Yes unfortunately it is a government tool, or has become that, we don't have much choice, in the UK we are forced by law to buy a tv licence which funds the BBC (and lots of things we don't want such as dozens of radio programmes and websites), it is a monster out of control. But it is perfect in times of trouble to control, otherwise the threat of losing their funding is always there, any governments dream. As far as fairly unbiased news coverage we are in no mans land as most of it is controlled by some media mogul or another, we used to have a few trustworthy newspapers but these have now gone or been taken over, the best remaining is the Telegraph.
However what is worse is the BBC is trying to be trendy, a lot of the content is 'fluff' appealing to the already well catered for younger audience, more worried about celebrities than world events. There is no news programme I could recommend that is unbiased and concentrates on news items, the rubbish churned up around Brexit has proved that. For some reason in the last ten years they have also gone very left wing, no doubt it's trendy. The BBC also consider London to be England, this is by far not the case, much the same as the states the big cities are the opposite to the country as a whole. On the plus side if you're over 75 or blind it's free, generous eh., at current exchange rates it's around $200 before you can switch one on.
Overview
You must have a TV Licence if you:
watch or record programmes on a TV, computer or other device as they’re broadcast
download or watch BBC programmes on iPlayer – live, catch up or on demand
A TV Licence costs £150.50 (£50.50 for black and white TV sets) for both homes and businesses.
What’s covered
A single TV Licence covers all of the following in a single property:
TV sets
computers
laptops
tablets
mobile phones
any other device that can receive a TV signal
You don’t need a TV Licence to watch:
non-BBC programmes on online catch-up services
videos or DVDs
clips on websites like YouTube
closed circuit television (CCTV)
Find out if you need a TV Licence on the TV Licensing website.
Free and discounted TV licences
You can get a free licence if you’re 75 or older.
You can get a discounted licence if you have a severe vision impairment.
If you live in a residential care home, the person who is in charge of the home can apply for a licence for you.
Fines and penalties
You can be fined up to £1,000 if you watch or record live TV without a TV Licence.