On Sun, 7 Feb 2010 05:08:15 -0800 (PST), Mizter T
wrote:


On Feb 7, 11:38*am, Charlie Hulme
wrote:

Mizter T wrote:

On Feb 7, 12:36 am, David Hansen
wrote:

On Sat, 6 Feb 2010 21:43:54 -0000 someone who may be "Yokel"
wrote this:-

Argos does as well, resulting
in me having to fill in a form at the counter, not on their pay terminal,
when I bought a TV from them.
Why fill in a form with an address when buying a television?

Telegraphy Act of 1967 (as amended).

I had to fill in such a form when I bought a video recorder from
Tesco.

Does the law also apply to to USB Freeview gadgets, I wonder?

I think it does, yes - the law covers all 'television receiving
apparatus' (or some such) - not saying that retailers necessarily
abide by this though.

But of course the whole issue is becoming far less clear than it once
was - a computer and indeed other internet connected devices can be
used to get television streamed 'live' (the BBC streams BBC1 and 2 and
the news channel), for which a licence fee is a technical requirement.

It isn't "technical" - a receiving licence is required to use
apparatus to watch anything that is being currently broadcast over the
air but not for anything which is recorded (in that case only the
originator of a broadcast still requires a licence). No receiving
licence is required if equipment capable of doing so is not installed
or used for that purpose. In the case of a computer the mere
capability (which won't be there if there is no aerial) is not enough
although the TVLRO in the past would possibly not have hesitated to
claim otherwise in court.

However the details of people buying computers or other such devices
aren't passed to TV Licensing. Regardless of other issues re the
licence, the simple question of how applicable and relevant it will be
over time, given the advancing and merging of technologies, has to be
asked. Of course I rather suspect that no government of the future is
going to be wildly keen to open the pandora's box that is television
licensing and BBC funding.