UK regulator PhonepayPlus has announced a review into the 350 million pound (US$691.6 million) a year premium-rate industry, after complaints soared by 40 percent in the first quarter of 2007. In the first quarter the regulator “had received more than 4,500 complaints about mobile content. This was 80 percent of all complaints to the regulator about services paid for by telephone, and a 40 percent increase compared with the same period last year” reports the BBC. Last year PayphonePlus handed out 360,000 pounds in fines—so far this year it has handed out 291,500 pounds in fines. The maximum fine is 250,000 pounds, and the regulator can ban individuals from operating services with premium rate numbers. Part of the review will be to establish whether the regulators powers are strict enough. The premium-rate industry in the UK has been investigated numerous, especially in relation to the TV show voting scandal, with the UK government threatening to ban phone-ins if broadcasters didn’t effectively regulate themselves.

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