PhonepayPlus (formerly The Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services (ICSTIS) is the regulatory body for all premium rate telephone services in the United Kingdom. It publishes a code of practice, guidelines for services, and has the power to impose sanctions on services that break the law. The most famous and noticeable guidelines from PhonepayPlus are the requirements for premium rate services to make an announcement concerning the call rate and the prescribed maximum call duration (twenty minutes) on opening the call. Members of the public can discover more about who owns a premium rate number by typing the number onto a form in their website. Alternatively, they can call 0800 500 212. Persons wishing to provide services must conform with PhonepayPlus requirements, and in the case of live services, must also sign up to the Live Conversation Service Providers Compensation Fund (LCSP). Until 15 October 2007, PhonepayPlus was known as ICSTIS.[1]
