Unfortunately, the government decided that their efforts were not enough and have now changed the regulations so that after September 1 2016, anyone wanting to use the iPlayer will need to provide proof of their TV license number. Since the introduction of the popular iPlayer feature, the BBC have been forced to crackdown on the use of VPNs that can be installed to allow people outside the UK to use the iPlayer in a bid to stop those without a valid license from being able to watch BBC programmes. This modernisation of the system has been a long time coming but the BBC refuse to be knocked down, as they insist that only a mere 2% of UK households will be affected by the new rules. It is the first time in the 90-year history of the British Broadcasting Commission that an outside source has intervened to alter their regulations and this isnt the only change to be implemented, as the government also announced plans to bring Ofcom in as a third party regulatory party to police all of the programmes shown on the BBC. The old rules allowed people without a TV license full access to the iPlayer features and, as only live programmes needed a license to be viewed meaning that anything that was streamed or viewed on-demand was exempt from the rules. Many of the people using the BBC iPlayer features without a TV license live abroad and it is the expat community that may feel the pressure of these changes the most, along with students, people on benefits and anyone living on a restricted income. The government have stepped in to put a halt to people being able to access the iPlayer without having a television license and the new rules will come into play on September 1, forcing anyone wanting to make use of this feature to pay for a license. The popular BBC iPlayer function has, up until now, been open for anyone to use but the loophole in the system that allows even those without a TV license to watch programmes on-demand or via streaming will finally be closed on September 1.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |