[nonuby]

Got to do something to win public appeal I guess (as for those reading outside the UK the BBC is publicly funded and it is a criminal not civil offence not to pay TV license http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_licensing_in_the_Uni...), this isn't an area the BBC should be spending.

How about we skip the BBC, let schools purchase Raspberry Pi's as they desire and claim directly from a government fund (this I would certainly support)

If its anything like their contract IT spending they probably paid more than market rate too...

[arethuza]

"How about we skip the BBC"

But that would imply the funds come from the Treasury from general taxation/borrowing - which seems unlikely in this age of austerity.

The BBC arguably has a lot more freedom to do this kind of thing given its main revenue source is its own hypothecated tax in the form of the license fee.

Good on them I say - at least they are doing something interesting rather than the usual nonsense we hear about education directly from politicians.

[pjc50]

While I generally support the BBC, the TV license is the most regressive of UK taxes^ and people are jailed for non-payment of comparatively very small amounts.

^(The "bedroom tax" is much worse in impact but not technically a tax)

[arethuza]

I agree that the collection of the license fee is often heavy handed - but wasn't that outsourced a while back?

[pjc50]

It's outsourced to Capita, yes. If anything that makes it slightly more objectionable. Outsourcing is not a way of avoiding your moral responsibilities.

[teh_klev]

In the UK you can own a television and legally decline to pay the TV license provided you don't watch or record live to air broadcasts.

You don't have to pay for a license to watch catchup/previously broadcast programmes on iPlayer, DVD's, Netflix etc.

[jamespo]

Reith summarised the BBC's purpose in three words: educate, inform, entertain