BT has stated that only 1.4M of its customers are on the "Anytime" package that will enable calls to 0845 and 0870 numbers to be made during business hours at no extra charge after paying the fee for the package.
Many users of public services are unable to acquire a landline, perhaps exercise their right to use services from operators other than BT, or choose not to subscribe to this particular BT package. That is a lot more than 1.4 million.
The cost they generally incur in making telephone calls is a matter for them.
What is unacceptable is that the public bodies themselves receive revenue share income (or subsidy) from calls to all 084 and 087 numbers. Whatever deal BT may be able to offer with 0845 and 0870, there is no way that all telephone companies could be expected to always absorb the cost of the revenue share, without passing it on to customers in some way or other.
Those who think that what BT has done is universal obviously wish it to be re-nationalised, and granted a monopoloy over all landline and mobile telecomms. It would then need to be instructed to offer free calls to all revenue sharing numbers to all customers at all times, so that businesses could subsidise their telephone costs at public expense.
This is rubbish, it would need to have public service numbers put on a special range, and why not have people pay for these calls at whatever is their normal basic service rate (free for those who buy the appropriate package.)
The simple answer is for all public bodies that "need" non-geographic numbers to adopt 030 numbers. This will achieve what is required, regardless of whatever further changes there may be.
Whilst mentioning petitions:
This is the one that needs to be signed before the end of March to support the consultation on a ban of revenue sharing numbers in the NHS.
Pages: 1
Government Petition (Read 12,476 times)
