AIME writes to European Parliament

Payment Services Directive II is going through EU Parliament at this point of time in sessions known as Trilogue.

The exemption for networks that AIME, MBG and PPP collaborated on and pushed through EU council through UK Treasury is at risk of having its limits downgraded to €30 per transaction and €200 per month per consumer.

AIME has lobbied EU Ministers using the letter detailed here.

Ofcom releases NGN Broadcaster Statement

Ofcom today released its statement on “The Use of Non-Geographic Numbers in Broadcasting”.

AIME is currently digesting the statement to ensure that Broadcast members interests are upheld, and we are pleased to say that representations from AIME and Broadcasters have been accepted although in one case, too late for programme planning.

AIME's summary of the statement will be issued soon direct to members.

Nominations for AIME Awards Evening

AIME is running its inaugural awards for industry on the evening of June 9th after the mPayments conference in conjunction with the organisers Telemedia Magazine and ChargetoMobile Review.
Nominations are now sought for the companies that have provided (according their peers):

• Most Innovative Mobile Payment Service
• Most Innovative Mobile Network Opportunity
• Most Innovative use of Technology
• Most Progressive Customer Service Strategy (implemented change)
• Outstanding Contribution to Industry

Report on Broadcast Charity Working Group

AIME’s Broadcast Charity Working Group met on 14th April to discuss several industry issues and opportunities, the largest being the ability to increase consumer opt-in to Gift Aid that increases their donation by 25% just by ticking a box on a microsite or responding to a text request.

Notes and Actions can be found here.

Report on Charity text Working Group

AIME and MDA ran their first joint branded Charity Text Action Group (CTAG) on 15th April, to re-establish the objectives of the working group and what its success factors should be.

The group has a different remit to the Broadcast Charity working group although there may be mutual benefits from the output of each.  CTAG comprises Society Lottery Managers, Donation enabling and campaign management companies and aggregators.

Minutes and Actions are available here.

AIME Quarterly Meeting with PPP

AIME’s quarterly meeting with PhonepayPlus, (brought forward a month by AIME to discuss key industry matters was successful) with a lot of ground covered on AIME's request to review the operational as well as written parts of Section 4 of the 13th Code.

PPP committed to run a broad review of Section 4, the construction and independence of the Code Compliance Panel and the application of the enforcement processes from informal to formal. AIME will be involved in these reviews and input to the consultation processes.

PPP also confirmed their statement regarding the settlement between themselves and Ordanduu / Optimus in that the monetary impact will not affect the levy which has now been set for 2014/2015 financial year at 0.6%

We agreed that AIME will work together with PhonepayPlus under a newly formed “Regulatory Best Practice” group for which Board Director Eric Feltin has been nominated to Chair.

Chairperson wanted for Industry Liaison Panel

Still on the subject of PhonepayPlus, a chair is needed for the Industry Liaison Panel (ILP) which meets five times per year.

The Chair needs to be conversant with all aspects of the regulated industry, but most importantly, needs to work with trade bodies such as AIME to ensure the agenda is set and agreed and during the meeting to ensure the meeting is run correctly and all parties have their opportunity to represent their member’s views.

If you are interested in this role, please contact rory@aimelink.org for more information and the contact person at PhonepayPlus.

Potential Changes to the Data Protection Act

The European Commission’s proposal for a new data protection regulation for Europe is still at a negotiation stage. AIME has been informed that any potential changes are yet to be agreed according to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO). 
The reform consists of a draft Regulation setting out a general EU framework for data protection and a draft Directive on protecting personal data processed for the purposes of prevention, detection, investigation or prosecution of criminal offences and related judicial activities.

The proposals are currently being discussed by the two European Union co-legislators, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU in which national Ministers sit. To become law, the proposals must be approved by these co-legislators.

However, an update of what is happening and further guidance can be found on the Information Commissioners Blog Three years on… and still waiting for reform written by David Smith, Deputy Commissioner and Director of Data Protection.

Upcoming AIME Events for the Diary

These upcoming events are definately worth a SAVE THE DATE mention so you do not miss out!

9th June - mPayments Summit and AIME Industry Awards Evening - more information can be found here.

25th June - The Future of Interactive Broadcast Networking Evening - more information can be found here.

6th July - The Future of Industry Conference - more details to follow shortly

7th July - AIME Golf Day - more information can be found here.

All of these events can be found in our Events Calendar with some additional information. If you would like to attend or get involved in any of these please contact info@aimelink.org for more information.