And would think include eg Netflix, or is the definition of TV, broadcast TV?

The original law specifies that the federal council defines the collection agency and other things like what receivers are covered, hence the order I quoted comes from the council.

I think it's fair to assume the appointment of Billag is in a similar council decision.

It may. But I think it's unlikely as they clearly state it's an interpretation and provide links to the underlying law.

No not Netflix, or downloaded films either, AFAIK. They are not TV programmes.

Whether foreign TV would also be covered is also doubtful but the law doesn't seem to say "Swiss TV programmes", just "TV programmes", so oddly it probably is.

See http://www.bakom.admin.ch/empfangsge...x.html?lang=en
Anouncment that Billag has the duty to collect license fee until 2017.
https://www.admin.ch/gov/en/start/do...-id-53739.html

PS: The part newtoswitz quoted can also be found on the OFCOM website:
http://www.bakom.admin.ch/empfangsge...prungmarke3_19

PPS: About the pensioneers: They have the very same rights as any other random strangers which rings your doorbell. None.

We have registered at Billag stating nothing, no tv, no radio, no internet as this is true.
Well we are not a pair of dinosaurs, just people which use the time and resources in a smart way Our media are podcasts and news feeds all downloaded automatically every day at work. Apart from that we watch dvds in "proper" language

I have smartphone without the useless FM radio which is very handy here in Swiss However I used from time to time the daily data package to access internet. It's wierd, I would never thought of such niusance if I had not spoken with my neighbour complaining about billag. He made me uneasy. Well, I cannot find any info about such case on billag FAQ but my intuition tells me that if its true what people say about the whole tax they would add it the moment I have inquired With common sense one have to have unlimited data package to stream multimedia but for nerds it could be enough to state "you could have listened to the internet radio for an hour"...

Does anyone have experience positive/negative regarding the Billag's interpretation of pay as you go internet data packets?

Just got my first letter from them.
I don't have a tv though I obviously do have the Internet and a computer. Will I be able to get away without it?

Review this link and you should be able to answer your own question:

https://www.billag.ch/private/fees/

Probably been a similar question asked a million times but:

Location: Zurich

What I have: Laptop, external PC monitor, tablet, smartphone with internet connection. I do not have a TV at this time, and may not buy one. I do not have a radio, though I guess my devices are capable of picking up radio.

My uses: I watch programmes via netflix. Due to this, I would not watch Swiss TV if I was able to. I would not listen to Swiss radio.

Am I obliged to pay the full CHF451.10 per year?

Yes.

No.

http://www.aargauerzeitung.ch/schwei...icht-128360144

Shhhh, adrianlondon... you're giving all the goods away!

Thanks for your direct, if a little long winded, answer.

Misleading, too. Listen to adrianlondon in this instance.

I did give you short shrift, sorry about that. It's because this thread is so ridiculously long, with the same question asked hundreds of times and the same responses given several hundred times more, many of them incorrect.

Really, the thread can be boiled down to two posts: one that I made a few months ago (see below -- basically, you'll almost certainly have to pay the radio component of Billag, but the TV part depends on satisfaction of three criteria), plus the post above (repeated below) by adrianlondon on Netflix (which in case you can't read German, says that Netflix (specifically) has nothing to do with Billag).

Is Netflix TV? No, it is movies and serials. Are there any TV channels? No.
Thus No Billag TV license needed.


Do you need a Billag Radio license? Most likely yes.
Hardly seen a modern computer/tablet which can not play radio.

Check for yourself, can you hear the Radio?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1
http://www.srf.ch/play/radio
https://www.radio.ch/
http://www.lfm.ch/
If you can hear it, you should pay the Billag Radio license (CHF 165/year)

Back again, apologies...


Agreed on the radio component. I'm liable for that it seems.


Regarding the television component; I do not own a TV. Does my ownership of a laptop, tablet and smartphone mean that I could receive television broadcasts and am thus liable for the television component?


Billag.ch states:


"If you can watch television on your computer, tablet or mobile phone, you must register for television if you have an account (including a free one) with an internet television (IP-TV) provider.

As stated by an earlier poster, I don't think Netflix is considered an IP-TV provider, rather an on-demand streaming service. However, please correct me if I'm wrong.


Would I be a radio-only example?

I can't see anywhere on the website that says for TV you have to have a subscription. I see it for internet TV on e.g. a laptop but for TV just having a TV seems to be enough.

You are correct.
Zattoo.com or Wilmaa.com, are two counter example where, when you register, can watch real TV channels.

Correct.

I see. So it is possible to pay only for radio, right? (in my car). I want to be fair but I don't have TV nor watch anything prepared by the lying, manipulative TV networks :P

Yes. They have been sending me the radio-only invoices (all I have are laptops, HiFi, and smartphones).