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With ever increasing broadband speeds (for some) and an even more tech savvy public who want to watch specific TV programmes when THEY want to, IPTV or Internet Protocol TV is pretty much inevitable.
The trouble is, here in the UK we have such things as the Television licence and the 2003 Communications act to regulate the broadcasters and skim some cash off the viewing public. Now with things as they are, you don't need a television licence to watch programmes broadcast over IPTV. Programming at the moment is scarce, limited only to a few ISP's and cable companies who are willing to try out the new technology. Apparently BT have announced they will be introducing a new IPTV service for broadband customers later this year called “catch-up†that allows viewers to watch programmes that they missed either free or for a small flexible subscription. It will be interesting to see how that pans out, but I suspect that television shows broadcast over the internet in some form will become very popular over the next few years. It will be more convenient, because you can watch what you want, when you want and as the Internet is a two-way medium, it means that there is great potential for interactive entertainment. At present there are already hundreds of thousands of pirated TV shows and movies available for download. It’s a potentially exciting future for television; however there is one little problem, and that is the ‘PC tax’
The PC tax could eventually replace the TV Licence according to The Department for Culture, Media and Sport. According to one Tessa Jowel, the current traditional licence is sufficient to fund the BBC through until 2007, but beyond that “we may have to take account of the rapid advance in technology and media consumptionâ€. According to a recent green paper, there could be a compulsory levy on all households that own a PC either replacing or alongside the existing television licence.
Well so much for the brave new world of IPTV then. Personally I can see any future PC tax being as popular as Thatcher’s poll tax and probably just as enforceable. For example, how do you know who has a PC and who doesn’t?
Not everybody buys from a store. Many people build their own PC’s. Is there likely to be some sort of census to find out who currently owns a PC or will the ISP’s provide that information. Also, just as not everyone (myself included) has a TV, not everyone in the country has an Internet connection and there will always be a percentage of people who use the Internet at home for purposes other than entertainment.
Basically the whole idea of a PC tax is seriously flawed and I predict that it won’t even get off the ground. However, as with a great many things, ‘we’ - the public have to vote with our feet, voice our opinion and keep the politicians in line. We’ve got to make them understand its not workable and we don’t want it.
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Aren't we taxed enough? There's car tax,council tax,congestion charges,etc.
BBC GTF!
What makes it worse is the heavy handed tone the BBC have always taken, not with encouraging reasons why you should buy and *OPTIONAL* license but endless threats, even the 'detector van' adverts are made to instill fear and paranoia in people (check the wording and the soundtrack). Honestly It makes me so angry that I am forced to pay over £100 a year to some 'company' when I don't even USE them.. EVER! I have a TV in my house so I can hook it up to the DVD player and Console/BluRay. IT is a display device not an 'automatic must watch BBC' device. Seriously, make BBC like satellite sub channels and require a decoder card or something to watch it, then we'll see how many people bother, how many would waste money and hours of their lives if they had to pay for it. BBC knows this, knows that given a choice most people would rather get off their fat a***s and do something other than watch the seriously declining quality of shows like 'Eastenders' (used to be great, many many years ago).
Actually, I think some paranoid individuals are worrying about nothing here. There's no way a PC tax could ever be introduced... it would be completely unenforcable to begin with. However, downloads and streaming are becoming very popular and the industry needs to move with the technology. I predict that one day TV licence will be a thing of the past.
Absolutely PC tax must be resisted at all costs.
The TVL is definitely a case of "Once you start paying the Dane-geld, you never get rid of the Dane". (no offence intended to the people of Denmark)
First, I suggest everyone fights a possible PC licence until it is dead and buried, then do the same with the TVL.
Like many others, I am sick of receiving a long succession of threatening letters.
What would happen if you don't use the IPTV service but you have a wireless connection and someone's illegally using your wireless connection to watch IPTV
stamgast