What to Avoid (Traps for the unwary)

Lets run through some things you should not do if you have no TV Licence and want to stay legal.

Do not have any equipment capable of receiving a television signal. If you can, get rid of your television and use a monitor instead. This removes any argument about whether your equipment can receive Television. Incidentally if your area has gone digital then an analogue TV with no digi-box should be a safe choice. If you are using a television make sure that the antenna cable is disconnected (put it somewhere out of reach like your loft). If you have an analogue TV then to be on the safe side you should detune all the channels. Select each channel in turn and tune it off any station so that no picture is visible. If you have a VCR connected to your system then you should repeat the de-tuning process on the VCR. Using a digital TV (Freeview) is a bad idea as these do not need to be tuned. Any digi-boxes (Sky or Freeview) should be safely stored away wherever you put the antenna cable.

Do not watch live streaming video. The regulations are pretty clear on this point. If you are watching a streaming video feed that shows the same picture as a television station (albeit there may be some seconds transmission delay) then you are watching “Television”. As the law sees it you will need a TV Licence if you do this. Perhaps the best approach here is not to use streaming video in any way even if you think the feed is not being broadcast.

Do not forget to cancel your subscription to Sky or cable. This would be an open and shut case if it goes to court and you have no TV Licence.

Do not let the TV Licensing Inspector into your house. This is a matter of personal preference. If you think you have nothing to hide, then you may see no harm in this. However my suspicion is that the people employed for this job are not that clued up on the difference between streaming video and downloading a podcast. They are likely to become suspicious and have to get expert help. This means yet another visit and this time they will start combing through what is on your computer. So my view is that you should assert your rights from the start and refuse them entry. They will likely threaten to get a warrant but in reality they are more likely to go away and annoy someone else.

Do not use iPlayer to download stuff from BBC. Alright I am probably being paranoid here but stay with me. At present it is perfectly legal to download video using iPlayer even if you have no TV Licence. However who knows whether 'the corporation' are monitoring who is using the system. They could be building up a database of who uses video download. If the law ever changes this could be very useful to them. In any case the point of this project is to get away from 'the corporation' and its malign influence; no point in wavering now.