A NEW Bill which will regulate the broadcasting of premium rate phone-in competitions, such as TV3's Play TV, and impose fines of up to €250,000 for malpractice in the area was announced by Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan last night.
Mr Ryan said the legislation, which is to come into force next month, showed the Government would “not stand for its citizens being duped, defrauded or overcharged by corporate entities”.
The new sanctions are included in the Communications Regulation (Premium Rate Services and Electronic Communications Infrastructure) Bill 2009.
Under the legislation, TV stations and service providers will have to apply to communications regulator ComReg for a licence to broadcast competitions such as Play TVor to run phone-in contests like those that appear on RTÉ's Late Late Show.
The Bill also makes provisions for the regulation of premium rate phone lines selling ring tones, sports results, traffic reports and psychic services.
Failure to comply with the regulations will result in broadcasters having their licences suspended or revoked or see them fined up to €250,000.
The overcharging of competition entrants will become a separate offence under the legislation and refunds will be allowed for.
The announcement follows a series of complaints to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) about TV3's late night quiz show Play TV,which has courted controversy since it was first broadcast last summer.
The BAI upheld 10 complaints against the programme, callers to which are charged €1.50 regardless of whether or not they get through to answer a question, and said it had engaged in practices that were “misleading and unfair”.
Mr Ryan described the legislation as “timely” and said he was pleased to tackle malpractice by premium rate phone line and text message operators.
TV3 offered the Bill a guarded welcome, saying it would be satisfied so long as there were clear rules “applied consistently and fairly to all broadcasters including those in the State sector”.
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