The Telegraph this morning wrote that “Ofcom was under mounting pressure yesterday to take a tougher stance against broadcasters involved in the premium rate phoneline scandal.”

Sure enough, Ofcom later today announced an inquiry into the use of premium rate telecoms services (PRS) in television programmes.

The news release stated:

Viewers and a range of other stakeholders have raised serious concerns with Ofcom regarding apparent systematic compliance failure on the part of a number of broadcasters, whose actions appear to contravene existing consumer protection rules.

The inquiry will be led by Richard Ayre, who is a non–executive member of the Ofcom Content Board (a committee of the main Ofcom Board, with delegated and advisory responsibility for a wide range of content issues). The inquiry will include extensive input from the premium rate services regulator, ICSTIS, who are already investigating a number of individual cases. Richard Ayre expects to report his findings to the Ofcom Board and the Content Board by early summer.

The inquiry will examine:

• Consumer protection issues and audiences’ attitudes to the use of PRS in television programmes;
• The benefits and risks to broadcasters in the use of PRS in programmes;
• The respective compliance and editorial responsibilities of broadcasters, producers and telecoms network operators and others involved in those programmes;
• The effectiveness of broadcasters’ and telecoms operators’ internal compliance procedures, guidelines and arrangements to ensure compliance with Ofcom and ICSTIS codes;

The inquiry will also propose recommendations on actions necessary to restore confidence and trust.

Ofcom Chief Executive, Ed Richards said: “Widespread concern about the use of premium rate telephone lines by broadcasters and editorial standards in those programmes has raised serious questions about trust between broadcasters and viewers.

“Ofcom has been monitoring the issue closely and has launched a number of individual investigations since the start of the year. However it is clear from the number of cases underway that a broader set of issues need to be examined as a matter of priority.

“This inquiry will seek to establish the root cause of the compliance issues which have emerged over recent weeks, and inform key decisions about protecting consumers.”