0871 premium rate number consultation ends this month
Howard Lake | 19 June 2007 | News
The public consultation into 0871 premium rate numbers run by ICSTIS, the premium rate services regulator, closes on 28 June. ICSTIS is seeking feedback on its proposals to regulate 0871 numbers when it assumes responsibility for their regulation in early 2008 from Ofcom.
Charities use 0871 numbers in a variety of ways because they can generate income in the form of a share in the telecom providers’ income from the line.
Proposals include the need for clear and prominent price warnings in all advertisements, as well as new procedures for dealing with refunds when callers feel that they have been kept on hold unnecessarily by call centres.
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Paul Whiteing, ICSTIS’ Director of Policy & Innovation, said: “We are consulting with the wider industry as a matter of principle so that public feedback can be used to formulate and shape regulatory policy.
“To date, the responses have been of a very high quality but low in number. We are a consultative organisation and value the insightful contributions of the premium rate sector. I would urge all interested parties to respond to the consultations and contribute to shaping a positive future for this key industry and our new organisation, PhonePayPlus, which will launch in late autumn.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.