private eyes... they see my every move

I am under investigation.

Got something in the mail today saying that the TV Licensing Enforcement Division is investigating whether or not I am receiving TV programming since I do not have a TV license (a £131 value, I might add, for the whole year). To watch terrestrial TV (i.e. the BBC) without a license is against the law, punishable with a fine of up to £1000. Well, I really shouldn't be too worried. After all, I do not have a TV.

I assume this is just a general tactic, sent to anyone who doesn't have a license regardless of whether or not they have a TV. It's also a way of advertising. I imagine it's tempting for some people who have previously written off buying the TV license for whatever reason. But buying one is completely out of the question for me. It's not like I have the money to buy the TV, too.

How do people deal with this? I understand *why* TV licensing exists--it's a sort of membership fee or a tax for public broadcasting. I respect this. The BBC is world-renowned for fantastic public programming. PBS in the States is floundering all the time and some of its financial support comes voluntarily from the public. Still, there's something about me, a socialist, that inhibits me from this cultural practice: why should I pay for TV?