§ 2508 - Children's program services - Vermont Statutes

§ 2508. Children's program services

(a) It shall be an unlawful practice for a sponsor to sell or offer for sale pay-per-call services directed at children age 12 and under.

(b) The advertisement or promotion of pay-per-call services on television during a time slot used by television stations to air programming for children age 12 and under shall give rise to a rebuttable presumption of a violation of this section.

(c) It shall be an unlawful practice for a sponsor to sell or offer for sale pay-per-call services directed at children under the age of 18 where the service, or any advertisement or promotion for it:

(1) contains an imperative statement, including but not limited to language such as "call now" or "you must call";

(2) contains an embedded message to call other pay-per-call numbers;

(3) requests that the caller provide his or her name, address, telephone number, or other identifying information;

(4) requests that the caller make an additional purchase in order for the complete message to be received;

(5) contains a message soliciting copies of phone bills; or

(6) requires the viewing of a television program to obtain the complete message.

(d) It shall be an unlawful practice for a sponsor to sell or offer for sale pay-per-call services directed at children under the age of 18 unless the sponsor provides a full credit upon request, for any call by a child which was not authorized by the child's parent.

(e) It shall be an unlawful practice for a sponsor to sell or offer for sale pay-per-call services directed at children under the age of 18 for which the total charges per call to the customer exceed $4.00. (Added 1993, No. 99, § 2.)