresses/ESB bills this would raise about €240 million per year which is close the the current budget for RTE. If so, perhaps RTE could cut back on advertising, either completely or by cutting out 'Sponsored by …..' and phone in competitions where the qualifying question is so obvious that it is really a lottery.

They should be required to fund all five channels they currently control including a proper news channel, and cut out the +1 nonsense. They have huge archives, and could make more home made programmes, or at least broadcast more of them like sports events and music events.

howareyoudoin'

TV Licence Renewal more that 12 months after the previous one has elapsed.

I came on here earlier to check if there was any info about potential arrears being charged if I renewed & couldn't find anything clear, so now that I have my new one, I thought I'd let people how I got on.

I couldn't renew online using the PIN they sent me for last year's renewal because it expires 12 months after the licence renewal date. I was suspicious of choosing "First Time Licence" seeing as their records obviously show that it is not my first licence at this address. So, I phoned them & in fairness, the person who replied was very helpful. She said I'd have been grand to do it online using the "First Time" option. Based on what she said, there is allowance in the law for the TV Licence Service to pursue people to buy a licence & to pay arrears where due, but they don't generally do that unless people ignore all warnings & refuse outright to pay.

So, in my case, I didn't have to pay any arrears for the licence that I didn't renew in April 2024. I just paid €160 for a new licence that commences in April 2025 & lasts until end March 2026.

Interestingly though, had I gone to renew before 31st March 2025 using the PIN, it would have been backdated to April 2024 & would have come up for renewal again on 1st April 2025.

Hotblack Desiato

Mother-in-law (almost 90) was living alone and receiving the Household Benefits Package incl TV licence. She recently moved into a nursing home, her house is unoccupied and the household benefits package has been terminated as she no longer lives in her house.

Now a letter has arrived saying that no TV licence is on record for the address… 🙄

So what's the answer here, remove the TVs from the house??

pale rider

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123363074#Comment_123363074

interesting.

Ours expired a few months back in my wife’s name, I purchased a new first time license in person at my local post office

The tv license section in Birr wrote to us a few weeks later saying they had back dated the expiry date of the new license in my name to the expiry date of the old license in my wife’s name and quoted some act or other.

I wrote back and pointed out I wasn’t the responsible person that had the expired license and they capitulated and redated the tv license in my name to the correct date as purchased at the post office.

I can live without RTÉ and really dislike this tv license charge.

pale rider

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123468365#Comment_123468365

Yes, remove the tv’s, totally ridiculous I know.

Hotblack Desiato

OK so we rang them and they are happy to accept that the house is unoccupied, we don't need to remove the TVs. There will be further licence letters issued in future but they will be addressed to "The Occupier".

elperello

That's good to hear.

It's nice knowing that there is some understanding built into the system to take account of the circumstances of older people and their families.