Clause 116 - Conditions regulation premium rate services
Communications Bill
6:15 pm
Mr Michael Fabricant (Lichfield, Conservative)
Important points have been raised. The unscrupulous operators of this type of premium rate service will be looking for the loophole that the hon. Member for Milton Keynes, North-East (Brian White) just referred to. He also said that while the majority of people who offer premium rate services provide very good services and run honourable and decent organisations, sadly there seems to be a large degree of latitude on the standard deviation between those that are very good and those that are very bad, regardless of whether they are in St. Vincent or in parts of the UK. It is important that we can be assured that there will not be a loophole if the word ''promotion'' is not used.
The hon. Gentleman mentioned that premium rate services is a billion-pound industry and I think that it will get larger for the reasons that the hon. Member for Sheffield, Hallam mentioned. His comments reminded me of a famous front cover of the American National Lampoon magazine. It had a picture of a puppy dog with a hand and a gun pointing at its head. Underneath was the headline, ''If you don't buy this magazine, we'll shoot this dog''. The hon. Member for Sheffield, Hallam pointed out that that example is used in several types of internet promotion.
ICSTIS has said that it regards child protection as fundamentally important because children could be those most affected by such things—especially when considering puppy dog protection. I know that my hon. Friends on the Front Bench feel strongly about that because I can see their conviction.
However, not only children, but older people are affected. ICSTIS has laid down regulations on the publication of the cost of using services, but costs vary
considerably. People may vote on issues featured on BBC News 24. May I say how much I enjoy BBC News 24? It has been getting a little bit of stick of late but people need to stand up for it. If one phones in to vote on such issues, the likely cost is only 10p for a minute. However, one finds that participation in other television companies' phone-in shows covers the cost of almost all the show.