THE UK Government has launched a public consultation on whether failing to pay the TV licence fee should be decriminalised.
Culture Secretary Nicky Morgan launched the eight-week consultation, saying it is time to consider keeping the fee "relevant" as the media landscape changes.
The Government will publish its response later this year.
Outlining the plans in a speech today, Morgan said: "We are launching a public consultation to make sure we have a fair and proportionate approach to licence fee penalties and payments, that protects those most in need in society."
READ MORE: Cost of BBC's TV licence fee to increase by 2% on April 1
The peer added that many people dislike the idea that "you can be imprisoned for not paying the TV licence and its enforcement punishes the vulnerable".
Decriminalisation of non-payment could result in it becoming a civil crime like council tax evasion, rather than paying the fee becoming a voluntary act.
The move comes days after it was announced the licence fee will rise by £3 in April.
It also comes after the controversial decision to scrap the free licence for those aged over 75, which received fierce criticism from politicians and other public figures.
The Government last reviewing the licence fee system in 2015, but did not recommend any changes. Morgan said that was "in part because the current system is effective in ensuring payment with very few people ever going to prison".
She went on: "If there are changes, they must be fair to law abiding licence fee payers and delivered in a way that doesn't fundamentally undermine the BBC's ability to deliver the services they love."
In 2018, around 121,000 people issued with an average fine of £176 for non-payment of the licence.
As the law stands, anyone who views or records live TV, or uses the iPlayer without a licence, is guilty of a criminal act and could be imprisoned.
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