The Beeb dates back to the days before they thought of using advertising to fund programme making, its sort a of subscription service you can't opt out of.
On the upside, it is relatively unbiased because it doesn't have any advertisers to keep happy, its one of the most respected news services on the planet. Because its income is stable, its programmes are usually better quality than our commercial televison who these days are showing a lot of cheap reality TV and tacky game shows. Dilution of advertising revenue and all that. Pros and cons......
I'm a fan of the BBC, it isn't universally liked here because of the Licence fee but alongside the likes of Sky TV who want a fortune a month to watch their 200 channels of largely dribble, its a bargain.