No, we pay for public broadcasting because there once was a consensus that public broadcasting is an important thing to have in a democratic society, not because we might listen to it. We also pay for operas, museums, street maintenance, public transportation and another ton of things we may actually never use and might not have a need for. This is a completely different issue and folding them together will not help.
If you disagree on the notion that a public broadcasting organization is required, you're free to lobby for it. Up to now, the democratic consensus in germany is that we're glad to have one, and so we pay for it. I agree that the current way things are organized is royally fucked up, but that's a secondary issue.
"If you disagree on the notion that a public broadcasting organization is required, you're free to lobby for it. "
Read my other posts and you see that I don't disagree.
This is about how the internet presence is used as a handle to collect money from everyone, not only the users. The fact that public broadcast is transmitted through the internet is everything BUT a reason to collect money from everyone.
Please note, that currently only the users are charged.
It's a common misunderstanding that only "users" are charged. Currently everyone is charged who owns a device that's in theory capable of receiving public broadcasts in whatever form available - it's irrelevant whether you use it or not. Own a radio - pay. Own a telephone with a radio receiver - pay. Own a TV-Set, but only for watching streams or DVDs on a big screen - pay. It's annoying, but somewhat consequent that everyone capable of receiving stuff on the internet has to pay as well. Actually, IMHO it should be a flat fee that everyone pays, just like the opera funding which comes from taxes. You could abandon all the GEZ and save money along the way.
If you want to pick on the GEZ system, choose a worthy target, such as the bullies they employ that sniff around and try to find people that don't pay their fees or the annoying letter they send you or the bloated administration or whatever. Or the political dependency of the "independent" broadcasting organization.
Still, my main point is a different one: It's been common consensus and obviously we still agree that a public broadcasting organization is beneficial - independent of whether we personally use it or not. And since we obviously both support that notion, we both should pay for it, as should everybody in germany. Just like for the opera.
If you disagree on the notion that a public broadcasting organization is required, you're free to lobby for it. Up to now, the democratic consensus in germany is that we're glad to have one, and so we pay for it. I agree that the current way things are organized is royally fucked up, but that's a secondary issue.