Letter to BBC TVL

This is a sketch of a letter you could write to BBC's Television Licensing (TVL) - if like me you have no TV, but have been angered by their harassment.



Dear Sir/Madam


I refer to your letter dated xxxxxxxx


I have no TV at my address, and neither are live TV broadcasts received.

I have no need of a TV licence, and am not breaking the law, and yet I have received continual letters and threats from your company.

Unfortunately you seem to accept only two categories of people - TV licence payers or TV licence dodgers. It is not illegal to not own a TV. Receiving continual threats by letter, threats of visits, and actual visits quite clearly constitutes harassment. Whilst I am sympathetic to your position of desiring to ensure that all tv owners are licensed, your company's own agenda give you no right either legally or morally to harass me.

Your visiting officers will not call at my address. This letter denotes prior written and legal warning that any such visit will constitute trespass and harassment. Normally there is an assumed right of entry to the front door of a property. However this is denied to your employees, since any such act will evidently constitute harassment since prior warning has been given.

Your company will not send me any threatening letters or any other correspondence; you will not visit my property, neither will you visit my home. You may, of course, reply to this letter.

Although I have nothing to hide, I resent your intrusion and harassment into my life.

I suggest that you use one of your detector vans which you claim can easily detect TV use. This will furnish you with the proof of my innocence that you seem to desire without your company resorting to the illegal and immoral principle of continual harassment to myself and my family.

You have now been informed that any such visit or usual threatening letter, or threats of visits, constitute harassment. You will immediately cease. You may, of course, reply to this letter. You will kindly acknowledge in your reply that you have noted/understood the contents of this letter.

I also understand that one of your trained enquiry officers has been charged and found guilty of assaulting a disabled member of the public whilst about his employment of visiting the public at their homes. An assault without provocation.

Since I have already informed you that I have no legal requirement for a TV licence, then sending round one of your 'enforcers' evidently serves no other purpose than to intimidate and harass an innocent person. I am also in fear of a repeat 'performance' by one of your trained enquiry officers.

Can I take this opportunity to thank you in anticipation of your co-operation in this matter. Though why I am thanking you for not intimidating or harassing me seems somewhat strange - since I have a perfectly moral and legal right to live without such harassment as a perusal of European law will show you.



Yours



What will happen after this letter?



You should receive a reply within a month (but TVL don't always bother to follow their own code of conduct. You could send a reminder if you have received no reply after a month).

They will try and justify their harassment of you because of trying to catch TV licence dodgers. This, of course, is grossly illogical - but evidently beyond the moral and intellectual grasp of the BBC.

They will probably come out with some kind of drivel about 'we reserve the right for one of our visiting officers to call round....'

This is a lie. After being informed that their conduct is now harassment they will be liable for civil action if they did; but TVL aren't going to admit to being so easily defeated. (A lot of TVL's correspondence is in fact bluster and lies.)

They will put a 'stop' on your property and they will leave you alone for 3 to 4 years.

After this time they will write again to you politely enquiring if circumstances have now changed. They will also automatically put you back on their threatening letter scheme.

They might come out with some additional lies and bluster about how they have now introduced a new policy and that they now need to inspect your home; and if you don't comply they will not put a 'stop' on your property. (In other words comply or else you will get continual letters and visits). This, of course, is outrageous and shows the moral fibre or lack of it at the BBC (I have such a letter from TVL with such a threat!). Of course it is all disinformation (lies and bluster). Simply write to them again, as at the first, and they will have to leave you alone.

You might, during the time you wait for a reply, get a standard threatening letter because you have been automatically put back on the standard harassment scheme.

For further discussion please visit: BBC Resistance Forum