TV Licenses Replaced With "Media Fee".. Eveybody MUST Pay..

sandundasa · Post by **sandundasa** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:05 pm

Panel Calls for Media Fee to Replace TV Licenses

A panel set up to consider the future financing of the Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE proposed on Thursday a new "media fee" of 175 euros per household.

This annual fee would replace the current television license fee of 224 euros. Under the plan, the fee would be lower because there would be a broader base of payers.

The working group, led by Centre Party MP Mika Lintilä, presented its recommendations to Minister of Communications Suvi Linden on Thursday afternoon.

All households would be required to pay the proposed media fee, which would take effect in 2011.

Under the current system, only households with televisions in use are obliged to pay the license fee, as in many European countries. However this is difficult to enforce. YLE has had a declining base of license payers since 2004, losing a considerable chunk during the switchover to digital TV broadcasts in 2007.

In recent years, the focus of YLE operations has also shifted heavily toward online offerings, which are free for all users in Finland.

Also required to pay would be all businesses and organisations with turnover of more than 400,000 euros a year. Their fee would be three times higher. State and local authorities and parishes would not be billed unless they engage in commercial operations.

No direct state funding

The Lintilä panel calls for YLE's current level of services to be maintained. It estimates that the proposed system would raise fees equivalent to the public broadcaster's current budget of 415 million euros.

Funding levels would be reconsidered at approximately four-year intervals, more frequently at first.

The committee said it considered direct funding for YLE out of the state budget, but noted concerns that this would make it overly dependent on politicians.

YLE Managing Director Mikael Jungner said Thursday that he considers the proposal reasonable. However, he added that he wished that the company had be given more room to develop, although he understands the panel's thinking in the present economic situation.

Commercial television company MTV3 Managing Director Pekka Karhuvaara was critical of the term "media fee". He said he considers it misleading, as all of the funds gathered will be used to finance YLE operations.

Communications Minister Suvi Lindén described the proposal as "interesting", but as of Thursday was unwilling to take a stand on the issue.

http://www.yle.fi/uutiset/news/2009/04/ ... 00476.html

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Karhunkoski · Post by **Karhunkoski** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:16 pm

Gets my vote!

Will save me 49 euros a year and will also save YLE the cost of running a team of inspectors to go around checking the pikey gits have bought a licence (paid out of my licence money

)

NanaM · Post by **NanaM** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:47 pm

What about those who really do not have TV ?

Jukka Aho · Post by **Jukka Aho** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:56 pm

NanaM wrote:What about those who really do not have TV ?

The idea of this new “media fee” is that it would cover everything that YLE produces as public service... be that on web (such as the Areena or Elävä arkisto services, news service, streaming media and podcasts), on radio, or on TV.

The work group that suggested this fee estimates over 99 per cent of Finnish citizens have access to these services. So having a TV or not having a TV would no longer be relevant.

Upphew · Post by **Upphew** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 9:05 pm

I'm more concerned about YLE's usage of that money than the way it is collected, especially if one cannot opt out by not having digibox. I'm happy (ok, "happy") to pay that media fee, but gdmn there better be stream of everything, at decent bitrate and sound, available on demand. Also buying of probably expensive hollywood movies/series and sports are better left to commercial operators, they will be shown anyways so why put YLE to compete? I won't even go to FST's, vega's and that third channel's share of money...

ajdias · Post by **ajdias** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 9:17 pm

Jukka Aho wrote:The work group that suggested this fee estimates over 99 per cent of Finnish citizens have access to these services. So having a TV or not having a TV would no longer be relevant.

I have plans for a information service that will be of public interest for all in Finland. I expect all of you to pay me a mere 0,50 cents a year for this service since you all will have access to it.

I am surprised that no one is putting up a fuzz because this is so blatantly against equality principles so many public servents bost of: "poor students" living along will be paying as much as big and wealthy families.-- Maybe it's not worth the fight, they know they don't stand a chance; there's plenty of bitter idiots way more concerned with free riders than with their own rights.

NanaM · Post by **NanaM** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 9:52 pm

Jukka Aho wrote:The idea of this new “media fee” is that it would cover everything that YLE produces as public service... be that on web (such as the Areena or Elävä arkisto services, news service, streaming media and podcasts), on radio, or on TV.

The work group that suggested this fee estimates over 99 per cent of Finnish citizens have access to these services. So having a TV or not having a TV would no longer be relevant.

Alright, thanks for the explanation.

raamv · Post by **raamv** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 10:51 pm

NanaM wrote:What about those who really do not have TV ?

They pay the fee...to use the library's TV. ...

This is really a stupid excuse..( Maybe for students, it could be discounted.but then Fo all the fraud that happens, this is insignificant )..
As long as the media fee is imposed per household..then its fine even given all the inequalities.. ( Like the Fee based on your income..Then this would be an uproar

)

dampa · Post by **dampa** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 8:23 am

This is actually ridiculous. I don't think it is right for any company what so ever to force customers to pay for any service. YLE is actually an "Oy" so like any other Oy, it provides services and the public pay for whatever service they are interested in and then pay. Sending bills or charging people without actually using the service is...nuts. Go figure! I have and I know people who dont ever open their eyes to YLE (website, tv, radio, whatever) to people like this, YLE content is either just too boring or not essential.

People argue that once you own a TV or YLE is on air and you have a receiver, one should pay. I think this is wrong. Why wont they make katselukortti for people who really need Yle services. Just like PlusTV, Canal + and Viasat. If you like them, you pay for them. They are not opening their channels to you and forcing everyone to pay. MTV Oy's boss even said that the Media Fee isnt right because the money is basically for Yle so it should still be called Yle Fee.

Who would ever pay VR/Matkustaminen Fee... Veikkaus Fee... Koira Fee...when you dont actually use VR trains, play veikkaus or own dogs? It is same thing if VR says they dont have money to run the company and they dont have enough customers to get enough funds to run the company and they would start sending a fee to everyone in Finland so that they can keep VR afloat whether you travel on VR or not. Remember people, there is matkakortti for anyone using public transportation for example and it works fine. You dont have money to get a ticket or a card, dont jump. If you do and you are caught, then all on you.

I believe the katselukortti is a fair way to go or then they should start running adverts just like every other channel. WE are not the one telling them not to run adverts, are we? So why do we have to pay to run YLE?? This is a company like any other company in the world and I dont think any one of you would pay for a service forced on you when you dont use or need it.

Imagine, I have an apartment in a house where I can use the house's internet service. It is there for me to use, I just need to plug my modem and im on the internet. I didn't and went to another ISP and got myself a dedicated line for whatever reason known to me. The house isnt sending me bills saying to me that because the internet line from them have been made to work in my apartment, then i need to pay.

YLE is on the airwaves, whoever that isnt using it, shouldnt have to pay!

Now, I can hear more from folks who say Finland operates like a communist country.

Upphew · Post by **Upphew** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 9:48 am

dampa wrote:This is actually ridiculous. I don't think it is right for any company what so ever to force customers to pay for any service. YLE is actually an "Oy" so like any other Oy, it provides services and the public pay for whatever service they are interested in and then pay.

YLE is not "like any other Oy", or how many other oys in television business you know that are forbidden by law to send advertisements.

dampa wrote:Why wont they make katselukortti for people who really need Yle services.

Because not enough people would pay

dampa wrote:I believe the katselukortti is a fair way to go or then they should start running adverts just like every other channel. WE are not the one telling them not to run adverts, are we? So why do we have to pay to run YLE?? This is a company like any other company in the world and I dont think any one of you would pay for a service forced on you when you dont use or need it.

We the people elected our representatives to make laws that say that YLE cannot run ads.

dampa wrote:Imagine, I have an apartment in a house where I can use the house's internet service. It is there for me to use, I just need to plug my modem and im on the internet. I didn't and went to another ISP and got myself a dedicated line for whatever reason known to me. The house isnt sending me bills saying to me that because the internet line from them have been made to work in my apartment, then i need to pay.

Maybe YLE should keep their act together and stay in TV and radio business only...

rinso · Post by **rinso** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 10:40 am

Dampa wrote:It is same thing if VR says they dont have money to run the company and they dont have enough customers to get enough funds to run the company and they would start sending a fee to everyone in Finland so that they can keep VR afloat whether you travel on VR or not. Remember people, there is matkakortti for anyone using public transportation for example and it works fine. You dont have money to get a ticket or a card, dont jump. If you do and you are caught, then all on you.

If VR has problems, your tax money will support them to keep the trains running, even if you don't use them.
It's a public service where you have to pay for the "availability".

Oombongo · Post by **Oombongo** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 10:55 am

huh? what is a TV?

Close down the YLE altogheter. It will save a lot of money.

interleukin · Post by **interleukin** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 11:02 am

Close down the YLE altogheter. It will save a lot of money.

I think we should close down all roads and parking spaces because I personally don´t own a car. While we are at it, close all the daycare centres (as I do not have children) and the elderly homes (as I am not old yet). It would save lots of money...

Oombongo · Post by **Oombongo** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 11:34 am

I should have written "pun intended" in my last post.

pseudo · Post by **pseudo** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 11:46 am

YLE is not a media, just a player of media as media is privatized affair (:sigh:) in Finland. As a result there're a number of other service providers in this field. To impose media tax(?) so that a circus of boring colossal gorilla can continue is .. .is... is communism, authoritarian

It seems, however, government will impose the fee eventually and YLE employees will get fat bonuses.

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