They probably don't want to draw attention to the fact that they use RIPA legislation to catch TV license evaders.
Objectively European TV licenses are just a terrible wasteful idea, basically creating an entire parallel tax collection system. Of all the important, vital things a government funds, I'm not sure why a public broadcaster should have any special insulation from the usual democratic decision making.
Now I'm in Germany, and here we have to pay for a TV license regardless of if we have a TV or not. (Also, my partner here has a TV).
The discount supermarket Lidl does 30 GB/€18.99/4 weeks.
O2 has a bunch of different "unlimited" offers with various caveats and extras at various different price points.
Now, the actual mobile network coverage? That's still all over the place, even in Berlin.
How does that work? Who sets the TV license rate? If I hate the BBC and want to eliminate their funding, and I also want to be popular, what's stopping me from eliminating the license regime altogether?
Meanwhile, mainstream TV (both state-run and privately owned) is more and more unwatchable, and more and more people just tune out - but they are still taxed.
The difference is that before it was basically opt-in, with spotty enforcement, and as a result about 30% of the population was not paying anything. Today it requires lying on an official form, making it much more serious.
Edit: Oh, the BBC isn't a government agency, it's operationally independent. But always becoming less so, as the board is mostly appointed by the government now.
Like, suppose your car comes with a subscription service for satellite radio... you're allowed to just not pay it. Owning the object associated with the service doesn't normally oblige you to subscribe to it.
Things may have changed since I left the country, but last I heard you only needed one if you owned specifically a TV or actually used iPlayer (i.e. more than merely having the capability to use it).
You do not require a TV license if you have a TV but do not use it to watch live television (e.g. using it for YouTube/Netflix apps)
To your actual point, you do now need a license to use iPlayer at all, not merely for live TV -- too many people (like me) were not bothering with a license and relying on catch-up. We stopped using iPlayer as a result.
Er. Yes? : - )
And I didn't know the other one. Even then, I'd be happy with a subscription in iPlayer that I could sign up to, rather than one enforced by law.
> You have to watch live TV on iPlayer. That's the legal requirement.
I have to pay road tax for owning a car :)
We do have Vehicle Excise Duty but it’s not a road tax.