The premium rate telephone regulator is trying to bring broadcasters under its regime in an effort to crack down on quiz show scams.

Sir Alistair Graham, chairman of Icstis, will float the idea of bringing broadcasters partly under his remit next week, in a consultation document about a new quiz show licensing regime.

The proposal, which he said was only a “question mark – nothing more”, would be aimed at motivating broadcasters to take more responsibility for premium-rate services and their marketing to viewers.

Adoption of the plan could make broadcasters subject to Icstis’s portfolio of penalties, including fines of up to £250,000.

Sir Alistair is also planning talks with mobile operators over how they can play a part in ensuring that consumers are not misled over premium rate television shows.

He said that the wide variety of charges levied by mobile phone companies for calling in to programmes can leave customers confused. The area, he said, needs further exploration.

The use by broadcasters of premium rate numbers is being investigated by both Ofcom, the communications regulator, and Icstis after a series of scandals involving popular programmes, including Richard & Judy.

A new licensing regime for such programmes was promised by Icstis after talks with broadcasters in March.

At present, when problems arise, Icstis is forced to target the provider of the telephone service rather than the channel that airs the programme. Any fines or punishments issued by Icstis are meted out to the provider rather than the broadcaster.

“Because broadcasters are a responsibility for Ofcom, we have to go for the more technical type operations and service providers,” Sir Alistair said. “We will, in this document, raise issues about how we can properly regulate this area unless we have some remit as far as the broadcasters are concerned – not in terms of their wider broadcasting responsibility but when they decide to use premium rate services as part of their broadcasting arrangement.”

Sir Alistair said that Icstis would not seek to usurp Ofcom’s powers and had held discussions with Lord Currie, Ofcom’s chairman, about its plans. “We are going to raise question marks [about this] – no further than that at this stage,” he said.

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