Say Goodbye To Free TV

[Trainer Monkey]

The Bushies sold us down the river and sold of our airwaves
http://www.dtv.gov/consumercorner.html
Insomnia has benefits

[BoxingGorilla]

CC for the article, Monk.

I've had many conversations about this over the last few weeks.

[Trainer Monkey]

CC for the article, Monk.

I've had many conversations about this over the last few weeks.

Complete accident I caught it,going through a streak of insomnia
FCC regs say they have to run an announcment about major changes,they dont say when it has to be run
And thanks to cable,that can be at 2 AM
Its strangling information from those that need information,and that is the death of freedom

[USA LOVES THE KLITSCHKOS]

This has been in the works since 1996.
If you have a analog television you will have to buy a digital converter.There are plenty of digital tv signals that you can get with a regular antenna but you need the converter. Starting on February 17, 2009 digital is all you will be able to get, analog tv will be a thing of the past.

[superheavyrhun]

I know that the situation is much different in the US and the UK, but the "Digital Switchover" as it has been marketed here in the UK is also getting rid of analog signals and will force everyone to purchase a digibox for any tv's they have.

However, there are TV ads running almost constantly these days, and it is highly publicised, so they're no trying to sneak it through as you suggest is happening over there though.

[Kev]

You yanks have free TV?

Over here in the UK we have to by law pay a license fee of £135.50 a year to the fucking BBC just for the privilege of owning a television set.

I DON'T EVEN WATCH THE BBC! I COULD QUITE HAPPILY COPE WITHOUT THE FUCKING SHITTY CHANNELS AND THEIR MINDLESS SOAPS LIKE EASTENDERS AND CASUALTY.

I NEVER FUCKING WATCH TELLY ANYWAY!

WHY THE HELL DO I HAVE TO PAY AND YOU YANKS DON'T?

I'm hopping mad now, spilt my tea and everything

[BoxingGorilla]

You yanks have free TV? 

Over here in the UK we have to by law pay a license fee of £135.50 a year to the F****** BBC just for the privilege of owning a television set.

I DON'T EVEN WATCH THE BBC! I COULD QUITE HAPPILY COPE WITHOUT THE F****** SHITTY CHANNELS AND THEIR MINDLESS SOAPS LIKE EASTENDERS AND CASUALTY.

I'm not sure I understand what you are saying here, Bilbo.  You can't just go to the store buy a TV and plug it in?

Here in the US you need cable to watch HBO and Showtime etc. but there are channels that are free so long as you pay your electric bill.

When I was child there were a boatload of free channels and that is what most people watched.  Of course these days the signal sucks and you need basic cable to get even the free channels to come in clearly.  So really they are not free at all anymore...

Still, you make it sound like you have to pay the government for TV privileges.  Is your government in charge of programming?  We have BBCAmerica here but it's just a channel to watch British shows on, what the hell is the BBC anyway? 

I'm so damn confused.  We have ABC, NBC, CBS & FOX as the big networks over here in the states.  They all compete with one another and all of their programming is "free."

Then you have the big cable channels like HBO & Showtime that show movies and have original programming. Then we have the cable channels that are genre specific like History, Discovery, National Geographic, Comedy Central.  You pay for these in bulk by selecting different "packages" according to your cable or satellite provider.

You can't just own a TV and watch DVD's without paying a yearly TV cost to the BBC?  Is that what you are telling me?  That is really odd to me.

[DaxxKahn]

This has been in the works since 1996.
If you have a analog television you will have to buy a digital converter.There are plenty of digital tv signals that you can get with a regular antenna but you need the converter. Starting on February 17, 2009 digital is all you will be able to get, analog tv will be a thing of the past.

Yeah this has been a long running rumor...sadly most of us just hoped it would stay a rumor ....

I pay for cable now so its not like it will really effect me but I guess it is just the principle of the whole thing

[Trainer Monkey]

This has been in the works since 1996.
If you have a analog television you will have to buy a digital converter.There are plenty of digital tv signals that you can get with a regular antenna but you need the converter. Starting on February 17, 2009 digital is all you will be able to get, analog tv will be a thing of the past.

Yeah this has been a long running rumor...sadly most of us just hoped it would stay a rumor ....

I pay for cable now so its not like it will really effect me but I guess it is just the principle of the whole thing

Yeah,I have a Dish,so its no real skin off of my nose
But what about those that dont,and cant afford it?
And those converters cost like 70$ bucks,in alot of cases thats more then the TV cost

[DaxxKahn]

I agree

This has been in the works since 1996.
If you have a analog television you will have to buy a digital converter.There are plenty of digital tv signals that you can get with a regular antenna but you need the converter. Starting on February 17, 2009 digital is all you will be able to get, analog tv will be a thing of the past.

Yeah this has been a long running rumor...sadly most of us just hoped it would stay a rumor ....

I pay for cable now so its not like it will really effect me but I guess it is just the principle of the whole thing

Yeah,I have a Dish,so its no real skin off of my nose
But what about those that dont,and cant afford it?
And those converters cost like 70$ bucks,in alot of cases thats more then the TV cost

I agree it is a bit unfair....Hopefully the cable and dish networks will lower prices seeing how their business will be picking up about 200%.....Though I doubt it

[Kev]

You yanks have free TV?

Over here in the UK we have to by law pay a license fee of £135.50 a year to the F****** BBC just for the privilege of owning a television set.

I DON'T EVEN WATCH THE BBC! I COULD QUITE HAPPILY COPE WITHOUT THE F****** SHITTY CHANNELS AND THEIR MINDLESS SOAPS LIKE EASTENDERS AND CASUALTY.

I'm not sure I understand what you are saying here, Bilbo. You can't just go to the store buy a TV and plug it in?

Here in the US you need cable to watch HBO and Showtime etc. but there are channels that are free so long as you pay your electric bill.

When I was child there were a boatload of free channels and that is what most people watched. Of course these days the signal sucks and you need basic cable to get even the free channels to come in clearly. So really they are not free at all anymore...

Still, you make it sound like you have to pay the government for TV privileges. Is your government in charge of programming? We have BBCAmerica here but it's just a channel to watch British shows on, what the hell is the BBC anyway?

I'm so damn confused. We have ABC, NBC, CBS & FOX as the big networks over here in the states. They all compete with one another and all of their programming is "free."

Then you have the big cable channels like HBO & Showtime that show movies and have original programming. Then we have the cable channels that are genre specific like History, Discovery, National Geographic, Comedy Central. You pay for these in bulk by selecting different "packages" according to your cable or satellite provider.

You can't just own a TV and watch DVD's without paying a yearly TV cost to the BBC? Is that what you are telling me? That is really odd to me.

Yep that's exactly it, anyboyd who owns a television set HAS TO BY LAW pay for a tv license which goes to the BBC to allow them to continue to make quality programmes.

All other terrestrial channels are free and gain funds through adverts. The BBC has no adverts and instead just FUCKING FORCES us to pay for their services whether we want them or not.

In times gone by it was an ok solution, when the BBC was pretty much all there was. But now with digital satelite channels, the internet and video games the BBC is pretty much irrelevent to large sections of the British public.

However the government won't scrap the license fee and force the BBC to be an opt in subcscription service. You HAVE to have it.

What's even worse is the letters these kunts send out if you are late making payment. they threaten you with a £1000 fine, an investigation into your home to check if you are using a tv or not. They even have detector vans that go around all the time randomly checking airwaves or someshit to make sure every household is not using a tv without paying them.

It's one of the most shameful , undemocratic and anti free world monopolies in any modern country imo.

Basically it would be like if CNN was complulsary in the US. If you owned a tv you HAD to have it, HAD to pay for it whether you watched it or not and can be fined, prosecuted, be put under investigation if you don't pay.

If you don't have a television set then boy are you in for a hard time. The BBC works under the assumption that EVERYBODY has a tv set and that those who say they don't are LYING. So they will hound you night and day, attempt to prove you have a telly with their shitty detector vans, threaten you with court action etc.


Honestly I pray for the day when some government is finally able to wake up and see we are living in a new milennium now and that people won't stand for paying for a service they don't care to use anyway. It's outrageous I or anyone HAS to pay for the BBC channels whether we want them or not.

Get's me so fucking hot under the coller this does

[BoxingGorilla]

That is really depressing, Bilbo. I can understand your bitter rage.

What if I told you that the government has installed pay-to-flush handles on the private toilets of all American homes. It costs us 25 cents to say good-bye to our dookie. Otherwise you have to scoop it out and bury it in your backyard. Would that make you feel any better about your situation?

[superheavyrhun]

That is really depressing, Bilbo. I can understand your bitter rage.

What if I told you that the government has installed pay-to-flush handles on the private toilets of all American homes. It costs us 25 cents to say good-bye to our dookie. Otherwise you have to scoop it out and bury it in your backyard. Would that make you feel any better about your situation?

Pay to flush handles? I'd go to a public toilet and leave it there....25 cents to flush is a disgrace.

[Phil]

That is really depressing, Bilbo. I can understand your bitter rage.

What if I told you that the government has installed pay-to-flush handles on the private toilets of all American homes. It costs us 25 cents to say good-bye to our dookie. Otherwise you have to scoop it out and bury it in your backyard. Would that make you feel any better about your situation?

thats fucking ridiculas! made me laugh though, never knew that!

on the tv front, i pay my basic Ntl 4 the 10 shitty channels, invested in a dreambox which unscrambles
everything, now have 146 channels including all sports movies and porn!!
I even enjoyed watching the PBF-RH free of charge! thank you and fuck you NTL

[BoxingGorilla]

Sorry, fellas.

The 25 cents thing was a joke.

Actually, you are probably relieved to hear it.