TV licence for business

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 supersteve 30 Nov 2022

One of our company locations has received a TV licencing letter stating they should either apply for a licence or confirm they don't need one. Can they just ignore it? I'm pretty sure we had something similar when the Euro's were on so assume this is a standard letter whilst the World Cup is on because folks are watching the footie at work. 

 gethin_allen 30 Nov 2022
In reply to supersteve:

If you don't have a TV just ignore them as I've been doing for the last 14 years. If you watch TV you need a license.

 gravy 30 Nov 2022
In reply to supersteve:

Ignore it.  If you're lucky you'll get one each month building up to a frenzy of threats before it resets back to this original one.

Obvs if your company needs a license you should get one but if it doesn't you are under no obligation to reply to this guff.

If the TV people turn up they only have power to inspect your equipment if you have equipment (this power is on the books so that they can check you aren't watching colour TV on a B+W license and is essentially obsolete). No equipment, no right to inspect. 

While this is out-of-date wrt to the modern world they don't have a right to inspect anything just because you have a computer or internet so just politely ask them to leave and don't give them any details including your name or anything else and don't answer any questions.  They know the score they will politely leave when asked with no bother.

OP supersteve 30 Nov 2022
In reply to gravy:

Thanks both - that's what I thought. If anyone is sat watching telly during the day then it's an HR issue rather than a TV licencing issue. 

 Neil Williams 30 Nov 2022
In reply to supersteve:

> If anyone is sat watching telly during the day then it's an HR issue rather than a TV licencing issue. 

It is both.  If someone was streaming the football on a plugged in device then that does breach the law around TV licensing, and judging by notices I see in places like my nearest Costa it appears it is the venue's offence, not that of the viewer.  The workaround is to do it on a laptop not connected to the power (or a phone/iPad etc), then your home licence is applicable.

If the device is on batteries and the person has a licence at home, whether you allow it or not is up to you.

Post edited at 09:36
 Jenny C 30 Nov 2022
In reply to gethin_allen:

If you don't require a licence just fill in the form telling the one is not required, at least these days there is that option unlike in the 90s when the concept that not everyone owns a TV hadn't occurred to them. I really don't see the point in winding them up by ignoring letters, you get them occasionally reply and then get left alone till the next major sporting event.

If your employees use their own mobiles or laptops to view live TV (or iPlayer), providing they are running off battery they can use their home licence. If they are using the businesses equipment or connected to mains power then yes the business does require a licence.

Obviously if a licence is required just pay up.

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 mrphilipoldham 30 Nov 2022
In reply to gravy:

> If the TV people turn up they only have power to inspect your equipment if you have equipment (this power is on the books so that they can check you aren't watching colour TV on a B+W license and is essentially obsolete). No equipment, no right to inspect. 

Do they have the right to operate the equipment? I remember a few years ago seeing one of the TV licence goons on YouTube being allowed in to a property where there was a television but all he could do was compel the homeowner to turn it on (thereby potentially incriminating himself) but had no legal right to make him. Needless to say, he left knowing there was a TV but with no evidence that it was being used to receive live broadcasts. 

 gethin_allen 30 Nov 2022
In reply to Jenny C:

> "If you don't require a licence just fill in the form telling the one is not required..."

If only it was this simple. I did this a few times and the response you get is along the lines of, we don't trust you so we may still send someone over to check. So there's no point wasting time filling in the forms.

I had an inspector visit and he didn't even bother to go in the living room (door was closed and curtains drawn as it was after dark), the second time this happened I didn't let him in, told him that he should have done a better job of checking the first time he'd been around. Nobody ever returned after that but I have been getting regular letters from them with ever increasingly threatening language.

 Jenny C 30 Nov 2022
In reply to gethin_allen:

Maybe I have very honest looking handwriting...

Never had anyone round to check up on us and just been left alone till the next round of circular letters to unlicensed properties, although yes I know they say they might check.

Post edited at 10:23
 wintertree 30 Nov 2022
In reply to Jenny C:

>  I really don't see the point in winding them up by ignoring letters, you get them occasionally reply and then get left alone till the next major sporting event.

How am I winding up a computer program that cycles through a series of carefully construed letters that present an escalating series of  apparent but not actually real threats?  Once it reaches peak-nonsense the letters just reset to the start of the cycle.  Sometimes they change the name of the made up enforcement officer on the bottom.  The only thing a human will do is move envelopes around in the later stages df the delivery.

The only people getting wound up will be the executives at Capita who see a diminishing return (their cut of licences sold in response to this nonsense) on their costly exercise of wasting paper and keeping the postal system afloat.

Cry me a river.

 gethin_allen 30 Nov 2022
In reply to Jenny C:

> Maybe I have very honest looking handwriting...

I'm fairly certain I did it on line

 Cobra_Head 30 Nov 2022
In reply to supersteve:

Why not just confirm you haven't got one?

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In reply to Cobra_Head:

Because it only stops the letters for 6 months. Filling in the online form is literally a complete waste of 5 minutes of your life.

Ignore them. Or if anything do what you can to make it more costly for them to harass people so maybe they'll knock it off. It used to be that every 7th letter came with a business reply envelope. I took great pleasure stuffing it with the other 6 unopened ones, screwed up to make sure it was a 'large letter'. Can't think why they stopped sending those out.

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 hokkyokusei 01 Dec 2022
In reply to supersteve:

Sitting in the office watching TV was a major part of my job as a software developer working on products for the like of Virgin, Sky etc

 neilh 01 Dec 2022
In reply to supersteve:

The obvious question is do you or any of your employees watch any tele whilst at work? I suspect the answer is yes ( even I as the boss watch BBC news etc at times). So buy the licence. Sames applies for the licence on  music.

Its just part of the costs of running a business.

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