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Do I need a TV License?

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    #32
    Captain Chaos
    Registered Users Posts: 11,174 ✭✭✭✭Captain Chaos


    engol wrote: »
    Oh that's ok then. The rest of us eejits will just keep looking after you for free (to you)

    Makes no odds, as everyone is charged the same regardless of who pays or not. The only eejits are us who agree to pay to pay for the eejits in RTE their wages.
    People march over water charges yet we use it as a service. But we pay a tv tax for RTE even if we don't use it directly.

    We should be marching over TV licences as you can own a TV and not use RTE, like people with private wells not having to pay for water. We pay UPC/Sky /freeview and that should be the end of it.


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    #33
    engol
    Registered Users Posts: 137 ✭✭engol


    Captain Chaos wrote: »
    Makes no odd, as everyone is charfed the same regardless of who pays or not. The only eejits are us who agree to pay to pay for the eejits in RTE their wages.

    It was more that he will avoid any tax he can get away with avoiding really. I think the likes of himself should be charfed regularly, it sounds painful.


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    #34
    Bobby Jones
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 45 ✭Bobby Jones


    It's "only" €160, not €180...


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    #35
    Spook_ie
    Registered Users Posts: 10,896 ✭✭✭✭Spook_ie


    Bob24 wrote: »
    The key is: do you have equipment that is capable of or was originally designed for receiving TV signal?

    In you case the answer is yes (even if the TV was broken or was not capable ore receiving digital signal you would have to pay).

    If you don't need a very large display, replace the TV by a large Full HD computer monitor and no need for a TV license anymore. This is what I have - told TV license inspector I had no TV and he was find with it.

    Maximum size you will find is probably 32" and it will cost a bit more that a similar sized TV, but the cost will be recovered within a year with the saving on the TV license.


    That's not actually true if you read the FAQ for TV licenses
    Do I need a licence if my television set has not been "upgraded" to receive digital signals?

    An analogue television set, with or without a set-top box, will still require a Television Licence.

    The definition of a Television set (Section 140 (1) of the Broadcasting Act 2009)

    "television set" means any electronic apparatus capable of receiving and exhibiting television broadcasting services broadcast for general reception ( whether or not its use for that purpose is dependent on the use of anything else in conjunction with it ) and any software or assembly comprising such apparatus and other apparatus.

    So surely as your computer would be capable of receiving RTE player, Netflix etc ( unless you are totally off grid, which seeing as you're posting here you're not ) you then becom liable whether you receive them or not


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    #36
    Nino Brown
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,507 ✭✭✭Nino Brown


    Spook_ie wrote: »
    So surely as your computer would be capable of receiving RTE player, Netflix etc ( unless you are totally off grid, which seeing as you're posting here you're not ) you then becom liable whether you receive them or not

    A standard computer is not capable of receiving a broadcast signal. Streaming uses IP, so information is requested and sent from a server to a specific IP address, that is not broadcast.


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    #37
    Spook_ie
    Registered Users Posts: 10,896 ✭✭✭✭Spook_ie


    Nino Brown wrote: »
    A standard computer is not capable of receiving a broadcast signal. Streaming uses IP, so information is requested and sent from a server to a specific IP address, that is not broadcast.

    Have to diagree there, the programming is being broadcast over the internet, a broadcast does not per se have to be via the ether, otherwise we'd all just be using cable TV


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    #38
    logically
    Registered Users Posts: 169 ✭✭logically


    License fee isn't just about TV output. There's radio, online, outreach and education, valuable national archives, orchestras as well. Look at the societal impact RTE investigative reports have for example - Aras Attracta being the latest I can think of. The much parodied Liveline gives a voice to the powerless day in, day out. Morning Ireland often sets the political agenda. I could go on. 160 euro a year for all of that? Jeez. If you don't see the value, that's pretty pathetic.

    And no, I don't work for and nor do I know anyone in RTE, before the smart arses jump in....


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    #39
    Bob24
    Registered Users Posts: 10,905 ✭✭✭✭Bob24


    Spook_ie wrote: »
    That's not actually true if you read the FAQ for TV licenses


    So surely as your computer would be capable of receiving RTE player, Netflix etc ( unless you are totally off grid, which seeing as you're posting here you're not ) you then becom liable whether you receive them or not

    This has been discussed before and it is pretty clear that "television broadcasting" in the legislation doesn't include Internet video streaming. As long as the computer doesn't have a TV tuner and isn't connected to a cable/satellite receiver no licence is required.

    See here: http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/consumer_affairs/media/tv_licences.html

    "You do not require a television licence to watch television on your computer or mobile phone. However, the computer must not be able to receive a signal distributed by conventional television broadcasting networks, for example, cable, satellite or aerial."


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    #40
    Nino Brown
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,507 ✭✭✭Nino Brown


    logically wrote: »
    License fee isn't just about TV output. There's radio, online, outreach and education, valuable national archives, orchestras as well. Look at the societal impact RTE investigative reports have for example - Aras Attracta being the latest I can think of. The much parodied Liveline gives a voice to the powerless day in, day out. Morning Ireland often sets the political agenda. I could go on. 160 euro a year for all of that? Jeez. If you don't see the value, that's pretty pathetic.

    And no, I don't work for and nor do I know anyone in RTE, before the smart arses jump in....


    I agree that they all have a value to somebody, without a doubt, but I personally don't use any of those services, so they have no value to me. I couldn't care less if RTE went out of business in the morning.
    If somebody wants to go see an Orchestra, good for them, let them pay for it, I prefer the electric picnic myself, should the taxpayer subsidise that?

    It's totally unfair to force people to pay for a service they don't use, you are correct that the services have a value to some, so make them subscription based, so that the people who use them, pay for them.


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    #41
    Bob24
    Registered Users Posts: 10,905 ✭✭✭✭Bob24


    Nino Brown wrote: »
    I agree that they all have a value to somebody, without a doubt, but I personally don't use any of those services, so they have no value to me. I couldn't care less if RTE went out of business in the morning.
    If somebody wants to go see an Orchestra, good for them, let them pay for it, I prefer the electric picnic myself, should the taxpayer subsidise that?

    It's totally unfair to force people to pay for a service they don't use, you are correct that the services have a value to some, so make them subscription based, so that the people who use them, pay for them.

    I certainly don't think RTE is perfect and don't watch it much myself, but in my view having a national broadcaster that is largely independent from foreign influence/funding is important for a democratic country and benefits to everyone. If you look around us we are far from being the only ones with such system - there must be a reason (and when the Greek national television was about to stop broadcasting due to funding issues the population stepped up - I think it would also be the case here).

    Ideally the licence system should also make the broadcaster free from political/business influence as the money comes straight from citizens and not from government budgets or private funds - how well this works in practice is arguable and again I think there are issues, but it could also be much worse if the funding model was different.


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    #42
    Fr Tod Umptious
    Registered Users Posts: 15,038 ✭✭✭✭Fr Tod Umptious


    Nino Brown wrote: »
    I agree that they all have a value to somebody, without a doubt, but I personally don't use any of those services, so they have no value to me. I couldn't care less if RTE went out of business in the morning.
    If somebody wants to go see an Orchestra, good for them, let them pay for it, I prefer the electric picnic myself, should the taxpayer subsidise that?

    It's totally unfair to force people to pay for a service they don't use, you are correct that the services have a value to some, so make them subscription based, so that the people who use them, pay for them.

    So you have never watched RTE TV or listened to RTE Radio ?

    As the other poster said the output from RTE has a wider impact that is not as visible as just their programming output.


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    #43
    Nino Brown
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,507 ✭✭✭Nino Brown


    Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »
    So you have never watched RTE TV or listened to RTE Radio ?

    As the other poster said the output from RTE has a wider impact that is not as visible as just their programming output.

    No, I don't even own a radio, I have one in my car but only listen to MP3's on it. And no, never watch RTE TV, my TV doesn't have saorview so I couldn't even if I wanted to.
    And I'm not alone either, lots of people in my generation are the same. I get all my news online, and stream the TV shows I watch. If RTE disappeared in the morning, not only would I not care, I wouldn't even notice.


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    #44
    logically
    Registered Users Posts: 169 ✭✭logically


    Nino Brown wrote: »
    No, I don't even own a radio, I have one in my car but only listen to MP3's on it. And no, never watch RTE TV, my TV doesn't have saorview so I couldn't even if I wanted to.
    And I'm not alone either, lots of people in my generation are the same. I get all my news online, and stream the TV shows I watch. If RTE disappeared in the morning, not only would I not care, I wouldn't even notice.

    Never watched love/hate ?


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    #45
    Nino Brown
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,507 ✭✭✭Nino Brown


    logically wrote: »
    Never watched love/hate ?

    I knew somebody would ask that, I actually did see love hate, but not while it was on TV, only recently on a box set. I never watch any TV show until the season is complete, I don't have the the patience for them, I wait, and binge watch everything. Love Hate was good, the only good show ever to come out of RTE.


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    #46
    Bobby Jones
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 45 ✭Bobby Jones


    Nino Brown wrote: »
    I knew somebody would ask that, I actually did see love hate, but not while it was on TV, only recently on a box set. I never watch any TV show until the season is complete, I don't have the the patience for them, I wait, and binge watch everything. Love Hate was good, the only good show ever to come out of RTE.

    And the licence fee contributes to that.

    I would actually prefer to see RTE cease to be such a commercial entity and just do stuff like the news, Prime Time, and fund stuff like Love/Hate.

    Why pay clowns €500k a year - Let graduates cut their teeth.

    Sell Montrose, pay a dividend to the State and use the rest to fund a lean national broadcaster.


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    #47
    silverharp
    Registered Users Posts: 17,848 ✭✭✭✭silverharp


    I'd agree with that, just collapse RTE down to TG4 and sell off the rest and get rid of the TV tax in the process. The way television has gone stations are pretty meaningless concepts. All of RTE's bought in programmes are available on other stations

    A belief in gender identity involves a level of faith as there is nothing tangible to prove its existence which, as something divorced from the physical body, is similar to the idea of a soul. - Colette Colfer



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