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Searching 2023-2024 Session

The Vermont Statutes Online

The Vermont Statutes Online have been updated to include the actions of the 2023 session of the General Assembly.

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.)