[ILUG] Slashdot | New Irish Internet Tax?

[Michael Watterson]

Stephen Mc Gowan wrote:
> From, slashdot again:
> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1224759&cid=27857089
>
> transmitted, relayed or distributed ... for *simultaneous* ... reception by
> the general public, *whether that material is actually received or not*, and
> where the programmes are provided in a *pre-scheduled and linear order*.
>
> This is about passive viewing, i.e. viewing what's listed in the TV guide
> and pumped out by the broadcaster. On-demand viewing is not covered. So
> unless you have a TV card, the article is bull.
>   
Or "real" IPTV service on the PC. Magnet has an option (possibly not 
working).

RTE's iplayer is neither here nor there as you need a TV licence if you 
have FTA Satellite only (UK /German TV etc on it but no Irish TV)
AND
It's not by any proper evaluation "real television" More like YouTube 
than real IPTV. Rubbish except in a tiny window.


Mobile TV/ TV via gadget is already covered. If it runs on battery your 
home TV licence covers it.

Many offices have TV/Screens etc that may occasionally be used for 
football/ Tennis etc and don't bother with licences. They have been 
breaking the law for years.

The TV licence for some time has not excluded offices nor PC based 
solutions, nor ever been limited to Irish TV (after all they discussed 
TV licence before RTE started as people already getting BBC and ITV).  
The TV licence is a tax on TV viewing by whatever method, always has been.

Wholly on-demand TV is hugely wasteful. A terabyte PVR that records all 
the Broadcast Transmissions (IPTV ip broadcast, Terrestrial or Cable) 
and then lets you watch when ever you want is covered already by the 
current act.  If you do the sums for true VOD for a whole nation, the 
only feasible solution is a massive server at every exchange.

There is a UK freeview PVR product that has a rolling cache of the 
previous 7 days programs. Not sure if it's just one or two Multiplexes 
though.

A bedsit for a student staying in your house only needs a separate TV 
licence if it has its own cooking arrangements. A house with a shared 
kitchen only needs one licence no matter how many occupants, unless it's 
a Prison, Hospital, Guest House or Hotel. Then different rules may 
apply. Also you may find in such larger establishments different rules / 
charges apply to Cable TV or Sky Pay TV or even Foreign FTA TV.
> Of course, if digital television evolved to being an unscheduled and wholly
> on-demand system, then perhaps this legislation would need a revisit.
>
>
> On Thu, May 7, 2009 at 11:55 AM, Lars Hecking <
> lhecking at users.sourceforge.net> wrote:
>
>   
>> Colin Rooney writes:
>>     
>>> I can remember many years ago hearing the minister of the time (forgotten
>>> who it was) claiming computers, because they could be used like TVs,
>>> required a TV license... but he felt that most people who had a computer
>>>       
>> had
>>     
>>> a TV so it was largely irrelevant - I guess they are going to remove any
>>> ambiguity.  A lot of small businesses will now need a TV License I
>>>       
>> suspect!
>>
>>  This has been the law in Germany for a while now, with precisely this
>>  effect, and a number of small/home business owners have gone to court
>>  over the fees. In a number of cases, lower instance courts have decided
>>  against the fee, in some case, the next instance overturned the decision.
>>  All in all there is no clear picture yet.
>>
>>  Not sure how google or any other web translator will mangle it ;-)
>>
>>
>> http://www.heise.de/newsticker/Weiteres-Urteil-gegen-PC-Rundfunkgebuehren--/meldung/137343
>>
>>
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>>
>>     
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