Except for Students as you said, and shared houses like the one I'm in... I think that's just greed but I believe the Government has to approve the charge via the BBC Charter... We only get 5 terrestrial channels for our TV Licence, though we do have 30-40 Digital channels on the Freeview Digital Terrestrial System in which you buy a box for about £20, plug it into the aeriel and the TV and the rest is covered by a normal TV Licence.