Actually I'm sure[*] this is untrue. Just ignore the letters asking you to buy a TV license and no one will come to check up on you, at least in person.
Better dig out the disclaimer. The way it works is this:
1. They continually send you blue letters. You can either a) respond at your own cost or b) ignore them. In either case...
2....they send you more blue letters (cheaper to ignore). The letters are misleading, and clearly state that it is illegal to "_use_ TV receiving equipment to _receive_or_record_ television programme services" and that if one does not _have_ a TV then one should write to them. (I _have_ a TV but I dont _use_ it in the above manner so I dont have to write to them - right?)
3. you start to get red letters which are sent registered post (i.e. need to be signed for so they know you got it) (TIP: refuse to accept letters that have a bristol address on the back)
4. you are visited at a random time by a TV license officer. You do not legally have to grant entry, however if you dont, then...
5. the officer returns with a police officer and a search warrant (which they are automatically granted).
I personally know three people to whom this has happened. A girl I know was taken to court with two other girls (all students at the time) and fined £1000. (although to be fair they were watching without a license and so were breaking the law); it does prove however that they do check in person.
I however _own_ a TV, but I dont _watch_ TV. I use it (very rarely these days) for watching the odd movie from blockbuster and my tape collection. - I'm not breaking the law!
I called them (national rate) and had this out with one of their 'managers'. I wanted to speak to their head of my local region, who's name was on my last red letter. I was told that I couldn't speak with him, as they 'didnt have the phone number' (this was for a BIG regional office. Hmm.)
I explained that while I was quite happy to ignore letters and simply refuse entry to license officers, this search warrant business was another matter entirely. I'm not into the idea of someone turning up at my property and having legal permission to force their way in, police officer or no police officer.
Things like this _must_ be fought on the grounds of common decency and privacy. If we do not fight this sort of blatent privacy invasion, then before we know it our property will be subject to random searches by police just to 'check we are not breaking any laws'. The situation is utterly ridiculous.
I've been receiving letters for over three years non stop. Did you take any legal action to get them to stop? I'd be very interested to hear if you did.
...however in the majority of cases they simply number crunch to find people who dont have a license. Shops that sell TV receiving equipment are required by law to supply the TV licensing people with the name and address of anyone they sell said equipment to, within 30 days. The TV licensing checks this database against the list of people who do have a license. Anyone else is continually sent letters.
In the past they have actually put up billboards at the end of streets saying "in , there are x people who do not have a TV license - we know who they are". If that isn't breach of privacy I dont know what is!
Isnt the license for any equipment capable of receiving broadcast tv?
It used to be, however this was changed (it was probably an illegal law anyway). Nowadays it's only if you _use_ TV receiving equipment to "receive or record television broadcast services". This illustrates my point quite nicely as they word it to be confusing, and you obviously read it the way they make it sound.
You are required to own a television license if you use television receiving equipment to watch or record BBC channels. If you don't ever tune into a BBC channel then you don't have to pay at all.
This is incorrect - the UK law states that it is illegal to use TV receiving equipment to receive or record television broadcast services. For the benefit of US readers, in the UK we have BBC1 and BBC2 (which the license fee pays for). The other normal channels we have are ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 which are paid for by advertising. The law however prohibits using TV receiving equipment to receive or record ANY broadcasts that originate from the UK without a TV license. Yes - that's right it doesnt make sense and it IS a rip off. My issue though is not about the license as I dont watch TV, but rather the way I get harrassed because I dont have a license.
I get those anyway - it's not illegal to listen to the radio or use the website (read: unenforcable). As for digital TV, well - I have no idea what goes on there because I dont watch TV.
"It is illegal to use TV receiving equipment to receive or record television broadcast services"
I _own_ a TV and VCR, and I have a blockbuster card and also a collection of video tapes that I like to retain the ability to watch. It is only illegal to _use_ said equipment in above mentioned manner. Video cameras would be fine, however if you connected a camera to a monitor with the aim of watching a live broadcast then that would be illegal.
This in itself I dont have a problem with; Im not interested in TV. My problem is that they continually send me letters that are deliberately misleading as to make one think one must have a license merely to own a TV set - for example they state that it is illegal to _use_ TV equipment etc, and if I do not _have_ a TV then I should write and tell them. This is at my expense. To call them they have a national rate number (about 50c a min) so again I have to pay to tell them I'm not breaking the law. If I do not tell them I'm not breaking the law, they send people to search my property. they automatically get search warrants if I'm "uncooperative" and dont answer the door. I've told them many times that I own a TV and that I dont need a license to which the answer is always "that's fine" however the letters and harrassment don't stop. My next step may be to see what rights I have under the European Statute of Human Rights, Article 12 which deals with privacy.
Imagine if the police had the same powers...
"Dear subject - your property will be searched at a random time to ensure you are not breaking the law. If any evidence is found then you will be fined etc"
Just so we're clear on this - I'm not interested in watching TV, so I dont have a license.
My issue is the fact that I'm literally treated like a criminal because of this choice - I have to continually respond to the bi-monthly letters they send me (at my own cost) otherwise they send people to search my property. If they find any "evidence" then I get fined.
I pay $89 a month (not that american dollars are worth all that much anymore) for TV via satellite.
Yes but that is your choice. In the UK, to have the privilige of watching _any_ TV you first have to have a TV license. This gets you 5 channels (which are illegal to watch without a license) That's BEFORE you pay for cable or satellite. If you dont have a TV license, its to court and fines up to £1000.
I'm glad I live in a country with advert-free TV [bbc.co.uk].
Yeah - unfortunately TV is not FREE in the UK adverts or no adverts - can you believe we are expected to pay £107 a year for a TV license? I dont watch TV and so I dont have a license. This tiny detail doesnt stop them HOUNDING me - they just assume that I do watch it without a license (which I dont, I SOOO dont) and they automatically get granted search warrants to break into and search your property, however it is not illegal to merely OWN a TV set, just to "use TV receiving equipment to receive or record television broadcast services". Yes, this includes TV cards in computers.
Since when does the appearance of a machine affect it's functionality? I get immensely irritated by the whiney 'my computer is better than yours because I think it looks better' Mac crowd.
Windows gives you flexibility? Try moving your Outlook contacts from Outlook to Groupwise some time. Yes, that is in your own words the definition of flexibility.
um.. you mean export it as a CSV then import it? Or maybe export it to an access database if you want to do some queries on them? I say you don't know your Outlook from your Outlook Express.
Try interchanging any data between linux apps. While your at it, why not try to have a single copy / paste system for ALL apps?
Quick, think: Where is that user's address book stored right now? Is it in "Documents and settings", under "Local Data" or "Applications"? Is it in the Windows directory under profiles? Is it in some folder named after some GUID?
If you are using Outlook, then the answer is 'anywhere you want it to be'.
Now, quick, think: Where is the user's address book in linux? Well, it's definitely in their HOME Directory. What e-mail program are they using? Evolution? I'll bet it's in a folder called ~/evolution.
You'd have to bet really, because it certainly wont be in any documentation will it? (that's documentationThe organized collection of records that describe the structure, purpose, operation, maintenance, and data requirements for a computer program, operating system, or hardware device. - take note open source developers.)
"Linux is free. If you consider your time worthless."
The Amazon donation page is broken - my donation of ONE MEELION DOLLARS is not showing up, however I'm in the list to be an overseer! Dont worry - I'll have perks for fellow slashdotters.
"Thank you for supporting the WORLD DOMINATION FUND. Your information
has been added to our global database. Out of those who chose to
donate to our cause, 10,000 will be randomly selected to serve as
SLAVE OVERSEERS rather than as slaves once our cabal is victorious
over the forces of "Good." Remember, the more you donate, the better
your chances! And remember to visit www.villainsupply.com for all
your villainy needs! -- Dr. DeSpayr, interim CFO, The Global
Domination Consortium LLC"
Antarctica is a floating ice structure - melting it would not flood anywhere, as it presently is displacing more or less the same amount of water that it occupies...
The thing is, you dont _OWN_ the music - you merely have a license to listen to it via the CD - the CD you own, the music you do not.
I can see this heading towards a yearly license fee that we will have to pay to keep our CD collections.
Hmm.. I've heard this somewhere before...
Make all their machines into thin clients, remove the floppy drives and use terminal services. Nowhere to save dat except the server, backup the server. Easy!;)
I'm glad to see the back of them
on
IBM Spins Down
·
· Score: 3, Interesting
"Sad to see big blue out of the hard drive business..."
IBM drives used to be good. They were expensive, but they were good. You knew that if you sprung the extra cash for an IBM drive you were paying for reliability.
Exactly when this changed I don't know, but what I do know is when I hear of people who have had a large capacity drive die suddenly overnight, my first reply is 'is it an IBM?' - literally every case within the last year has been 'yes - how did you know?'
I (and many others) are presently involved with a class action lawsuit against IBM for claiming that their drives are reliable when they are not. I unfortunately bought an IBM Deskstar 75GXP drive when looking for a solid reliable drive however this turned out to be a big mistake. It was the first IBM drive to use a glass platter to reduce costs etc. but unfortunately it simply made the thing extremely unreliable. My own tests have shown that the thing is VERY susceptible to overheating, and the only way I could get it to retain any data was to keep it as cool as I can (at this point using seperate screw on dual fan HDD cooler and extra case ventilation with nothing near the drive).
Bye IBM - you wont be missed (like my 50Gb of data was).
Well I hate the new iMac. Only a total idiot would value form over function with computer equipment, and dont even get me started on making a machine with a removable media drive without the ability to manually eject it.
Yeah - lets ramp the price right up for a rackmount machine that no one is going to see when it's mounted in the switchroom. Another great overpriced idea from Apple.
Slashdot Mirror
Actually I'm sure[*] this is untrue. Just ignore the letters asking you to buy a TV license and no one will come to check up on you, at least in person.
...they send you more blue letters (cheaper to ignore). The letters are misleading, and clearly state that it is illegal to "_use_ TV receiving equipment to _receive_or_record_ television programme services" and that if one does not _have_ a TV then one should write to them. (I _have_ a TV but I dont _use_ it in the above manner so I dont have to write to them - right?)
Better dig out the disclaimer. The way it works is this:
1. They continually send you blue letters. You can either a) respond at your own cost or b) ignore them. In either case...
2.
3. you start to get red letters which are sent registered post (i.e. need to be signed for so they know you got it) (TIP: refuse to accept letters that have a bristol address on the back)
4. you are visited at a random time by a TV license officer. You do not legally have to grant entry, however if you dont, then...
5. the officer returns with a police officer and a search warrant (which they are automatically granted).
I personally know three people to whom this has happened. A girl I know was taken to court with two other girls (all students at the time) and fined £1000. (although to be fair they were watching without a license and so were breaking the law); it does prove however that they do check in person.
I however _own_ a TV, but I dont _watch_ TV. I use it (very rarely these days) for watching the odd movie from blockbuster and my tape collection. - I'm not breaking the law!
I called them (national rate) and had this out with one of their 'managers'. I wanted to speak to their head of my local region, who's name was on my last red letter. I was told that I couldn't speak with him, as they 'didnt have the phone number' (this was for a BIG regional office. Hmm.)
I explained that while I was quite happy to ignore letters and simply refuse entry to license officers, this search warrant business was another matter entirely. I'm not into the idea of someone turning up at my property and having legal permission to force their way in, police officer or no police officer.
Things like this _must_ be fought on the grounds of common decency and privacy. If we do not fight this sort of blatent privacy invasion, then before we know it our property will be subject to random searches by police just to 'check we are not breaking any laws'. The situation is utterly ridiculous.
...and a lifetime of harrassment if you dont want a license.
I've been receiving letters for over three years non stop. Did you take any legal action to get them to stop? I'd be very interested to hear if you did.
...however in the majority of cases they simply number crunch to find people who dont have a license. Shops that sell TV receiving equipment are required by law to supply the TV licensing people with the name and address of anyone they sell said equipment to, within 30 days. The TV licensing checks this database against the list of people who do have a license. Anyone else is continually sent letters.
In the past they have actually put up billboards at the end of streets saying "in , there are x people who do not have a TV license - we know who they are". If that isn't breach of privacy I dont know what is!
Isnt the license for any equipment capable of receiving broadcast tv?
It used to be, however this was changed (it was probably an illegal law anyway). Nowadays it's only if you _use_ TV receiving equipment to "receive or record television broadcast services". This illustrates my point quite nicely as they word it to be confusing, and you obviously read it the way they make it sound.
You are required to own a television license if you use television receiving equipment to watch or record BBC channels. If you don't ever tune into a BBC channel then you don't have to pay at all.
This is incorrect - the UK law states that it is illegal to use TV receiving equipment to receive or record television broadcast services. For the benefit of US readers, in the UK we have BBC1 and BBC2 (which the license fee pays for). The other normal channels we have are ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 which are paid for by advertising. The law however prohibits using TV receiving equipment to receive or record ANY broadcasts that originate from the UK without a TV license. Yes - that's right it doesnt make sense and it IS a rip off. My issue though is not about the license as I dont watch TV, but rather the way I get harrassed because I dont have a license.
I get those anyway - it's not illegal to listen to the radio or use the website (read: unenforcable). As for digital TV, well - I have no idea what goes on there because I dont watch TV.
Why should I? I'm not visually imparied and I'm certainly NOT breaking the law.
The UK TV Licensing law states:
"It is illegal to use TV receiving equipment to receive or record television broadcast services"
I _own_ a TV and VCR, and I have a blockbuster card and also a collection of video tapes that I like to retain the ability to watch. It is only illegal to _use_ said equipment in above mentioned manner. Video cameras would be fine, however if you connected a camera to a monitor with the aim of watching a live broadcast then that would be illegal.
This in itself I dont have a problem with; Im not interested in TV. My problem is that they continually send me letters that are deliberately misleading as to make one think one must have a license merely to own a TV set - for example they state that it is illegal to _use_ TV equipment etc, and if I do not _have_ a TV then I should write and tell them. This is at my expense. To call them they have a national rate number (about 50c a min) so again I have to pay to tell them I'm not breaking the law. If I do not tell them I'm not breaking the law, they send people to search my property. they automatically get search warrants if I'm "uncooperative" and dont answer the door. I've told them many times that I own a TV and that I dont need a license to which the answer is always "that's fine" however the letters and harrassment don't stop. My next step may be to see what rights I have under the European Statute of Human Rights, Article 12 which deals with privacy.
Imagine if the police had the same powers...
"Dear subject - your property will be searched at a random time to ensure you are not breaking the law. If any evidence is found then you will be fined etc"
Just so we're clear on this - I'm not interested in watching TV, so I dont have a license.
My issue is the fact that I'm literally treated like a criminal because of this choice - I have to continually respond to the bi-monthly letters they send me (at my own cost) otherwise they send people to search my property. If they find any "evidence" then I get fined.
I pay $89 a month (not that american dollars are worth all that much anymore) for TV via satellite.
Yes but that is your choice. In the UK, to have the privilige of watching _any_ TV you first have to have a TV license. This gets you 5 channels (which are illegal to watch without a license) That's BEFORE you pay for cable or satellite. If you dont have a TV license, its to court and fines up to £1000.
...do you HONESTLY think they are going to put them in the same place all the time?!
I'm glad I live in a country with advert-free TV [bbc.co.uk].
Yeah - unfortunately TV is not FREE in the UK adverts or no adverts - can you believe we are expected to pay £107 a year for a TV license? I dont watch TV and so I dont have a license. This tiny detail doesnt stop them HOUNDING me - they just assume that I do watch it without a license (which I dont, I SOOO dont) and they automatically get granted search warrants to break into and search your property, however it is not illegal to merely OWN a TV set, just to "use TV receiving equipment to receive or record television broadcast services". Yes, this includes TV cards in computers.
*sigh*
Thankyou for proving my point.
Since when does the appearance of a machine affect it's functionality? I get immensely irritated by the whiney 'my computer is better than yours because I think it looks better' Mac crowd.
Please, all Mac users, grow up.
Windows gives you flexibility? Try moving your Outlook contacts from Outlook to Groupwise some time. Yes, that is in your own words the definition of flexibility.
um.. you mean export it as a CSV then import it? Or maybe export it to an access database if you want to do some queries on them? I say you don't know your Outlook from your Outlook Express.
Try interchanging any data between linux apps. While your at it, why not try to have a single copy / paste system for ALL apps?
Quick, think: Where is that user's address book stored right now? Is it in "Documents and settings", under "Local Data" or "Applications"? Is it in the Windows directory under profiles? Is it in some folder named after some GUID?
If you are using Outlook, then the answer is 'anywhere you want it to be'.
Now, quick, think: Where is the user's address book in linux? Well, it's definitely in their HOME Directory. What e-mail program are they using? Evolution? I'll bet it's in a folder called ~/evolution.
You'd have to bet really, because it certainly wont be in any documentation will it? (that's documentation The organized collection of records that describe the structure, purpose, operation, maintenance, and data requirements for a computer program, operating system, or hardware device. - take note open source developers.)
"Linux is free. If you consider your time worthless."
Damn! No wonder my last attempt at World Domination® failed! Curses!
The Amazon donation page is broken - my donation of ONE MEELION DOLLARS is not showing up, however I'm in the list to be an overseer! Dont worry - I'll have perks for fellow slashdotters.
"Thank you for supporting the WORLD DOMINATION FUND. Your information has been added to our global database. Out of those who chose to donate to our cause, 10,000 will be randomly selected to serve as SLAVE OVERSEERS rather than as slaves once our cabal is victorious over the forces of "Good." Remember, the more you donate, the better your chances! And remember to visit www.villainsupply.com for all your villainy needs! -- Dr. DeSpayr, interim CFO, The Global Domination Consortium LLC"
Kewl!
Antarctica is a floating ice structure - melting it would not flood anywhere, as it presently is displacing more or less the same amount of water that it occupies...
Found it, broke it, broke into it. :oP
The thing is, you dont _OWN_ the music - you merely have a license to listen to it via the CD - the CD you own, the music you do not. I can see this heading towards a yearly license fee that we will have to pay to keep our CD collections. Hmm.. I've heard this somewhere before...
Make all their machines into thin clients, remove the floppy drives and use terminal services. Nowhere to save dat except the server, backup the server. Easy! ;)
"Sad to see big blue out of the hard drive business..."
IBM drives used to be good. They were expensive, but they were good. You knew that if you sprung the extra cash for an IBM drive you were paying for reliability.
Exactly when this changed I don't know, but what I do know is when I hear of people who have had a large capacity drive die suddenly overnight, my first reply is 'is it an IBM?' - literally every case within the last year has been 'yes - how did you know?'
I (and many others) are presently involved with a class action lawsuit against IBM for claiming that their drives are reliable when they are not. I unfortunately bought an IBM Deskstar 75GXP drive when looking for a solid reliable drive however this turned out to be a big mistake. It was the first IBM drive to use a glass platter to reduce costs etc. but unfortunately it simply made the thing extremely unreliable. My own tests have shown that the thing is VERY susceptible to overheating, and the only way I could get it to retain any data was to keep it as cool as I can (at this point using seperate screw on dual fan HDD cooler and extra case ventilation with nothing near the drive).
Bye IBM - you wont be missed (like my 50Gb of data was).
Well I hate the new iMac. Only a total idiot would value form over function with computer equipment, and dont even get me started on making a machine with a removable media drive without the ability to manually eject it.
Yeah - lets ramp the price right up for a rackmount machine that no one is going to see when it's mounted in the switchroom. Another great overpriced idea from Apple.