Do Not Call Registry: Closer to Permanent

Apparently a few too many telemarketers called the homes of easily agitated congressmembers because new legislation aims to greatly improve the already exceptional Do Not Call Registry that reins in those pesky telemarketers.

The existing Nation Do Not Call Registry is an opt-in service that gives phone owners a choice whether to receive telemarketer calls. Since its launch in 2003, consumers have registered 145 million phone numbers. But the original Do Not Call list requires renewal every five years for every registered phone number. This is ostensibly to keep the list as accurate as possible.

The Senate this week passed The Do Not Call Improvement Act of 2007, vastly improving the registry by not requiring any kind of renewal. The House passed a nearly identical bill on December 11. Bill sponsor Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota) says he expects the Act to quickly move to the White House for Presidential approval before the October 1, 2008 deadline, when the DNC registry will begin to be wiped clean as part of the original guidelines.

This isn't the only bill to hit the telemarketers where it hurts. The Do Not Call Registry Fee Extension Act of 2007 gives the Federal Trade Commission the power to assess telemarketers operational fees to maintain the registry. Currently, the FTC can collect fees only through the end of 2007. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the FTC will collect $107 million over the next five years.

The FTC will likely also be quick to jump on violators of the DNC registry. In November the FTC fined several companies $7.7 million for violations, including big names like DirecTV and Craftmatic. If you think a telemarketer has violated the act by calling your registered number, be sure to file a complaint at the DNC Web site.

Here's to peace, quiet, and nobody questioning our happiness with current insurance, long-distance telephone, cable, or magazine subscriptions!

Comments

This is great, but for the fact that politicians are exempt.

In November, 81% of Iowa voters received robo calls. 81%.

The non-partisan, non-profit National Political "Do Not Call" Registry has been created to help citizens with the problem of unsolicited, unwanted political phone calls. Citizens can register their phone number by going to www.StopPoliticalCalls.org. There are various options for registering -- you can ask to be removed entirely from political call lists, or you can designate at what times you would like to receive calls, from which politicans or parties, etc. This is one possible solution that exists right now.

shimane

December 19, 2007

8:53 PM PT