catj wrote on Nov 13
th, 2011 at 6:46pm:
BBC Points of View tonight ended with (something like):
"We would like to hear from you. Calls to our 0370 number are charged the same as a local rate call."
The real offence is in the actual quote "Calls are charged at a local rate from a BT landline".
Watch and listen here03 is the one range where you can give a cost statement without having to refer to any particular operator. In truth, calls are charged at a "local" rate from any landline. With some almost insignificant qualification, national rate and local rate is the same rate from all landlines. Neither quoted version of the statement above is actually false.
Although mobile phones cannot make a distinction between local and national geographic calls, if one understands the term "local rate" to mean the cost of a call to a local geographic number, one could just get away with saying that calls to 03 numbers from mobiles are charged at "local rate", wherever in the UK you may be.
Having done the right thing by adopting 03 numbers, the BBC should stop referring to a situation that existed before 03 numbers were introduced! "Calls are charged at the geographic rate from all phones" would be much better.
We need Ofcom to put a lot more effort into getting over the message about what "geographic rate" is, as against "business rate" and "premium rate". I understand that the end of January 2012 is the current target for the next movement on "Simplifying non-geographic numbers".
In the meantime, one could always contact the BBC, I am sure that have some programmes that air listeners and viewers comments.