So TV Inspectors actually do exist...

Latchy · 18-12-2008 10:11pm

BravoSierra wrote: »

He didn't enter my home. They have your name printed on list. It corrosponds with an An Post database.

Well if your dodging your licience then you have to let him in i suppose .:D

I pay £ 3 a week for mine But I was gald to see the uk licience payers question why we have to pay the fee it in light of the recent J ross / whatisname fiasco .

Bastads were getting to complacent imo and we need to know what were paying for ..;)

krudler · 18-12-2008 10:28pm

Its ridiculous we have to pay a licence fee when RTE has adverts on it, isnt that the reason the BBC has it? no ads so needs other income

BravoSierra · 18-12-2008 10:29pm

BravoSierra wrote: »

But what does the money go towards? In what way does me owning a set cost the government so that I in return must recompensate them?

Does anybody know the answer to the above?

Owenw · 18-12-2008 10:43pm

If you only had ,say, a video projector or lcd display (no built-in tuner) and just a DVD player, are you legally exempt from paying the license fee?

Donny5 · 18-12-2008 10:47pm

Owenw wrote: »

If you only had ,say, a video projector or lcd display (no built-in tuner) and just a DVD player, are you legally exempt from paying the license fee?

That'd be my understanding, Owen. I was always told it was the tuner that counts.

Donny5 · 18-12-2008 10:56pm

From Citizens' Information:

Every household, business or institution in Ireland with a television or equipment capable of receiving a television signal (using an aerial, satellite dish, cable or other means) must have a television licence. A television licence is a certificate that states that you have paid the appropriate fee to the government and contributed to the cost of public service broadcasting in Ireland. Your television licence in Ireland is issued for 1 year, after which it must be renewed again.

Each year, the government provides a grant to RTE (the national broadcasting organisation), which is funded by your television licence fee. RTE has responsibilities to deliver public service programmes in Ireland. The television licence fee is collected by An Post on behalf of the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, who has responsibility for broadcasting policy in Ireland.

You do not require a television licence to watch television on your computer or mobile phone. However, you do require a licence if the computer is used together with any other apparatus to receive a signal.

and finally

Penalties

Conviction for non-payment of a television licence (first offence) is a fine of €635.

If you are convicted a second time for not paying your television licence, you will be fined €1,268 and your television and signal equipment will be confiscated.

the boss of me · 18-12-2008 10:58pm

AnMoralltach wrote: »

Do you have to let the inspector inside your door?Like can you tell them that you don't have a tv to buy some time?In fairness i'm a student and really wouldnt have the money!

Tell them politely but firmly that they are not coming in , they will insist that they are entitled to inspect your premises. Call their bluff ! Tell them they aren't entering your home without a search warrant and don't admit you have a tv. They almost never go as far as getting a search warrant so if you brazen it out they will most likely f**k off somewhere else and bother a softer target.

Having said all that.., is all the hassle really worth €180 a year ?

BravoSierra · 18-12-2008 11:00pm

Donny5 wrote: »

That'd be my understanding, Owen. I was always told it was the tuner that counts.

Interesting. Could I refuse to pay my lisence fee on the grounds that Irish television simutaneously accrue money from advertisers and its public?

BravoSierra · 18-12-2008 11:01pm

the boss of me wrote: »

Having said all that.., is all the hassle really worth €180 a year ?

It is if you don't have it. More importantly its about the principle.

Latchy · 18-12-2008 11:03pm

krudler wrote: »

Its ridiculous we have to pay a licence fee when RTE has adverts on it, isnt that the reason the BBC has it? no ads so needs other income

Yeah but also why they have being paying these ridiculous sums to the likes of Ross and co .BBC gets some of it's revenue from a lot of outside broadcasting such as live concerts and sponserships ( i think ) .They then sell onto other networks (I think )

I think the value in my opinion is on the bbc 2,3,and 4 stations besides the 1 as well as the bbc player and radio stations..

Owenw · 18-12-2008 11:10pm

Donny5 wrote: »

That'd be my understanding, Owen. I was always told it was the tuner that counts.

Interesting.... I'd sooner buy €180 worth of DVD & Blu-Ray boxsets a year than pay RTE or Sky. No ads, top quality sound and video

BravoSierra · 18-12-2008 11:13pm

Owenw wrote: »

Interesting.... I'd sooner buy €180 worth of DVD & Blu-Ray boxsets a year than pay RTE or Sky. No ads, top quality sound and video

Well said.

pablomakaveli · 18-12-2008 11:14pm

RTE have produced programs like Celebrity Farm, Failte Towers, Celebrity Jigs and Reels, Katherine Lynchs Wonderwomen......why in the name of god should we have to pay money so RTE can make this kind of ****e.:mad:

testicle · 18-12-2008 11:16pm

Nehaxak wrote: »

You could also take it to the European courts. At the very least you can make a complaint against RTE to the EU on the grounds that they are advertising while also pulling in a license fee. This is not allowed to be done under the European law and so RTE are fined every single year because of this but they still advertise and still break the European law because the fines are so low and meaningless to them.

Would prefer to see the fine raised to 50 million Euro for the first offense and triple in size for every year thereafter that they continue to advertise and break the EU law.

If they raise the fines to 50 million Euro+ I might even vote yes in the next referendum

____  _   _ _     _     ____  _   _ ___ _____
 | __ )| | | | |   | |   / ___|| | | |_ _|_   _|
 |  _ \| | | | |   | |   \___ \| |_| || |  | |
 | |_) | |_| | |___| |___ ___) |  _  || |  | |
 |____/ \___/|_____|_____|____/|_| |_|___| |_|

mayordenis · 18-12-2008 11:18pm

I'll say this much when I was on ntl lines etc I was ok with this fee,
but I pay 105 euro a month for Sky HD full package including setanta, it's alot of money I know.
but to be made pay an extra 200 on top of that is a sham, especially considering the channels have ads and are ****.

jimmycrackcorm · 18-12-2008 11:19pm

pablomakaveli wrote: »

RTE have produced programs like Celebrity Farm, Failte Towers, Celebrity Jigs and Reels, Katherine Lynchs Wonderwomen......why in the name of god should we have to pay money so RTE can make this kind of ****e.:mad:

If we didn't pay the licence fee then all we would ever get is US and British tv shows. It's not like TV3 does a lot of Irish based programming.

It would be much better if the money was independently used solely for Irish based programming and then auctioned off commercially to RTE/TV3/C4/UTV. (Remember C4 did Fr. Ted when RTE turned it down - worth paying the licence fee for alone imho).

Nehaxak · 18-12-2008 11:31pm

It is also against European law to be fined for not having a TV license. There are a number of test cases in this regards being brought to the European court by people in the UK.

I'll post more info on this if I can find it out there but generally EU law and regulations are hard to quote from the "interwebs" as they're not that accessible in this way.

Oh and no, it's not bullshiz in regards RTE being fined and breaking EU law with regards the TV license. They are regularly fined every year on this. They should not be taking License fee money AND advertising. It's one or the other or none at all. At a very base level it's also against EU competition law.

darling.x · 18-12-2008 11:42pm

Its stupidity that we need to have a license for every tv that we have in the house.

I've a tv on my phone. I can pick the four tv channels. Its a japanese phone.

It'll be a cold day in hell before i'd get a license for my phone.

BravoSierra · 18-12-2008 11:50pm

testicle wrote: »

____  _   _ _     _     ____  _   _ ___ _____
 | __ )| | | | |   | |   / ___|| | | |_ _|_   _|
 |  _ \| | | | |   | |   \___ \| |_| || |  | |
 | |_) | |_| | |___| |___ ___) |  _  || |  | |
 |____/ \___/|_____|_____|____/|_| |_|___| |_|

The legal articles would have helped to support the posters claim. It would have been convenient if it were true.

Mossy Monk · 18-12-2008 11:52pm

Nehaxak wrote: »

Oh and no, it's not bullshiz in regards RTE being fined and breaking EU law with regards the TV license.

Yes it is bull****.

BravoSierra · 18-12-2008 11:53pm

Nehaxak wrote: »

It is also against European law to be fined for not having a TV license. There are a number of test cases in this regards being brought to the European court by people in the UK.

I'll post more info on this if I can find it out there but generally EU law and regulations are hard to quote from the "interwebs" as they're not that accessible in this way.

Oh and no, it's not bullshiz in regards RTE being fined and breaking EU law with regards the TV license. They are regularly fined every year on this. They should not be taking License fee money AND advertising. It's one or the other or none at all. At a very base level it's also against EU competition law.

Can you reference any of this?

Conor108 · 18-12-2008 11:58pm

Just tell them you're from Barbados. Never fails.

BravoSierra · 19-12-2008 12:04am

Sleep beckons. Talk later.

Donny5 · 19-12-2008 12:05am

darling.x wrote: »

Its stupidity that we need to have a license for every tv that we have in the house.

I've a tv on my phone. I can pick the four tv channels. Its a japanese phone.

It'll be a cold day in hell before i'd get a license for my phone.

Where are you getting this from? The premises is licensed, not the individual tuner, so one license per house/apt/etc and you can have as many tellys as you like.

Watching TV on phones and computers streamed is exempt, unless there's an actual tuner, which sound slike the case for you.

Guy:Incognito · 19-12-2008 12:06am

darling.x wrote: »

Its stupidity that we need to have a license for every tv that we have in the house.

.

It would be stupid, which is why it's not the case.

You could try listening to one of the ads regularly on the tv and radio instead of saying somethign as if it was fact that you have to have either made up or heard from someone who hasnt a clue, either way you didnt verify it.

Surely when you asked to buy 8 licences for the same house the person/website set you straight, no?

Nehaxak wrote: »

I'll post more info on this if I can find it .

More info? Some info at all to back up anythign you've said would be a start.

darling.x · 19-12-2008 12:10am

Oh sorry about that. I thought it was the case.

Nehaxak · 19-12-2008 12:24am

I cannot quote the exact case and exact times, fines etc., as RTE do not reveal this information even after FOI requests but I do know that the fines where related to regulations around EU public service broadcasting regulations and the Television Without Frontiers Directives.

More information on what law/regulation was applied/broken I'm sure to be found at the following locations, feel free to trawl through them...

http://ec.europa.eu/avpolicy/reg/psb/index_en.htm
http://ec.europa.eu/competition/state_aid/reform/broadcasting_communication_en.pdf

luckat · 19-12-2008 12:33am

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

If we didn't pay the licence fee then all we would ever get is US and British tv shows. It's not like TV3 does a lot of Irish based programming.

It would be much better if the money was independently used solely for Irish based programming and then auctioned off commercially to RTE/TV3/C4/UTV. (Remember C4 did Fr. Ted when RTE turned it down - worth paying the licence fee for alone imho).

What an excellent idea!

(Though I think I read that Graham Linehan said RTE had never turned down Father Ted, actually.)

By the way, not to be a pedant or anything, but in English (on this side of the Atlantic), it's 'licence' if it's a noun, and 'license' if it's a verb. That is: "I bought a licence, which licenses me to watch TV". Maybe those who are spelling the word 'licensce' are kind of covering both sides of the Atlantic - in the US, it's spelled 'license' as both noun and verb.)

javaboy · 19-12-2008 12:37am

luckat wrote: »

(Though I think I read that Graham Linehan said RTE had never turned down Father Ted, actually.)

+1. It's a bit of a myth really. I think the reality was much more complicated than some RTÉ bashers like to believe.

Krieg · 19-12-2008 12:45am

Fallen Buckshot wrote: »

only tv license?? .. what about teapot license or computer license

I dunno if you should joke about that.
I can seriously see the government bringing in a computer license as the growth in digital distribution continues

So TV Inspectors actually do exist...

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