TV License for you PC ?!

It was with great interest I read my Danish news paper, Politiken Online, today. DR, Denmarks Radio, the national equivalent of BBC and SABC, have managed to get approval for legislation which grant them the right of charging TV license fee if your PC is capable of viewing DR news and media.

All liable media are charged as a non-optional package of DKR 2,150.00. At least most Danish households are already having TV and radio and thus it is not going to be an additional expense, which is probably how they managed to get the legislation through. In the event you do not own a TV or a radio, you will now have to pay license because you have a PC!!! I am sorry to say that I don't see the why having a PC for doing internet banking, gadget shopping or publishing a web site is any of DR's business....

Any other business reporting to shareholders would have to create a secure domain where you by entering credit card details would be granted access to the chargeable material and thus it is a mystery how DR has managed to justify this ludicrous charge. Who said there is no longer a monopoly in Denmark?

The question is whether you get a rebate for a dial-up modem as opposed to a fast broadband connection? Furthermore you today have the benefit of being able to review archived material but the good stuff is always removed after 4 weeks - is that going to change now that people are paying for having access?

In essence this is just another tax to a suffering business and I suppose the next proposal is for TV shops with window displays to pay license per pedestrian walking by their windows?!