MEDIA RELEASE
190 Numbers

A Cautionary Tale for Parents

Young Media Australia have received reports recently by concerned parents about the ease of access by their children to services which are provided by 190 phone numbers.

These 190 numbers are ‘premium rate services’ and are currently used in Australia to provide information and entertainment services by telephone, fax, SMS (short message service) and the Internet. Content ranges from weather updates, sports, astrology, professional and specialist information to dating contact services and sex services.

Needless to say these services come at a cost and calls are usually charged according to the content and/or length of the call. These charges can range from 35c to $5.50 per minute or 35c to $33 per call and normally appear on the customer’s telephone bill (which can sometime come as a shock to the rate-payer).

Our concern with these services is that children can quite easily incurr these charges without their parent’s knowledge. In one case reported to YMA, a child had accessed a 190 number via the internet and in two sessions clocked over $300 in fees.

It may not be until it happens to you and you receive a larger than normal phone bill, that you can understand exactly how easy it is for children to access these services. You may request a bar on 190 numbers from your phone line but this isn’t exactly solving the problem effectively.

On direction from the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts and as a means of addressing concerns about unexpected high telephone bills, the Australian Communications Authority (ACA) is seeking your views on whether additional regulatory measures are required. Written comments on the issues in the discussion paper should be lodged to the ACA by 30 May 2003.

The ACA discussion paper regarding the development of service provider rules for 190 premium services and related attachments can be downloaded here.

The ACA discussion paper regarding the investigation of whether additional regulatory measures are required for premium services and related attachments can be downloaded here.

For Additional Information:

• The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) website
• The Telephone Information Services Standards Council (TISSC)