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The
Guardian 22 February 1997 Kiosk sex is back on call Prostitutes
force BT to reconnect numbers advertised on cards Gary
Younge A
COMMITTEE of prostitutes has forced British Telecom to reconnect
the phone lines of women who advertise their sexual
services by placing cards in kiosks. BT
joined forces with Westminster city council and other telephone providers
last August to block calls to numbers listed on the lurid cards that often
plaster kiosks in London. But
yesterday the Office of Fair Trading ruled that the agreement between the
phone providers breached competition laws because it had not been
registered in advance. The
ruling followed a complaint to the office by the the London Committee of
Call Girls. Their solicitor, David Greene, said it was a victory not only
for "this section of consumers" but for all BT customers. "BT
felt that it could ignore the legislation relating to competition and its
dominant position in the market. Its action only confirms the fear that
customers have that BT appears willing to do as it pleases without regard
for the legal rights of customers." A
BT spokesman described the ruling as a "blip". The company was
now re-registering the agreement with the office and would soon resume its
disconnection policy. "We are well within our rights to block incoming calls. We have told customers they will be getting two written warnings before this happens," added the spokesman.
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