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The BBC & Television Licensing Propaganda

It is fascinating to look back to the start of this long thread some fifteen years ago. Television as a social cement was already beginning to crumble. The technology to deliver streaming tv via the internet was on the horizon and Justin Anstey suggested that this would lead to the death of meaningless "filler" programmes!

The licencing authority had taken to posting vast advertisements across Manchester: "There are XX addresses in X Street without a TV Licence."

It was evident from the mid-nineties onwards that niche and quality broadcasting was being squeezed out. There was noticable dumbing-down even on Radio Three. You could no longer stumble across old movies at odd hours even. Soaps, "Reality TV" "Talent Shows" Lifestyle and yoof-oriented twaddle were proliferating and sucking the oxygen out of the schedules. With so many alternative sources to feed my own odd addictions, I was turning from a natural supporter of the BBC into a hater. My motives were entirely selfish but it would have taken relatively little to have kept me and my like on board but with so little to detain us, we abandoned ship. Statistically we did not count.

Of course the BBC was under attack from vested interests and their political allies. They understood the poisoned chalice repeatedly offered which would turn them into a provider of public service and niche programmes only. It sounds fair enough but the next step would be mass abstention from the licence-fee by people who resented any such aspirational content.

Looking at my attitude in 2001, I'm surprised only that it took me to the end of 2007 to pull the plug on live television. I can honestly say I have never missed it and these days look on modern news-style etc. as simply grotesque, when I encounter it in other people's homes. :eek:
 
JamesWhitehead said:
The technology to deliver streaming tv via the internet was on the horizon and Justin Anstey suggested that this would lead to the death of meaningless "filler" programmes!
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Unfortunately, most of what's on TV these days is mostly 'filler' programmes.
 
Mythopoeika said:
Unfortunately, most of what's on TV these days is mostly 'filler' programmes.
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Since getting my TV (and licence) I have to say I have watched no live TV and make use of catch up, Sky box sets, Netflix, and Amazon. Anytime I look at the TV guide it always seems to be some dreadful audience participation thing either about antiques (but not the Antique Roadshow) or property. Either those or re-runs of Criminal Minds, a programme I love but bought on Amazon video ages ago. Plus I can't stand adverts so when the second series of Fortitude airs I'll watch it on catch-up not live.

Filler programmes and endless repeats probably thrive on the constant streaming of entertainment; there's a lot of airtime to fill. Much like rolling 24 hour news, there are important stories to be covered but there is also a huge amount of pointless gossip and speculation dressed up as "news". The Today programme and the Six O'Clock News will do for me: radio during the day, TV in the evening.

I love the BBC but then I think of it in terms of the radio and documentaries such as the recent one presented by Janina Ramirez about Julian of Norwich, easy going but still interesting, or the music docs that seem to turn up on a Friday evening. Oh, and the Graham Norton Show/QI/HIGNFY.

******

Just thought that although TV has lost that power to have everybody sat down at the same time watching the same thing, there are still TV programmes that gather people together but in a more abstract way. I'm thinking of "Stranger Things" which people binged when it was released and they started telling friends and spreading word about it on sites like Reddit, so for a week or so there was a large contingent of people around the world intensely watching one show and then discussing it the next day. Not quite the same as everyone gathered around for the Christmas Day EastEnders but I think maybe the next closest thing.
 
Backlash against BBC's 'intrusive' new TV licence spy vans
Patrick Sawer, Senior ReporterLydia Willgress
6 August 2016 • 3:39pm

The BBC will be grilled by MPs over its controversial plans to spy on internet users in their home to trace people watching the corporation’s programme online without a TV licence.
The Telegraph revealed on Saturday how a new generation of detection vans will from next month be deployed to capture information from domestic Wi-Fi networks to detect those watching programmes online without paying their licence fee.

Now MPs have called for BBC chiefs to appear before the Parliamentary Culture Select Committee to explain and justify the plans.
It comes amid a growing backlash against the new spy vans from privacy campaigners.
Damian Collins MP, acting chairman of the Culture Select Committee, said: “I am sure it is something we will want to question the BBC about in the committee.
"Obviously the Government White Paper supports the BBC charging people for watching on catch up as well as live television. I think that is right people should pay... but I would be interested to know how practical the plans are.
"We will find out more about this, why they are doing it and how it will work. The question is what is reasonable in terms of working out whether people are paying."

The BBC has been given powers to use the new technology to enforce new requirements that anyone watching BBC programmes via the iPlayer must have a TV licence, whether they are watching online or via a television set.
Currently, anyone who watches or records live programming – online or on television – needs to buy a £145.50 licence. But from September 1, those who use the iPlayer only for catch-up viewing will also need to pay the fee, after the BBC successfully lobbied the Government to change the law.

But some fear the new detector vans represent an unacceptable level of intrusion into people’s private lives.
Daniel Kawczynski, the Conservative MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham, said: “I feel very uncomfortable about this. It is intrusive.
“We need a full scale review of the licence fee to get away from the system where people are taxed to watch television. Until the Government has the gumption to abolish the licence fee this sort of thing will continue to cause complications.”

A spokesman for Privacy International said: “While TV Licensing have long been able to examine the electromagnetic spectrum to watch for and investigate incorrect usage of their services, the revelation that they are potentially developing technology to monitor home Wi-Fi networks is startlingly invasive.” :eek:

Even some of the BBC’s strongest supporters fear the new detection service may prove impractical Greg Dyke, former Director General of the BBC, said: "Given that the Government is changing the law making it illegal to watch BBC television services on a laptop or computer without a licence fee, it makes sense to find ways of enforcing that. Whether it is effective must be doubtful."

A spokesman for TV Licensing said: “We’ve caught people watching on a range of devices, but don’t give details of detection as we would not want to reveal information helpful to evaders.
“Our use of detection is regularly inspected by independent regulators.”

A BBC source said: "While we'd never get into the details of how detection works for obvious reasons, it is wrong to suggest that our technology involves capturing data from private wi-fi networks."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/08/06/backlash-against-bbcs-intrusive-new-tv-licence-spy-vans/

More on page about "What is 'packet sniffing'?"

Should I wrap my router in tin-foil? But then presumably it wouldn't work at all! Hayelp!!
 
I'm really surprised they are sending out vans to do this. Maybe it means that some ISPs are not giving the TV Licensing Agency access to Internet records and the IP addresses of customers.
The way to beat it is just to use a network cable to plug the computer directly into the broadband router/modem.
 
drbates said:
I don't believe it for a second. The amount of laws that would break would be mad.

You'd have to decode the WIFI traffic, which if doesnt use WEP good luck with that, which is against the law to begin with...and then if you want to pin that down to a location you'll have to use direcitional antenna, and seeing as you need to know the device, not the router thats even more difficult. Plus you need to be able to pick the signal up from the roadside, and presumably use deep packet inspection.

So two vans and trying not to get sued, and staff capable of running the show. This is Crapita, so just no.
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Yeah.
I think it's another exercise in :BS: that they're using to scare people with.
 
The way to beat it is just to use a network cable to plug the computer directly into the broadband router/modem.
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Or wait until the next day then download/stream from a naughty website.
 
It's annoying; in all my years with XP I had what was called in those days a 'Modem'. It worked fine.

But when I was forced to go onto Win 10 it no longer worked, and I had to get a a wifi connection. So now I'm vulnerable to all the snoops in the world. :mad:
 
rynner2 said:
It's annoying; in all my years with XP I had what was called in those days a 'Modem'. It worked fine.

But when I was forced to go onto Win 10 it no longer worked, and I had to get a a wifi connection. So now I'm vulnerable to all the snoops in the world. :mad:
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Hmmm. That sounds like you need to re-install any drivers that may have come with the modem.
If you upgrade to Win 10, it can sometimes mess up device drivers.
 
drbates said:
That makes no sense. You're not still on dial-up are you? If you were I can't see you using wireless.
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No, I've been on broadband for years. And the modem that connected phone line to computer worked fine - until I got Win 10. The local computer shop advised me to get a new router from my ISP, which I did. I was surprised to find it was a wireless device, so I then had to get the shop to come and set it up, as I didn't have a clue.

But now it seems it's a Trojan Horse, leaking details of my doings to any TV detector van in the neighbourhood. :(
 
^Yes - just so.^
So the detector van is just more bullshit from the TV Licensing Authority.
 
The BBC issued a statement today confirming that they do not and indeed cannot monitor what people are looking at in private wifi networks.
 
Quake42 said:
The BBC issued a statement today confirming that they do not and indeed cannot monitor what people are looking at in private wifi networks.
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They leave that to the government! Shake up, weeple!
 
Even assuming the detector vans can tell if a wi-fi system is receiving iPlayer, where I live they might have problems identifying the actual address. The place is a large building containing about 30 flats, but none of these flats have their own 'front door'. There are a few communal outside doors (which can only be opened with an RFID key fob), but the flats only have their numbers marked on doors that open onto the internal corridors.

But from outside the building there is nothing to identify which windows belong to the same flat, let alone reveal the flat number!

Another problem for detector van man is that there is only road access to one side of the building, so maybe half or more of the flats cannot be scanned anyway!

Yet another problem could be operator boredom. Some of us here are 'silver surfers', but quite a few aren't online at all, so the detectors could be listening to the sound of silence for much of the time! :twisted:
 
rynner2 said:
Even assuming the detector vans can tell if a wi-fi system is receiving iPlayer, where I live they might have problems identifying the actual address. The place is a large building containing about 30 flats, but none of these flats have their own 'front door'. There are a few communal outside doors (which can only be opened with an RFID key fob), but the flats only have their numbers marked on doors that open onto the internal corridors.

But from outside the building there is nothing to identify which windows belong to the same flat, let alone reveal the flat number!

Another problem for detector van man is that there is only road access to one side of the building, so maybe half or more of the flats cannot be scanned anyway!

Yet another problem could be operator boredom. Some of us here are 'silver surfers', but quite a few aren't online at all, so the detectors could be listening to the sound of silence for much of the time! :twisted:
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*hee hee* .. me and my ex flatmate 'dropped on' in almost exactly the same circumstances Rynner :twisted: ... we didn't pay for our TV licence or for any water for almost 3 years .. we were being ripped off by the landlords in that flat anyway so I don't feel any guilt about it, I even taught the hard up woman next door to plug an extension cable into the plug socket in the hall way and run it under her door so the South African dwelling responsibility shirking landlords were paying for all of her electric :) ..
 
I lived for a few years in a rough part of town in a traditional scottish stone tenement building, in the attic flat right at the top, with seven other flats. The walls were about four feet thick and the whole street was made up of identical buildings. To get to my door you had to get through the locked outer door, negotiate the dark and intimidating 'close' to climb a vast spiral staircase, then push through another door and scramble up a further very steep set of stairs. And according to the post office my address didn't exist.

On the first day I decided that the chance of my tv set being detected by The Man was effectively a big fat 0% so I never bothered with a licence the whole time I was living there.
 
Today's the day the new iPlayer regs come into force - you cannot use it for catch-up viewing unless you have a TV licence. Which will cramp many people's style a lot.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-37226030

An article in the local press (which I can't find right now) suggested that round here TPTB will be especially interested in checking on the University students. As their numbers hit record levels this year, that should keep the detector vans busy! :twisted:
 
Can't say I'm fussed, at least they waited for this season of Robot Wars to finish before they changed the rules.
 
OneWingedBird said:
Can't say I'm fussed, at least they waited for this season of Robot Wars to finish before they changed the rules.
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I was watching the last one on live TV. But then I got caught short, and had to go for a Jimmy Riddle - so I had to watch the last part a bit later on iPlayer.
 
Found the article I saw yesterday:
Have you got your TV Licence? New rules come into effect tomorrow

It wil be all change for iPlayer afficionados and BBC Three freaks tomorrow as a new TV licensing regime begins across the county.
As of September 1, a licence will be needed to download or watch BBC programmes on demand, including catch up TV, on BBC iPlayer.

While the majority of households will already be covered, those who do not will need a licence to watch BBC programmes on demand, no matter whether iPlayer is accessed through another provider such as Sky or Virgin.
This applies to all devices, including a smart TV, desktop computer or laptop, mobile phone, tablet, digital box or games console. However a licence will not be needed to watch other on demand services, such as ITV Player or Netflix.

The new licensing laws will particularly hit students, with research by TV Licensing revealing that iPlayer is the most popular catch up platform used by people at university, ahead of sites such as YouTube and services including Netflix.
With less than a quarter of students taking a TV with them to university, online viewing on mobile devices has become by far the favoured way of consuming catch up TV content.

Caroline McCourt, spokesperson for TV Licensing, said: "Watching catch up TV is really popular among students and we want to make sure students are aware of the change in law. From September 1, everyone will need to be covered by a TV Licence to watch BBC TV programmes on demand – including catch up – on iPlayer. Students can check at our dedicated TV Licence for students page whether they are correctly licensed before the big move.

"And, of course, you still need to be covered by a licence for all live viewing and recording, no matter which channel you are watching or what device you are watching on."

http://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/new...Licence__New_rules_come_into_effect_tomorrow/
 
iPlayer now asks you if you have a TV licence or not. Presumably its response if you say NO would be rather blunt.

You can ask for more info, and get pages of interesting stuff, but as I don't want to get into a conversation with a sort of chatbot I think I will steer clear for now and see what develops.

It amazes me that a company so successful at selling high quality programmes overseas even needs to charge for a licence.

Brexit seems to be going better than many expected - perhaps when it gets into its stride, Mrs May will try to sort out the BBC.
 
All it does is ask if you have a licence. You could just lie, if you really wanted to - it doesn't ask for any code or licence number.
 
That crass reboot of Are You Being Served was the worst 30 minutes of TV I've ever watched. It was even worse than that time Paul Merton remade Hancock's Half Hour.
 
graylien said:
That crass reboot of Are You Being Served was the worst 30 minutes of TV I've ever watched. It was even worse than that time Paul Merton remade Hancock's Half Hour.
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You'll never get those moments of your life back.
 
graylien said:
That crass reboot of Are You Being Served was the worst 30 minutes of TV I've ever watched. It was even worse than that time Paul Merton remade Hancock's Half Hour.
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I read a review that said it made 'Mrs Brown's boys' look like PG Woodehouse.
 
I think they do it to provide an 'atmosphere'. But yeah, you might have a point.
 
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