US: Stop Congress from making iPod or VCRs illegal

[Gandalf Parker]

Imperator Fyron said:

Fair use. I pay for the television service. I don't have to watch a show immediately when it airs. I can record it and watch it later. I may have been at work, or at dinner, sleeping, or any other number of reasons.

You pay for television service? Television is free. Like radio.
Gandalf Parker

[Fyron]

Gandalf Parker said:
You pay for television service? Television is free. Like radio.
Gandalf Parker

Broadcast television of a handful of syndicated network channels, yes. There are a lot of stations for which you have to pay for cable, satellite, etc. acces to see... such as Comedy Central and Sci Fi channel.

[Raging Deadstar]

In the Uk we actually have "Television Liscenses" which is basically paying for even 'terestial' television. Then we pay extra for "satelite" television.

[dogscoff]

In the Uk we actually have "Television Liscenses" which is basically paying for even 'terestial' television. Then we pay extra for "satelite" television

I consider this a good thing. This means that the BBC is not influenced by advertisers or by governmental sponsors (in theory, anyway.) We get the best of both worlds- we get the bbc, which has a world-class reputation for producing some of the best tv in the world, and we also get channels funded by advertising, and then we can also opt-in to subscription channels if we wqant/ have the technology. With set-top digital boxes at fifty quid a go, there's not much excuse not to have the technology. And the license fee is ~10 pounds a month, (approx $15-$20US) which is a round of drinks.

[Alneyan]

Dogscoff, do I read you right? Did you mean that the BBC is ad-free because of this tax? Or am I just daydreaming?

We have one similar tax in France, but "public" channels still have to rely on ads to fund their programmes. Granted, the channels that do get the government funding may have slightly fewer ads than the others, but I would say the difference isn't too important.

[Randallw]

When I went to work in England a few years ago I bought a portable television. I thought the authorities would never find out but twice I received letters warning me about watching TV without a licence. As a paranoid, dictator I find it fascinating that a democratic country has vans driving the streets detecting illegal tv watching (and I still can't figure out how they can detect you "receiving" transmissions), similar to the Gestapo in Occupied Europe detecting resistance radio.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

The US congress wants to make Ipods and VCRs sick!

[Mephisto]

Alneyan said:
We have one similar tax in France, but "public" channels still have to rely on ads to fund their programmes. Granted, the channels that do get the government funding may have slightly fewer ads than the others, but I would say the difference isn't too important.

In Germany the public stations which are funded are ad-free after 8 PM.

[dogscoff]

Dogscoff, do I read you right? Did you mean that the BBC is ad-free because of this tax? Or am I just daydreaming?

That is correct. That is how the BBC is funded. They aren't allowed to advertise, and BBC tv/ radio have to be very careful about accidental product placement.
It may seem draconian to have detector vans prowling around, but it enables an unbiased, apolitical news and entertainment medium, and it's been a highly successful one since it's foundation [BIG_NUMBER] years ago. Many ppl rate British (and particularly the BBC's) news & entertainmnet programs as the best in the world. Even if you don't, you certainly have to rank it as being up there with the big boys. Personally I wouldn't ever trade it for the infomercials of american TV or the propaganda of Italian TV. Of course we still get american infomercials, but that's because subscription and advertising-funded channels are broadcast alongside the BBC channels.

[Gandalf Parker]

Imperator Fyron said:

Broadcast television of a handful of syndicated network channels, yes. There are a lot of stations for which you have to pay for cable, satellite, etc. acces to see... such as Comedy Central and Sci Fi channel.

Those are services. The rules are very different for services and FCC licensed channels. There are many things that your TV might receive thru cable and satellite like music or pay-per-view movies or even interactive tv like webtv or internet. All of those have very different rules.

In fact, in the case of THOSE services you are very limited in saying "I pay for and have a right". The aired channels will give you alot of rights. The private services can be much more restricted.