If you're watching TV, even if it's through your underpants - you need to pay Billag...

So Internet TV is charged by Billag in the same way? would you know if there is document of proof for this?

And I thought I had got away with something from the Swiss Authorites

For Billag, TV program is TV independent from device. The one exception is a cell phone that recieves TV via EDGE/UMTS (because the picture quality is bad enough that it doesnt matter if you wrap your underpants around the display or not).

That's straight from the billag.ch FAQ which is available in the national languages.

1. Yes.

2. the documents:

In German, French and Italian.

This is what I have been told by some dodgy guys i work with. (i) don't answer the door to people you don't know (peepholes are there to be used) (ii) If you do answer the door, stand outside and talk to the billag person, he/she has no legal right to enter your apartment to confirm anything unless you invite them in. (iii) Say no to all the questions involving do you watch, listen, have.... and hey presto no billag fees.

PS: This is not meant to be a "how to guide" to avoid billag fees.

I wonder why so many are trying so hard to evade the Billag fees. The Billag has a legal right to collect. The Swiss courts have delivered judgments enforcing Billag inspections and collections.

The proposed evasive tactics might prompt the Billag inspector to reappear with a court order. It could then become very expensive. Also would not be viewed kindly by the migration authorities.

If someone can afford to buy a TV/Radio/PC etc. then they can also afford the Billag fees.

Every Billag-dodger means lost revenue for Swiss broadcasting - and how is that loss made up? The likes of you and me who pay the fee and taxes, that's how. It's the same as stores writing their shoplifting losses into their prices...

Because Swiss TV is crap!

you pay the Billag fee for the right to receive tv signals. Be they over the air, cable or via satellite, you have to pay.

And actually, if you have nothing else, the shows and movies with the second tone channel in original language is not actually bad.

PS. Do try to make sensible comments

Sorry but every time I switch over to a Swiss German channel all I ever see is especially on Friday or Saturday is another boring political show......, when all the other stations are showing a movie or something far more interesting.

I think I know the answer to that: 462 CHF/year
Of course, anyone who recklessly owns 300 CHF worth equipment can also pay 462 CHF every year without hesitation.

There are 6 Swiss Stations (2 German/2 Italian/2 French) - even if you do not understand any of the languages, most of the time there are original-language programmes on - your TV will most likely be able to change from channel A to B (I - II) and voila/presto -- you can watch at least some series and the movies in English. I can understand that the political discussions might not be interesting to you, do you understand Swiss-German though??

Yes Herc82, I am Swiss and I speak out the four spoken in this country three fluently and how about you?

So do you still find these shows so interesting? or are you a presenter on one of these shows?

Ah well, then I'm of course mighty sorry to have peeved you off

Hope you have a good weekend anyway and don't watch too much TV

Cheerio

With the move to flat screen models over the last few years, I imagine that plenty of older TVs which function perfectly well were given to family and friends who were less well off.

As a good Swiss, you would want to do your duty and pay the Billag fee. It is a modest contribution to sustaining Swiss cohesion together with its cultural and linguistic heterogeneity.

Tomorrow (Friday) may be an exception since it's the 1st of August, but SF2 is showing Ocean's Twelve at 20:00, followed by The Mummy.

I am sorry but you are plain wrong here. Fust have a TV at CHF 149 on offer at the moment. Yes it's a very basic model, but it would still attract the Billag TV fee.

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The cheaper the TV, the more one has left to pay Billag...

I am using cablecom highspeed Internet service now, and I did not have a TV set. Recently I have received a bill from my landlord company, telling me that I have to pay for the TV fees for the "cable port" I am using. It is CHF 344.45, which means CHF 28.7 per month. Plus CHF 45 for the Internet connection, I have to pay CHF 73.7 per month.

I wonder if I only need the Internet connection, can I use bluewin to get rid of the fixed charge every month like cablecom? Or is there an even ecnomic solution for my situation: Internet only, no TV, no phone.

Thank you very much.