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A comment on BBC gives children mini-computers in Make it Digital scheme. Parent comment

Re:BBC gives children mini-computers in Make it Digital scheme by nonuby on Thursday March 12, 2015 @08:20AM (#9190251)
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...

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Re:BBC gives children mini-computers in Make it Digital scheme by arethuza on Thursday March 12, 2015 @08:25AM (#9190277)
"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.

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Re:BBC gives children mini-computers in Make it Digital scheme by pjc50 on Thursday March 12, 2015 @08:31AM (#9190307)
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)

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Re:BBC gives children mini-computers in Make it Digital scheme by arethuza on Thursday March 12, 2015 @08:57AM (#9190441)
I agree that the collection of the license fee is often heavy handed - but wasn't that outsourced a while back?
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Re:BBC gives children mini-computers in Make it Digital scheme by pjc50 on Thursday March 12, 2015 @09:15AM (#9190522)
It's outsourced to Capita, yes. If anything that makes it slightly more objectionable. Outsourcing is not a way of avoiding your moral responsibilities.
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Re:BBC gives children mini-computers in Make it Digital scheme by teh_klev on Thursday March 12, 2015 @09:32AM (#9190616)
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.

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Re:BBC gives children mini-computers in Make it Digital scheme by jamespo on Thursday March 12, 2015 @08:27AM (#9190289)
Reith summarised the BBC's purpose in three words: educate, inform, entertain
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