April 2003

TV Licensing
Bristol BS98 1TL

Dear Ms Smith

Thank you for your recent letter noting our purchase of a colour television despite there being no television licence held at this address.

As you know, it is the use of a television to receive broadcasts that requires a licence, not the ownership of a television. However, your organisation is notorious for its dogged pursuit of citizens for whom this is a very real distinction; presumably this accounts for the line in your letter “If you do not have a TV licence for this address, you need to get one straightaway”. Nor do we need the TV licence number you have so generously granted to us.

Our screen is used only to watch DVDs and pre-recorded videos. We have no aerial. To prevent even accidental reception of TV signals, both the screen and the VCR have had their tuners removed and, as such, are incapable of receiving broadcast signals.

Our position is the same as it has been for these past several years in which you have been asking us to pay for a TV licence we do not need. However, we note with approval your adoption of a less strident tone in recent correspondences, and that you guaranteed to contact us only once every two years in case our circumstances had changed.

Therefore we hope this letter clears up the circumstances of our recent purchase, and will have no objection to your contacting us in another two years.

Yours sincerely,