{June 28, 2005} VICTORIA – A fee schedule for telemarketers was announced today by the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Authority. The fee schedule is effective October 1, 2005.

The new Telemarketer Licensing Regulation requires the licensing by October 1, 2005 of all telemarketers who conduct business in British Columbia and all telemarketers who contact consumers in British Columbia for the purpose of entering into a distance sales contract over the phone or by fax as well as third party fund raisers.

The Authority, an independent not-for-profit organization, assumed responsibility for the oversight of business practices and consumer protection in British Columbia on July 4, 2004. The Authority is based on a full cost recovery model and it has been delegated the authority to set fees for the industries it regulates.

Consultation on the proposed fee schedule was initiated at the May 19, 2005 meeting of the Telemarketing Advisory Group, a group comprised of key industry and consumer representatives. The group reviewed proposed fee options and provided valuable feedback to the Authority, resulting in changes to the fee structure. For information on the advisory group, please visit the telemarketer advisory group webpage.

A proposed fee schedule was posted on the BPCPA website to obtain input from all interested parties until June 17, 2005 and the comments received were considered in finalizing the fee schedule.

For more information about the licensing of telemarketers, please view the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the Telemarketer Licensing Regulation .