As I understand the latest TV licencing legislation the BBC wants all viewers of their iplayer output on android, phone and/or laptop to pay for a licence. That’s fine - BUT… and here’s an opportunity to square the circle... We have a TV licence for our UK address and don’t mind paying for the future (who wouldn't? - Overall it's excellent output)…BUT… on the personal front (not unusual in my experience) we spend 2 or 3 months of the year in 2 to 3 week stints, out of the country - where we become infuriatingly familiar with messages from the iplayer which tell us that we are unable to view content because we are overseas…even though we pay in full for the whole year. Even if you are just away on holiday you should be able to view... (you've paid for it... you should receive the service).

If the technology exists (which it does) and we have the equipment (which many have) then our annual fully paid up licence status should allow us to access programming for the whole year...wherever in the world we are. In these hi-tech days our licence number can easily act as our pin or 'password'.

What the BBC currently says about watching abroad...Am I covered to use BBC iPlayer when I’m on the go or abroad? If you already have a TV Licence for your address, you are already covered to download or watch BBC programmes on iPlayer when you’re on the go, provided the device you’re using isn’t plugged into the electricity mains at a separate address. If the device is plugged in at a separate address, you need to be covered by a licence at that address. At the moment, you aren’t able to stream or download programmes on iPlayer while abroad. But you should be able to access programmes that you’ve downloaded before going overseas (usually available for 30 days after they’re shown on live TV).