The Phone-paid Services Authority is consulting on changes to the registration requirements for companies using or facilitating a premium rate charging mechanism and for each premium rate service that is to go live on any mobile or fixed network.
There are also changes to the categorisation of services (e.g. Competitions and Quizzes) that are designed to assist the annual market report.
Registration of companies assists the value chain to perform due diligence on their contracted parties.
Registration of products and services was always designed to help consumers reconcile their telecom bill information to the merchant’s contact details to facilitate discussion about the bill entry.
A side benefit is also to assist PSA with market monitoring and with enquiries into services that have caused complaints to them.
aimm believes that a majority of the proposed changes to the registration information being requested do not assist consumers, are excessive and will present an additional regulatory burden to providers as well as introducing inaccuracies and potential regulatory action when service promotions do not match registration detail.
PSA have not, in our opinion, sufficiently justified the proposed changes by demonstrating the linkage between the requirements that will cause a significant burden to companies and the regulatory efficiency and effectiveness that could be delivered.
aimm has responded on behalf of members to ensure these points are made and to prevent regulatory changes that create unnecessary burden on industry.
