I genuinely don't know why I have to pay this.
I just looked it up and their website basically said that I have to pay it "because it's the law"
BBC are not impartial, 99% of the time their output is guff and largely comparable with ITV.
I think the fee should be abolished.
ITV is pure shite, the odd drama aside - which I can't even watch due to my dislike of ad breaks.
BBC has quality radio and TV channels, excellent websites. BBC 4, the only decent place to see music programming which is woeful everywhere else or plagued with advertising MTV style. Same for 6 music. Also shows loads of boss imported dramas and stuff. It does a lot for upcoming talent, far more than ITV.
Yes the news and political 'slant' has been criticised of late, but really they're in a bind regarding that.
Criticise the Tories/rightwing/UKIP, then the government will take away their Public Service remit, effectively banishing them to a life of commercial television, which is effectively what you are asking for with disposal of the licence fee. Don't criticise the Tories et al, come in for loads of shit from all the lefty liberals like me
You might think their news programming is poor now but basically if they disappear it leaves us open to US style news broadcasting, brought to you by our corporate sponsors, biased as fuck and effectively spreading misinformation a la Fox News.
The NHS and the BBC are the last two great UK institutions in my book, remnants of a time when socialism wasn't a dirty word. The ideas may have changed for both since their inception, but I still believe Britain would be a far far poorer place without either.
I have my own criticisms of their changes and actions over time (Saville FFS) but I honestly believe the country would be better served by supporting them rather than calling for the licence fee to be scrapped, which would effectively make them into a ratings-chasing bottom feeder like every other channel/broadcasting corporation, yes they have crap like Strictly etc. but overall that's a fair exchange for Radio 4, 6, BBC 4, websites, and the many other services they provide.