The Phone-paid Services Authority (PSA), known as PhonepayPlus until 1 November 2016, is the

regulatory body A regulatory agency (regulatory body, regulator) or independent agency (independent regulatory agency) is a government authority that is responsible for exercising autonomous dominion over some area of human activity in a licensing and regulatin ...

for all premium rate phone-paid services in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. These are the content, goods and services that consumers can buy by charging the cost to their phone bills and pre-pay phone accounts. It was founded as the Independent Committee for the supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services at the request of three network operators (

British Telecom BT Group plc (trade name, trading as BT and formerly British Telecom) is a British Multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered in London, England. It has operations in around 180 countries and is th ...

Mercury Communications Mercury Communications was a national telephone company in the United Kingdom, formed in 1981 as a subsidiary of Cable & Wireless, to challenge the then-monopoly of British Telecom (BT). Although it proved only moderately successful at challe ...

, and

Vodafone Vodafone Group Public limited company, plc () is a British Multinational corporation, multinational Telephone company, telecommunications company. Its registered office and Headquarters, global headquarters are in Newbury, Berkshire, England. It ...

) as a response to public criticism of their profiting from adult premium rate content. It re-branded itself as PhonepayPlus in June 2007. It regulates services using a Code of Practice, approved by

Ofcom The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-ranging powers acros ...

. This sets out the rules with which all providers of phone-paid services must comply. Among other things, it requires clear and accurate pricing information, honest advertising and service content, and appropriate and targeted promotions. The code is updated approximately annually. The Phone-paid Services Authority investigates complaints about phone-paid services. Where it decides that its rules have been broken, it can fine the company responsible, bar access to its services, and even bar the individual behind the company from running other services under a different company name. Investigations and adjudications are free to consumers and are supposed to be fully independent. The Phone-paid Services Authority regulates services using the following number ranges: 070, 087, 090, 091, 098 and 118, plus five-digit mobile shortcodes.

Phone-paid Services Authority powers

When the Phone-paid Services Authority upholds a breach of its Code, the company responsible must immediately amend the service and/or its promotional material so that it complies with the Code. In most cases, companies found in breach of the Code will be charged to cover the cost of the investigation. The Phone-paid Services Authority also has the power to impose the following sanctions: # formal reprimands # making companies come to the regulator for prior approval # ordering companies to pay full refunds to complainants # imposing fines # barring access to services # banning named persons from operating services

Phone-paid Services Authority board

Chairs of the board have included: *Sir

Louis Blom-Cooper Sir Louis Jacques Blom-Cooper (27 March 1926 – 19 September 2018) was an English author and lawyer specialising in public and administrative law. Early life Born in London, his parents were the grocer Alfred Blom-Cooper and Ellen Flesseman. ...

QC, Lawyer *

Brenda Dean, Baroness Dean of Thornton-le-Fylde Brenda Dean, Baroness Dean of Thornton-le-Fylde, (29 April 1943 – 13 March 2018) was a British trade unionist and Labour Party politician. As general secretary of SOGAT from 1985 until 1991, she was "the first woman elected to head a major in ...

, trade unionist *Sir Sir Peter North *Sir

Alistair Graham Sir John Alistair Graham (born 6 August 1942) is a British trade unionist who was Chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life from 2003 until April 2007. He was born in Northumberland, and was educated at the Royal Grammar School, Ne ...

, former chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life Members of the board have included: *Matti Alderson, regulator *Dr. Howard Baderman, A & E consultant *Ruth Evans *Hugh Griffiths, telecom veteran *Jeremy Hallsworth, chief executive officer of BT agilemedia *

Valerie Howarth, Baroness Howarth of Breckland Valerie Georgina Howarth, Baroness Howarth of Breckland, (born 5 September 1940) is a British politician and a member of the House of Lords, sitting as a crossbencher. She was made an OBE in the 1999 Birthday Honours, she was created a life pee ...

, Child care activist and founder of Childline *Yvonne Light, Writer & journalist *Kate Marcus, Barrister *Claire Milne, Telecoms veteran *

Mark Stephens (solicitor) * Mark Howard Stephens (born 7 April 1957) is an English solicitor specialising in media law, intellectual property rights, freedom of speech and human rights. He is known for representing James Hewitt when allegations of his affair with Di ...

, lawyer, mediator and regulator *Howard Webber, consumer champion *Paul Whiteing, regulator

References

External links

Official website
{{British pornography Communications authorities Regulators of the United Kingdom Telecommunications organisations in the United Kingdom