SDLP YouthL UK Government Must Support EU Roaming Plan

international | consumer issues | press release Sunday May 13, 2007 00:37 by SDLP Youth - SDLP info at sdlpyouth dot com

SDLP Youth move to support European Initiatives to reduce exorbitant roaming charges.

SDLP Youth Vice Chair Peter Armstrong has called on the UK government to stop postponing and start supporting an EU initiative to lower roaming charges.

He said: "The Austrian Delegates to the European Parliament are currently trying to introduce legislation that will significantly reduce roaming charges, but the British government is opposed to the reductions.

“Britain is taking the side of the mobile operators over consumers. Consumers have long been ripped off, nowhere more than in Ireland. Exorbitant roaming charges need to end. The charges do not reflect the actual costs incurred by operators. The over-charging has a huge effect on small businesses that make cross-border calls, as well as people living along the border who are constantly changing networks.

“The UK government wants pricing to remain unchanged – leaving some European consumers paying up to €12 a minute for calls. They want customers to have to opt-in to any price caps, meaning that the networks could continue to inflict higher charges on unsuspecting customers.

The SDLP and SDLP Youth have campaigned for many years against roaming charges, meeting with governments, regulators and operators. This legislation is vitally important but time is running out. If the legislation is to be enacted for this summer when the mobile phone operators make billions from over-charging, the EU Parliament must pass legislation before June. ”

Ends

10/05/07