Students' TV Licence trap: plug your laptop in to watch TV and risk £1,000 fine
Students could be unwittingly putting themselves at risk of a £1,000 fine if they misunderstand the rules around a TV licence.
Plugging in a laptop while using it to watch live TV could be the difference between complying with the law and breaking it. The TV Licensing Authority allows students to watch live TV on “devices powered by their own battery” and claim cover under their parents’ licence. Tens of thousands of students take advantage of this in order to watch TV without a licence while living away form home during term time.
But the little-known quirk about being attached to a mains plug or aerial means many may fall foul of a technicality.
The rule exists to allow those who want to watch live TV on-the-go on a laptop or tablet to do so without risk of prosecution, as long as they have paid for a licence covering their home address.
The TV Licensing website offers guidance to students that says they will be covered so long as the device is not connected to an aerial or plugged into the mains. This leads to a bizarre scenario in which a student watching TV on their laptop is covered by their parents’ licence, but as soon as they plug it into the mains they are no longer covered.
A spokesman said: “The provision in the legislation (about equipment being powered by its own batteries) is the same provision which enables someone to be covered to watch television on any equipment used away from their address as long as they have a licence at home.
“This means you’re covered to watch TV on your phone or laptop for example, when you’re on the go. If you plug the equipment in, the provision no longer applies. This [is] due to the way in which TV Licensing legislation is drafted.”
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You will need a TV licence if you intend to watch live programmes or BBC iPlayer while at university. If you have a shared tenancy agreement one licence should cover the entire property, but if you’re tenancy agreement covers only your room you will need a licence of your own.
It costs £147 a year, but you can apply for a refund if you don’t need it to cover the entire year. The maximum fine for watching live TV without a TV licence is £1,000.
