New Irish Internet Tax? 242
MarkDennehy writes "The Broadcasting Bill 2009 (currently in the last stages of becoming the Broadcasting Act 2009 and then being commenced into law in Ireland) has thrown up a rather unpleasant little nugget for broadband users in Ireland. It now defines a television set as being an electronic apparatus able to receive TV signals or 'any software or assembly comprising such apparatus' which would mean that even if you haven't got a television set, even if you don't watch streaming content from RTE.ie (the state broadcaster's website), you'd still have to pay 160 euro a year for a television license for your iPhone, or netbook, or laptop or desktop if you have fixed or mobile broadband."
The tax will really hit Slashdot hard (Score:1, Funny)
Everything green? Double taxed.
uh oh... (Score:1, Funny)
The temper of residents in Ireland has just gotten as fiery as their pubes
Re:Ok I'll Bite... (Score:2, Funny)
Hey, get off your lawn!
do internet enabled beer glasses count? (Score:1, Funny)
have they figured out a way to internet enable beer glasses yet... that would be the utmost experience ... beer & net browsing combined. would they be covered by the current law or would they need to make amendments?
Re:Ok I'll Bite... (Score:5, Funny)
And a pretty picture: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:EM_spectrum.svg/ [wikipedia.org]
Link is incorrect. Correct link [xkcd.com].
Re:Ok I'll Bite... (Score:3, Funny)
Maybe not the *primary* use, but here (FR), most ISPs will give you a set top box with their ADSL modem (or the modem itself doubles as a STB) which will decode mpeg data streamed from the ISP, hold a hard disk to record programs and for time shifting, plus assorted gadgets (they're typically little Linux machines). Some also integrate a decoder for terrestrial digital television (you'll have to add your antenna).
You get roughly 100 "free" channels as a standard packaged deal when you open an ADSL2+ line (plus VOIP that's free to most ground phones worldwide). The cost is around 30 s / month.
So here, watching TV certainly is a common use of broadband. Out of the 10-15 Mb that you typically get out of the 22 to 24 Mb theoretical throughput of ADSL2+, a TV stream isn't really that much of a problem.
Presumably this kind of set up is also deployed elsewhere in Europe.
Oh, that's just great. You just announced on an american website that in large chunks of europe we get kickass broadband, phone service and a bunch of tv channels for less money than an american pays to look at static.
There is such a thing as too much transparency, you know?
Oh, well, only 1 solution now. Socialist! Commie! No true red-blooded american would watch your filthy tv channels! They're probably all filled with ugly french women with unshaven armpits anyway!
Desole, had to be done ;-) So, you guys still got les Guignols down there?