Do I need to know the statute law?
The law on TV Licensing is governed by The Telecommunications Act 2003. You do not need to know the statute law to the letter if you feel you do not require a TV licence. This section is for people who wish to have a deeper understanding of how the law works.
If you simply want to know the practicalities, you can skip this section and go straight to the section on TV Viewing.
The Communications Act 2003
The Communications Act 2003 requires UK citizens to pay a licence fee to view or record live TV or access BBC iPlayer and states the following:-
“Section 363 of the Communications Act 2003 makes it an offence to install or use a television receiver to watch or record any television programmes as they’re being shown on television without a TV Licence.
Section 365 of that Act requires that a person to whom a TV Licence is issued must pay a fee to the BBC.”
Notice the use of the word “install”. This is why it is important to remove any cables or equipment for use in viewing or recording live TV from your TV unit. By doing so, you are literally “uninstalling” your television receiver, as per the wording of the act.
It is not an offence merely to own a TV set without a TV Licence. An offence is only committed when you have a TV or other device in your home that has been specifically installed or used to view or record live TV or to view BBC iPlayer.
Some legal facts and statistics from 2018
It is an easy and legal thing to do to cancel your TV licence but these statistics highlight the importance of doing things properly and sticking to the law.
In 2018, there were 139,718 TV Licence prosecutions and out of court disposals.
A staggering 100,725 or 72% of that total figure was made up of women, with men only accounting for 38,006 of these cases.
The average fine was £127.00.
65 people were jailed for defaulting on TV Licensing fines.
The elements of the act
The following points are important in relation to The Communications Act 2003:-
Television Receiver
A television receiver is the component inside a television that actually receives live TV signals. It is specifically this component that is covered by the act.
Installation
It is an offence simply to install a television receiver for the purpose of viewing or recording live TV. This is why it is so important to ensure that TV equipment has been correctly set up to be legal in a household that does not have a TV licence.
Live TV
This is TV that is being viewed or recorded at the time of broadcast, usually according to a schedule. Unlike on-demand TV that can be viewed at any time.
View or record
As well as viewing, it is also is an offence to record live TV without a TV licence. Many people are convicted of TV licence evasion when live recordings are discovered on their TV equipment during a TVL inspection.
BBC iPlayer
BBC iPlayer is an on-demand video service provided by the BBC over the Internet. It cannot be lawfully viewed or downloaded from without a TV licence.
Click here to read about TV Licensing myths...
Further reading
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