According to Billag friendly website, it depends. Just having computer with internet access automatically implies need to pay for radio licence fee.
TV licence fee is due if you have computer with internet connection AND a subscription to an on-line TV service (even free membership).
So if you have computer with internet access it does not automatically imply you need to pay TV licence.

Source: (https://www.billag.ch/privat/gebuehrenbeitrag/) [in German]
Als Empfangsgerät gelten insbesondere:

Radio (inkl. Autoradio), Handy mit Radioempfang, Computer (inkl. Tablet) mit Internetzugang, Fernseher bzw. TV-Box mit integriertem Radioempfang
Fernseher, Handy mit Fernsehempfang, Computer (inkl. Tablet) mit Internetzugang, falls Sie über ein Konto (auch kostenlos) bei einem Anbieter von Internetfernsehen verfügen

Same on English version of the website: (https://www.billag.ch/private/fees/)
Receiving devices include the following:

radios (including car radios), mobile phones with radio reception and computers (including tablets) with internet access, television and or TV-Box with integrated radio reception
televisions, mobile phones with television reception and computers (including tablets) with internet access, insofar as you have an account (including free accounts) with an internet television provider

Not fully true, the internet connection is sufficient to have to pay at least for the radio part. So the telly part may be avoidable, but then most apartments do have a connection and you´d need to cancel that and have the access sealed to avoid paying.

Which is exactly what I said ... just read my post in full (esp. the first part ...)
As for your second statement, just having the connection in the apartment does not mean you have to pay. Only if you also have a TV or another device capable of receiving TV signal. Or, of course, computer + internet + subscription (free or not) to any online TV broadcast
If you don't have TV but have cable/TV connection which you don't use for internet, it makes complete sense to have it sealed to reduce your utility costs though.

The Billag don't have any right to enter your apartment! Don't let them in, and don't answer their questions. Most of the people knocking on doors are self employed anyway, and make their money by trying to get people to sign up on the spot.

Once you have a call, you could then sign up if you don't want to risk a future court order. In 25 years I have had only one Billag visitor.

i was lucky enough to have the kind people of billag visit my apartment in Zurich a few years, just after they made changes to the definitions they use. i had a nice chat with the guy from billag and showed him round my apartment, every room, no television. excellent, excellent he said. i explained i just watched DVD's on a beamer. showed him all this. excellent, excellent he said. as he walked to the door he said, do you have a smart phone. i said yes. then he said i have to pay. any device within the household belonging to anyone who resides in the household that is capable of watching television requires the appropriate licence. smartphone and tablets meet that criteria. a computer with the internet meets that criteria. one per household is required.
these guys have a database of all those households that do not have a licence and will knock on the doors of those that don't. if you never answer your front door to people you might avoid it. i did for years. but eventually you will have to pay. i did. and i still don't even watch television.

He lied.

A smartphone on its own (without a TV subscription) is not sufficient to require payment to Billag for TV (only for radio).

It's all in this thread.

Thats like fining you for speeding as your car can break the speed limit.

No, it's the exact opposite. You get fined for speeding if your meet ALL of the following criteria:

- you own a car capable of high speed, AND
- a speed limit is in place, AND
- you drive the car.

Billag (for TV) applies if:

- you own equipment capable of receiving and processing TV signals, AND
- you have a connection to the internet or a TV service such as cable, AND
- you have signed up for a TV subscription.

What happened to bye bye billag?

It can't happen soon enough.

The government states the organisers failed to collect enough valid signatures before the time limit arrived, https://www.admin.ch/ch/d/pore/vi/vis446.html

I don't understand this official statement: elsewhere on the net it is claimed enough signatures were collected.
Maybe too many signatures were from foreigners: only Swiss citizens are acceptable to sign the official petitions.

At present each household pays about Fr 460 per year to Billag. In future the government would like this replaced with a fixed payment of Fr 400 per home per year, whether or not there is a TV connection. Maybe this is not so fair, but it is easier to collect.
.

Freaking money grabbers!

Hi,

wow 74 pages about a tv licence ? The easiest way of thinking it is if you live in Switzerland you need to a pay a tv licence. It just not worth going through the hoops of saying you don't need to. Most people have tvs, computers with internet access and smartphone and so unless you are very unusual you are going to pay it.


I seldom watch Swiss TV or listen to Swiss radio but I don't have a problem with paying a tv licence as it the price of living here. I wish it was less but that is a different question.

Have fun

Martin

I can't recall having jumped through any hoops. I just said no - once.

That was pretty easy.

Perhaps you ought to read at least one of those 74 pages as at least one post in all those pages has accurate information.

*I do pay the radio part though.

The Billag is so expensive compared to other countries and I don't even watch Swiss TV!

Some of the money collected by Billag is also given to private radio & TV stations. It doesn't all go to the Swiss state TV companies, which have to supply programmes in 3 languages, so there is 3 times the basic expense.

4 languages, 4 times the expense

If I understand correctly, By Bye Bilag and No Billag are two separate initiatives. I'm not sure why they couldn't pool their resources and do something jointly. However, judging by their own Facebook page, the latter initiative is still very much alive and I'm sure they'd be happy for your donation (I've already sent them the equivalent of an annual Billag fee).


We all like to complain but finally we have an opportunity to put our money where our mouth is and do something ....

But not all of us are complaining. I'm perfectly happy with the current system - namely those who partake in this form of entertainment pay for it.

I'm not asking any of you lot to pay for my Daily Telegraph internet newspaper subscription and so don't expect me to pay for your entertainment and news.

I think the problem is Billag wants people to pay for it even if they don't partake in it.