The Vermont Statutes Online
The Vermont Statutes Online does not include the actions of the 2024 session of the General Assembly. We expect them to be updated by November 1st.
NOTE: The Vermont Statutes Online is an unofficial copy of the Vermont Statutes Annotated that is provided as a convenience.
Title 9 : Commerce and Trade
Chapter 067 : Pay-per-Call Services
(Cite as: 9 V.S.A. § 2508)-
§ 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 or 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 or 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 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 that 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.)