Ofcom wants to modify Premium Rate Services (PRS) regulation to p...
Ofcom wants to modify Premium Rate Services (PRS) regulation to protect consumers against rogue dialers who use software to transfer dial-up Internet connections from low-cost or free phone numbers to more expensive numbers. The agency proposed to extend the…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
definition of Controlled PRS (CPRS) to include Internet dialer software, irrespective of the call cost or number. To prevent unintentionally capturing pay-as-you-go dial-up and unmetered dial-up services, Ofcom aims to exclude those services from the definition of Internet dialer software. The agency has also received comments that the exclusion of “mobile services” from the CPRS definition means Ofcom doesn’t regulate PRS accessible by mobile phones. The office proposes an amendment to the CPRS definition to avoid any doubt that mobile phone-based PRS is regulated. A policy review of the scope of PRS regulation will take place in 2006 to discuss how it should be applied to, or removed from, emerging commercial services coming out of the mobile and broadcast sectors, Ofcom said. The agency is also reviewing the regulatory framework for Number Translation Services (NTS). It published a consultation document in Sept. to address policy issues associated with the NTS regime as it applies to “08” number ranges rather than the “09” range, and makes revised proposals for changes to the regulatory system for “08” numbers. That consultation closes Dec. 6. In the NTS consultation, Ofcom proposed that adult services currently provided on “08” numbers should be brought within the regulatory framework for PRS regardless of the call cost, and that the National Telephone Numbering Plan should be amended to clarify that adult services should be provided only on the “0908” and “0909” ranges designated for adult services.