Threatening Letter

We don't have a TV in Scotland. There reasons for this are twofold: (a) we don't want to buy a TV; (b) in the UK, to have a TV, you must buy a TV license. Yep. So, that's the context for this. I, along with all the other people in my building, received the following letter last week. It was in an envelope marked, "Do not ignore!" :

"YOUR STUDENT ADDRESS IS NOT LICENSED FOR YOU TO WATCH TV

To the present student

If you watch or record TV at this address, you could be breaking the law. That's because you don't have a TV license for this address. We know this from our database.

If you're a student, you need to be covered by a TV License to watch or record TV as its being broadcast. It doesn't matter what channel you choose - it could be terrestrial, cable or satellite. And it doesn't matter what equipment you ue - it could be a games console, laptop or mobile phone. You still need to be covered by a license.

It's quick and easy to buy a TV License (NB: for about £140, $220 or so), and you can always spread the cost.
...
Of course, if you don't watch TV, you don't need a TV License. But please let us know so we can remove your address from our list of student homes to investigate (emphasis added). Just call XXXX XXX XXXX. We may send a TV licensing officer to confirm what you say (emphasis added). We will then update our database to show that you don't need a TV License.

If we don't hear from you at all, an enforcement officer will be scheduled to visit your address (emphasis added).  If you're found to be using TV without a license, you may later be prosecuted, summoned to court and fined up to £1000 ($1500ish) plus legal costs.

If you gave recently bought a TV License, you don't need to do a thing.  Your details with be recorded on our database.

Yours faithfully"

Now, I don't get a lot of unsolicited threatening letters, so this was actually quite surprising. But here's what's funny to me: (1) That the British Government wants to expend the time and resources to specifically seek out and prosecute students, who do not have any money. (2) This guilty until proven innocent approach, which apparently involves both threatening letters and visits from your friendly neighbourhood enforcement officer, even if you say you don't have a TV! (3) The fact that they are willing to pay enforcement officers to come to your home, just to see.

So, wow.  Just wow.  Like I said, we don't have a TV, and download all our shows on iTunes (which is exempt, according to the letter).  So, I'm interested to see if they will actually come to inspect us.  Stay tuned... (unless you don't have a TV License, in which case you should either purchase one and then stay tuned, or face a possible fine for staying tuned illegally)