The BBC has reached new lows of disgraceful behaviour in its relentless and cynical scamming of its viewers by perpetually using 0870 numbers for a wide range of contact numbers whilst then cynically lying to viewers who complain to BBC Information that "its just the ordinary BT National Rate sir".  If then challenged and asked whether they are not personally aware that these calls do cost more than other 01 and 02 national numbers they grudgingly admit that they do know this since the alternative is to look as though they are total morons, which to be honest they in any case already do a pretty good job of.

The latest and most audacious yet BBC 0870 scam is that the BBC2 series Coast (shown at 9pm on Sunday evenings) has come up with a series of 30 new coastal walks for which it has posted signs along the routes of the walks.  These signs are actively encouraging people to ring 08705 100789 on their mobile phone without making any mention that these are premium rated calls on most mobile phones (especially Pay as You Go) costing up to 50p per minute to call.

It seems that the BBC has no consideration at all for imposing vast and unnecessary extra costs on its viewers, many of whom will inevitably be teenage schoolchildren proudly wielding their first mobile phone.  All it seems to care about is getting its call handling and routing services from cable & wireless for free instead of paying the going commercial rate for the service as it quite clearly should do.

BBC Director of New Media, Mr Ashley Highfield, should be ashamed of himself.

But as we know the ASA has clearly stated it is no longer acceptable to stay silent on the cost of these calls and pretend that they are only at the national rate.

It is far more despicable that the BBC should have used 0870 for a number specifically dedicated to mobile phone use, especially when many of the callers will be teenage or preteen schoolchildren.

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But surely a public body like the BBC has a far greater duty to abide by these guidlines than a commercial company.

The powers of ICSTIS to impose fines look relatively formidable except that they do not have jurisdiction in this area and instead concentrate their effors on overseas 09 scamsters who generally do not then pay the fines.

For these uk entities using 0870/1 the ICSTIS level of fines would be highly effective but unfortunately they are not available for 084/7 type calls.

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In fact all Capita staff maintain the 0870 contract is direct between the BBC and Cable & Wireless and that neither they or the BBC earn any revenue share kick back.

According to Geoff Brighton at Ofcom he has been told that the BBC get most of their outgoing calls for free from Cable & Wireless due to the 0870 deal plus the BBC also get the small number of 0800 lines they set up for free.  But Cable & Wireless seem to require about 30 minutes of 0870 for about every one free minute of 0800 in return.

So the BBC are in practice getting a hidden kick back from the deal but because they don't get a cheque from C&W they can pretend there is no revenue payback.  Talk about playing with words.

Clearly those with high ethical or moral standards no longer make it the top of the BBC or the civil service.

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Back in the 1950s and 60s as I recall it.

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There is no *guarantee* that 0870, 0871, 0844 and 0845 (and similar) numbers can be terminated from overseas.

Where they can be called from overseas, the per minute rate is usually very high.

If the per minute rate is not high, then the company doesn't realize that these numbers are 'premium' and will likely get a bill for terminating such calls. That bill will be, more than likely, higher than the cost it charges to the caller.

Advertising numbers in the form 0044-8707580614 just demontrates cluelessness.

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But Ofcom does have the potential to regulate the uk NTS system to prevent ordinary customer service calls being converted into hidden premium rate calls which then in turn leads to the even higher premium rates from overseas.

But I was forgetting that they are Light Touch or in fact more realistically just Out of Touch.

Presumably having a telecoms regulator like Ofcom is a bit like having a nuclear control agency that just lets the nuclear disposal market determine whether or not it is cost effective to dump enriched plutonium in the fountains at Trafalgar Square!  Of course they could then be sued but that won't be much comfort to all the relatives of the dead people.