Well, good thing I didn't buy a tv tuner

[guanin]

Can someone please explain to me what the hell is up with this tv license thing and how the hell did it became legal in the first place!? There is no way this thing would ever pass in Puerto Rico. Half the population wouldn't be able to afford it (it's 139.50, by the way). You know, this is why people steal cable. On the other hand, now that comment on Doctor Who makes sense. And why is it that every official paper in this country insists on threatening me? This TV Licensing company sent a letter to every student at the dorm and I swear it sounds exactly like the application for the student visa. The gist: if you step one toe out of line even if you're not aware that you’re doing it, you're screwed. Well, I don't have a tv or a tv tuner or a fancy phone with tv. So shove it. Just goes to prove that no matter where I go, I'm always going to be disgusted by the authorities.

ETA: Here's a site on TV License Resistance I found interesting. Most of the pages are empty, but the forums's got stuff. And another on the bullying of the TV Licensing pushers.

Comments

[cyberscribbles.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I can imagine. See for me how the TV is done in the US, or what I know of how it's done, is very weird. It's all privately owned and so stunningly bias it hurts my brain.

I guess it must seem weird at first - probably is - but it's just kinda normal when you grow up with it.

I'd still be offended by the fact that you need permission from the government to watch television. I've had enough of American governments devising schemes that benefit themselves and companies while taking away money and revenues from regular people

Slight thing but: You don't need government permission to watch, you need to contribute to the BBC if you own a TV capable of recieving BBC services.

I don't think its for the benefit of the government or any company.

The BBC has a reputation for being unbias, reliable, it's free of political influence and corporate sponsorship. It has a national charter that it has to stick to and provide programs of all different types that no privately owned company would touch.

Massive earners like Doctor Who don't line the pockets of politicians or board members, it gets channeled directly to fund stuff that makes losses - Open University instruction courses, gaelic language programs, and until very recently - sheepdog trial coverage!

If this thing existed in Puerto Rico...a huge amount of the population would end up becoming "criminals" just because they couldn't pay up.

True, and I get what you're saying here but like you say there's a big cultural and economic difference there.

The TV License is calibrated to avoid that kind of situation - if you're working it's no problem, even if you're on the dole it's possible to pay for it. If you're elderly or disabled you get reductions or even get it free.

[guanin.livejournal.com]

The bias is annoying, but that's another reason I tend to ignore the networks and stick to HBO. It is a private company, but since it doesn't depend on advertisers it can do whatever it wants and has extremely high standards, including shows that wouldn't be conceivable in the regular networks. The premium channels are the elite of US television. Bill Maher, a political comedian, got fired from a network show for saying the wrong thing. Now he's on HBO. But again, that's not the basic channel. Then again, if you have to pay the BBC, then it is a premium channel.

But aren't all TVs capable of getting the BBC? Or are there special ones designed to get every channel except the BBC ones?

I've realized that no matter where I go, there's always going to be some things I don't like. Unfortunately, this includes Puerto Rico, which is why I left.

[cyberscribbles.livejournal.com]

Or are there special ones designed to get every channel except the BBC ones?

Nope, but I think if you've disabled the TV so that it can't actually recieve T.V. and can just play DVD's or computer games then technically you're okay. I think.

I have to admitt I have a bias though, I'm very fond of the BBC.

I've realized that no matter where I go, there's always going to be some things I don't like. Unfortunately, this includes Puerto Rico, which is why I left.

Such is life my friend :)

Why was it you left? If you don't mind my asking.

[guanin.livejournal.com]

So unless you pay the BBC, you can't watch any other channels. That's what I'm complaining about. It's either pay one channel or don't get any at all. If it were a separate service, one wouldn't have that problem. And this does look to me like this law got passed because the BBC had inside connections with the government or paid someone off or something. It's not just in Latin America where these things happen, yet in the US at least, people are always surprised. Else I don't see how it could happen because it screws everyone else and essentially allows them to monopolize the market even if they're not the only channel around.

I need to roam. Plus, the whole urban planning is a disaster, you need a car to go anywhere, the heat is unbearable, the economy is completely dependent on a country that doesn't remember we exist except when thet want to use us as their piggy bank, the government is an embarrassment (for two consecutive elections, my dad said there was no one worth voting for), and most people are really small-minded/isolated from the rest of the world. Oh, and they put in a sales tax of 7% two years ago, which they're going to raise. I know that sounds cheap by UK standards, but unlike here, they don't actually use it properly. None of the improvements they promised have happened. It's money in politicians' pockets. There's a reason Latinos are so cynical about the government.