4 ms·

I think "TV" is a stand-in for "watching TV". That is a common sense reading. And what do you watch on TV? Your statement is correct if you only watch broadcast

I think "TV" is a stand-in for "watching TV". That is a common sense reading. And what do you watch on TV? Your statement is correct if you only watch broadcasts, but that is only 9% of the USA public. Almost 90% of USA households have cable. The cable is a monthly fee. That changes the economics that you suggested. In the UK, the economics are slightly different, but recall that UK taxpayers pay a fee to the BBC.

matthewmacleod 10y ago
Uk taxpayers do not pay a fee to the BBC. Every household that uses equipment to receive live broadcasts much purchase a TV license, but that's quite different.
- richthegeek 10y ago
  That's a semantic argument really. The license fee funds the BBC, and the BBC are the ones who care about collecting it (even if at arms length with the official 'enforcer'). Every argument about the future of the license fee, or not paying it on an individual level, explicitly state the BBC as the benefactor of this fee. The fact that it's tied to equipment capable of receiving live broadcasts (until September) is not much more than a clever workaround.
  - matthewmacleod 10y ago
    It's not a semantic argument! The BBC is paid for by people who want to use television equipment (modified slightly to account for new technology). It's not paid by taxpayers, it's paid by users.
foobarian 10y ago
Going to go off topic here, but I grew up in communist Slovenia back in the day where you had to pay the TV license fee if you owned a TV set. Now, the government provided an official method of canceling the TV "subscription" without physically hauling off the TV appliance, by sealing the electrical plug. I have a fond memory of one day when my grandma decided to cancel her TV fee. An actual lineman came in at some point, came into the house, stuck this metal lockout device over the plug, and sealed it with a lead (Pb) seal. It was one of my favorite things to play with because it was so squishy and easy to dent.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- breischl 10y ago
  Wow, that plug is quite, well, foreign to US ears. In the US, selling a house built before lead paint was outlawed requires a lead disclosure to the buyers (at least in some states). Repainting a house that old requires capturing all the paint chips and dust lest some bit of lead escape and be eaten by a kid. Intentionally putting a chunk of lead into a house where a child could reach it... you might as well stick a giant, neon "SUE ME" sign right next to it.

matthewmacleod 10y ago

Uk taxpayers do not pay a fee to the BBC. Every household that uses equipment to receive live broadcasts much purchase a TV license, but that's quite different.

richthegeek 10y ago
That's a semantic argument really. The license fee funds the BBC, and the BBC are the ones who care about collecting it (even if at arms length with the official 'enforcer'). Every argument about the future of the license fee, or not paying it on an individual level, explicitly state the BBC as the benefactor of this fee. The fact that it's tied to equipment capable of receiving live broadcasts (until September) is not much more than a clever workaround.
- matthewmacleod 10y ago
  It's not a semantic argument! The BBC is paid for by people who want to use television equipment (modified slightly to account for new technology). It's not paid by taxpayers, it's paid by users.

foobarian 10y ago

Going to go off topic here, but I grew up in communist Slovenia back in the day where you had to pay the TV license fee if you owned a TV set. Now, the government provided an official method of canceling the TV "subscription" without physically hauling off the TV appliance, by sealing the electrical plug. I have a fond memory of one day when my grandma decided to cancel her TV fee. An actual lineman came in at some point, came into the house, stuck this metal lockout device over the plug, and sealed it with a lead (Pb) seal. It was one of my favorite things to play with because it was so squishy and easy to dent.

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
breischl 10y ago
Wow, that plug is quite, well, foreign to US ears. In the US, selling a house built before lead paint was outlawed requires a lead disclosure to the buyers (at least in some states). Repainting a house that old requires capturing all the paint chips and dust lest some bit of lead escape and be eaten by a kid. Intentionally putting a chunk of lead into a house where a child could reach it... you might as well stick a giant, neon "SUE ME" sign right next to it.