Topic: UK TV License Fee

[GroovieGhoulie]

When I was visiting my brother in Germany, his landlord was out in the garage tinkering around and had a "junkyard/shop radio" switched on and at a reasonable volume.

Well a "German FCC" van was "patrolling" the neighborhood and stopped and asked for his registration for the radio.  He said, "it's my wife's garden radio, we hardly use it.  There's no registration, but come on, be a sport." (In German, he relayed it to me afterward.)

Anyway, no dice.  Popped with a 80 Euro fine on the spot and had to register the radio.  Spoke to him about it and it seems that EVERY device capable of emitting or receiving a signal: TVs, radios, phones, cell phones, DVD players, VCRs, computers, etc. must be licensed, registered and taxed in Germany.  A "Household" has a blanket coverage for up to two TVs and three radios, but everything after that must be individually registered and licensed.

Change phones or what-have-you, you have to update your license.

I about had a heart-attack on the spot.  As an anarchist/libertarian, I was appalled. 

Germany was nice, but I could never live there.  Say what you will, America is gonna be that way in my lifetime.  Not sure what I'll do, but I have a feeling it won't have a positive outcome for me.

[rhos1355]

If you think Germany's bad, Groovie, don't even THINK about Switzerland! Years ago a friend of ours went to work for Cern (That huge underground Particle Accelerator) and after a few months was hugely deluded as to the quality of life in Switzerland. Here are some of the rules there;
Each house has as many as 3+ waste disposal bins. All different colours. One for kitchen perishables, one for plastics, one for kitchen unperishables and god only knows what the other ones were for. But here comes the interesting part, the green one had to be available for collection on Tuesdays after 7am but before 8am, the yellow one on was for Thursdays but between 7.30 and 8.15, the pink one (I'm making this up 'cos I was on the floor laughing by this time) was for Tuesdays after 7.45 and 16 seconds but before 8.39 and 22 seconds and so on! The worst part was that every garbage collection was "inspected" to make sure dat ze korreckt material voss in ze korreckt garbage kan, nein? And a fine was imposed for throwing the wrong stuff in the wrong bin!!
If your mail was incorrectly addressed, even a spelling mistake on yr name, no delivery!
You were not permitted to have a shower after 10.00pm if you lived in an apartment!
No noise after 11.00pm!
If you transgressed on any of these rules, you spent a night in the box

I'd rather live in Uganda than Switzerland!

[GroovieGhoulie]

Wow.

Wow.

I know Germany had the different color-coded garbage/recycling bin thing, but I don't know how "serious" it all was.  If it was in typical Prussian fashion, I'm sure it was quite serious.

You bring up a good point though.  There are many times I would seriously rather go live in a less-advanced country because they will be far less REGULATED.  That is my top priority for life: how much interference the government or other groups put themselves in my life.  The less the better.  "None" for the Win.

[Bob Wessner]

to make sure dat ze korreckt material voss in ze korreckt garbage kan, nein?

Made me think of Shultz on Hogan's Heroes.

[SteveD CB500F]

I'd rather live in Uganda than Switzerland!

Bad choice mate.

Mugabe and his henchmen have bled the place dry over the last 20 years. I don't think that his "ruling class" would include bikers, so we'd be out with the starving peasants, dodging cholera.

[Tower]

Swearing in public could land you a public lashing in Singapore. 

On the other hand, you could leave your bike unlocked on the streat with the keys in it, and two days later, retrieve it unharmed.

or, so I've heard.

[techy5025]

....just don't spray paint anything or you will end up with a sore butt.

Jim

[rhos1355]

Sorry Steve, don't mean to sound smug but I was refering to Uganda and not "Uncle Bob's" Zimbabwe.
But to continue the thread of government interference I would agree with Singapore's draconian laws, it does decrease the crime rate, but don't agree with the petty officialdom of these politically correct, eco warrior type countries.
Another story I've read in the papers is that there are local councils (municipalities) here in the UK that have banned Christmas Cards, Carols etc for fear of offending the ethnic minorities!!
WTF??
I lived next to a Muslim family when working in Africa and each year they would send me a card for christmas and easter and I would wish them "idd-el-mubarak" at the end of their Ramadhan fast! No-one got offended!!

[SteveD CB500F]

Another story I've read in the papers is that there are local councils (municipalities) here in the UK that have banned Christmas Cards, Carols etc for fear of offending the ethnic minorities!!

Tabloid toss.

Probably mentioned briefly in a Council Meeting and laughed out of court. The press don't pick up on the "it was suggested that" bit and just go for the headline (more fun that way)

I've sat in a few UK Council meetings and by-and-large they are a reasonably pragmatic lot, just as aghast at the reporting as we are reading it. They do spend quite a bit of time with political posturing though...

[Sam Green Racing]

If you think Germany's bad, Groovie, don't even THINK about Switzerland! Years ago a friend of ours went to work for Cern (That huge underground Particle Accelerator) and after a few months was hugely deluded as to the quality of life in Switzerland. Here are some of the rules there;
Each house has as many as 3+ waste disposal bins. All different colours. One for kitchen perishables, one for plastics, one for kitchen unperishables and god only knows what the other ones were for. But here comes the interesting part, the green one had to be available for collection on Tuesdays after 7am but before 8am, the yellow one on was for Thursdays but between 7.30 and 8.15, the pink one (I'm making this up 'cos I was on the floor laughing by this time) was for Tuesdays after 7.45 and 16 seconds but before 8.39 and 22 seconds and so on! The worst part was that every garbage collection was "inspected" to make sure dat ze korreckt material voss in ze korreckt garbage kan, nein? And a fine was imposed for throwing the wrong stuff in the wrong bin!!
If your mail was incorrectly addressed, even a spelling mistake on yr name, no delivery!
You were not permitted to have a shower after 10.00pm if you lived in an apartment!
No noise after 11.00pm!
If you transgressed on any of these rules, you spent a night in the box

I'd rather live in Uganda than Switzerland!

That's just how it is up north, think I'll move down to W Sussex

[nickjtc]

That's just how it is up north, think I'll move down to W Sussex

Come on, Sam. Everyone knows that Essex is the county to live in.

[Sam Green Racing]

with all those bumb blondes

[nickjtc]

with all those bumb blondes

Freudian slip there, Sam? I prefer to look at the front view, myself.

[Sam Green Racing]

Dumb

[nickjtc]

Dumb

Well, as long as they are not numb.

[rhos1355]

Forget W Sussex, overcrowded, too expensive (it's real rip-off Britain here) and too may "sarf londoners".
Isle of Wight or Norfolk for me when I retire; for local time turn your clocks back 35 years in both places!

[SteveD CB500F]

Norfolk for me when I retire

Watch out for drivers wearing hats in Norfolk (and Suffolk for that matter).

If wearing a hat AND smoking a pipe, assume that they will slow down without reason / speed up without reason / pull out without indicating / turn right or left without indicating (*delete as appropriate)

[Bob Wessner]

I take it Norfolk and Suffolk are the equivalent of Florida in the U.S. 

[nickjtc]

Watch out for drivers wearing hats in Norfolk (and Suffolk for that matter).

That's the equivalent of us having to look out for old geezers with baseball caps on, driving at 20kph below the speed limit, holding up a line of traffic a kilometre long.

[techy5025]

I take it Norfolk and Suffolk are the equivalent of Florida in the U.S. 

.....amen to that Bob! I see it every day. 

Jim

[Bob Wessner]

From an official UK website re: TV licensing

Am I entitled to a concession?
      
   In some circumstances, you may qualify for a concession on the cost of your TV Licence. For example, if you are aged over 74, you can apply for a short term TV Licence, which will cover you until the month you turn 75, at which point you become entitled to a free over 75 TV Licence.

If you are blind or severely sight impaired, you can apply for a 50% concession on the cost of your TV Licence. And, if you live in residential care, you may qualify for a TV Licence at the cost of just £7.50 per year.

To find out more about the different concessions, please choose from the options on the left of this page.

Now if you are blind, you only get a 50% break?! Now that's harsh, if not ludicrous.     

[Steve F]

From an official UK website re: TV licensing

Am I entitled to a concession?
      
   In some circumstances, you may qualify for a concession on the cost of your TV Licence. For example, if you are aged over 74, you can apply for a short term TV Licence, which will cover you until the month you turn 75, at which point you become entitled to a free over 75 TV Licence.

If you are blind or severely sight impaired, you can apply for a 50% concession on the cost of your TV Licence. And, if you live in residential care, you may qualify for a TV Licence at the cost of just £7.50 per year.

To find out more about the different concessions, please choose from the options on the left of this page.

Now if you are blind, you only get a 50% break?! Now that's harsh, if not ludicrous.     

Yeah, that's kinda like having braile on those drive-up ATM's.   

[Bob Wessner]

From an official UK website re: TV licensing

Am I entitled to a concession?
      
   In some circumstances, you may qualify for a concession on the cost of your TV Licence. For example, if you are aged over 74, you can apply for a short term TV Licence, which will cover you until the month you turn 75, at which point you become entitled to a free over 75 TV Licence.

If you are blind or severely sight impaired, you can apply for a 50% concession on the cost of your TV Licence. And, if you live in residential care, you may qualify for a TV Licence at the cost of just £7.50 per year.

To find out more about the different concessions, please choose from the options on the left of this page.

Now if you are blind, you only get a 50% break?! Now that's harsh, if not ludicrous.     

Yeah, that's kinda like having braile on those drive-up ATM's.   

I admit, I chuckled the first time I saw braille on drive-up ATM's, but realized the manufacturers make the same units for walk-up locations also and just didn't bother with such   a minor change that might prove limiting in any way.

[nickjtc]

Now if you are blind, you only get a 50% break?! Now that's harsh, if not ludicrous.

The legal definition of blindness in a lot of countries is the inability to see better than 20/200 (6/60 in metric speak) with appropriate visual correction. So a person who is legally 'blind' may still have enough vision to get something out of watching tv. To give you a sense of what that is like, if you are myopic with a prescription over about -4.00 dioptres of power, take your glasses off and see what you can see. Or not, as the case may be. That is the best that a legally blind person can see.

Ex-optical GHOF, out.

[Bob Wessner]

Well, I guess I would qualify for the 50% cut. I'm so nearsighted I would have to press my nose to the TV screen without my glasses, think of all those smudges on the screen.