In Brief: U.K. businesses buck 0870 number rate cut

Britain's small-business community has come out against the government's plan to cut the call rate for revenue-raising 0870 phone numbers.

British telecom regulator Ofcom said this week it would require that numbers including the 0870 code cost the same as calls to national landline numbers, a move the Federation of Small Businesses said Friday it was opposed to.

Companies with such numbers get a slice of the added cost, something Ofcom said could lead to abuse of consumers who might not be aware of the effect it would have on their bills.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International