September 17, 2018

Over the last 12 to 18 months the PSA says that it has seen growth in the types of phone-paid subscriptions services (e.g. music streaming subscriptions), as well as an increase in the number of consumers engaging with these services.

The existing PSA regulatory framework includes the Code, as well as both Guidance and Special Conditions.  There are also additional regulatory requirements that apply to specific subscription service types, including online competition and adult phone-paid services.  In 2016, the PSA completed a review of these service types, which found that stronger regulatory requirements were necessary.  Accordingly, it introduced additional regulatory requirements for these services.

The PSA is now reviewing the regulation that applies to phone-paid subscriptions and this Call for Inputs is the first stage.  Specifically, the Call for Inputs is seeking feedback from stakeholders on:

• the rationale for the review, including the issues contributing to the high volumes of consumer complaints about subscription services;
• the draft review objectives;
• the evolution and growth of subscriptions over time, as well as on what providers see as the biggest potential growth/new service areas/types going forward; and
• the PSA’s high-level analysis of the existing regulatory framework and the impact of an evolving market on the effectiveness of the framework.

The Call for Inputs document also contains a series of questions and requests for information and evidence from stakeholders.  The deadline for responses is 15 October 2018.  To access the Call for Inputs, click here.