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Rt. Hon. Sir Alan Beith MPLiberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Berwick Upon TweedWorking for you and the Berwick upon Tweed Constituency all year roundin Northumberland and in Westminster |
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MEPs vote to end roaming rip-off
February 28, 2012 5:17 PM
MEPs today voted for new rules which will further reduce the cost of mobile phone calls whilst abroad. The rules also impose a cap on the cost of data roaming for the first time.
North East MEP Fiona Hall was among those who voted in favour of the new price caps, which will replace existing limits when they expire in June.
Fiona commented after the vote:
"People travelling on leisure or business are rightfully outraged by the rip-off cost of using a mobile abroad. Data roaming fees are especially expensive as things stand, and with people increasingly reliant on Facebook and Twitter to stay in touch with each other, capping data costs for the first time is an important step forward.
"Until there is more competition in the market, we must protect consumers by capping prices at a sensible level that encourages business across borders and prevents people being hit with a hefty bill when they get back from their holiday."
Negotiations between the European Parliament and national governments in the Council on a final agreement on the new roaming regulation will start in the next week.
Under the current rules, in force until June 2012, the maximum roaming charge for making a call is 29 pence and for receiving a call is 9 pence per minute. Sending a text message cross-border is capped at 9 pence while receiving a text is free.