this post was submitted on 27 Jan 2026
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Pornhub, YouPorn, Redtube, and other content sharing platforms will block new users in the UK starting next week(February 2) (www.aylo.com)
submitted 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) by Beep@lemmus.org to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[–] djdarren@piefed.social 1 points 2 hours ago

Even if paying for the infra was the most important thing, it isn't needed anymore with broadband internet access available everywhere now.

Not everyone has fast internet. And in a world where internet access is not a public utility, but people can still receive TV and radio over the air, there is still a need for broadcasting infrastructure. The BBC was founded on the promise to educate, entertain, and inform, and has a mandate to be available to as many people as possible. As such, the maintenance of that infrastructure means that people in the most remote areas of the UK can still receive education, entertainment, and information over the airwaves, regardless of the profit motives of private companies.

I will grant that the BBC is not in the best of health currently, after 15 years of Tory misrule, and the positioning of conservative sympathisers in the highest positions. However, suggesting that private organisations would perform any better denies the existence of Fox News, for example. Private organisations are led by private ideals, and will almost always bend towards the greatest income. Which is understandable. The BBC is still able to speak truth to power. Currently.

The same government that will arrest you for a social media post for being deemed offensive by an unelected beaurocrat

I admit that I don't know the context to this, but I will say that almost every example I can think of of people being arrested for social media posts is because they posted something inflammatory. The one exception off the top of my head was Paul Chambers, who was arrested for posting a joke about blowing up an airport. He was eventually found not guilty, but taken at face value even that could be (and was) considered inflammatory.

I wouldn't be surprised if the UK would soon require a license to watch any live streams on the internet even without owning a TV just to make up the lost revenue.

This is pure speculation. There is no evidence to support this concern. That said, you do technically need a TV licence to watch programs on the iPlayer. But that's all BBC content anyway, so it's functionally no different than watching it via broadcast.