BBC iPlayer cracks down and blocks VPN users

[Jim web]

In article
<CAPZzCnNh_4=EdTsm3Q7a898HMwhG5=JUOD7fWhO=KGTc6K9DQg at mail.gmail.com>,
   CJB <chrisjbrady at gmail.com> wrote:
> Thank you George.

> Also I do know that many friends are ex-pats living overseas in warmer
> climes over the British winter. They are all BBC licence fee payers.
> They have now been cut off from accessing what they have already paid
> in advance for - use of iPlayer.

> How are they stealing programmes from the BBC?

The BBC pay content providers on the basis of limiting their UK output to
be available only within the UK. To expand the geographic coverage would
cost the BBC more. So it pushes up the price demanded of the BBC when
content providers can argue that the content *is* being accessed from
outside the UK.

Having a license allows you to received over-air when you are situated in
the UK.

So the problem is that if people access outside the UK the costs for the
BBC rise.

The root of the problem is that the rules by which the BBC operate are
constraigned by a combination of commercial content providers and the UK
Government. neither of whom are particularly fond of the BBC and have their
own agendas.

Hopefully this might change so the BBC can sell access *without* such
geographic limits. The EU are considering dealing with the 'regional carve
ups' the commercial content providers like. But this is all politics so not
really on topic here. The fact of the matter is that as things stand if you
are out of the UK you are not legally entitled to access the UK broadcast
material and if you do, the result may be increased costs and problems for
the BBC.

if you don't like this, please argue with the UK Government and the EU to
get the rules changed. I suspect many at the BBC would cheer you on if they
were allowed to openly express such views. :-) But as it stands, the BBC
are stuck in the middle of a situation I'm sure they'd love to change. They
don't make the rules they work under.

Jim

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