The BBC License Fee is being looked at that it may become “obsolete” with the growing coverage of Internet access across the country.

With the fact that universal broadband is to be introduced across the country some have suggested that this could have a direct impact on the TV license that we pay.

David Graham of the “Adam Smith Institute” has made a report titled: “Global Player or Subsidy Junkie? Decision Time for the BBC”. In the report it was suggested that broadband access could see the license fee applied to this as apposed to paying it to the BBC.

Some of the stated reason that the BBC should give up the License Fee included:

• It criminalises poor people.
• It forces people to pay for genuinely “free” services funded by advertising.
• It obliges the BBC to replicate a crude commercial model based on mass-audience advertising.
• Universal broadband and the Internet make a “licence” to broadcast obsolete. On the other hand, they enable direct delivery of services outside the UK. The current funding model denies access to Britons and others resident overseas.

Obviously the BBC would put up a huge case against this as it is where they get most of their money and funds from.

At the moment the report was designed to get people thinking of this as a possibility and talking about the issue, although it is unlikely that we will see any change in the immediate future but it is certainly something that we should not rule out seeing in the future.
We will at the least have to wait until the full roll out of universal broadband across the country is completed before this subject is even considered.

The full report can be found at: adamsmith.org