National Do Not Call
Registry Opens
Consumers Can Register at DONOTCALL.GOV
The opening of the National Do Not Call Registry, a
free service of the federal government developed to give consumers a
choice about getting telemarketing calls at home, was announced this
morning by President George W. Bush, Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
Chairman Timothy J. Muris, and Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Chairman Michael K. Powell.
The National Do Not Call Registry will make it
easier and more efficient for consumers to stop getting telemarketing
calls they do not want. Consumers can register in two ways: online or by
calling a toll-free number. Registration is free and is available in
both English and Spanish.
"We're very pleased that beginning today, consumers
can make the call on whether to get telemarketing pitches at home," said
FTC Chairman Muris. "Registration is free and easy, whether it is done
online or by telephone."
Consumers nationwide can register online at DONOTCALL.GOV
. Consumers in states west of the
Mississippi River (including Louisiana and Minnesota) can register by
calling, toll-free, 1-888-382-1222 (TTY 1-866-290-4236). On July 7,
phone registration will be open to the entire country.
"Government is at its best when it empowers
individuals to make their own choices," said FCC Chairman Powell.
"Consumers wanted more control over their telephones - and we are giving
it to them."
If consumers register by phone, they must call from
the number they want to register. If consumers register online, they
must provide an email address. After registering online, consumers will
receive an e-mail and need to click on a link in the e-mail within 72
hours to complete online registration. E-mail addresses on the registry
will not be shared with anyone. Registration lasts for five years, until
a number is disconnected, or until the consumer takes it off the
registry.
The FTC, the FCC, and the states will begin
enforcing the Do Not Call provisions of the Telemarketing Rules on
October 1, 2003. On that date, consumers who register by August 31 will
start to notice a downturn in the number of telemarketing calls they
receive. Some calls, however, such as those from political
organizations, solicitation calls on behalf of charities, and calls to
conduct surveys, are not covered by the National Registry requirements.
Consumers who sign up for the registry may still receive these calls.
In addition, companies with which consumers have an
established business relationship may call for up to 18 months after the
last purchase, payment or delivery, even if the consumer's name is on
the National Do Not Call Registry. Companies to which consumers have
made an inquiry or submitted an application can call for three months.
If a consumer asks a company not to call, however, that request trumps
an existing business relationship.
If consumers place their numbers on the National
Registry, they may give written permission to particular companies that
they want to hear from. If consumers do not put their number on the
National Registry, they can still prohibit individual telemarketers from
calling by asking them, one by one, to put them on their company's do
not call list.
After October 1, 2003, telemarketers will be
required to access the registry every three months and scrub numbers on
it from their call lists. Telemarketers who call a number on the list
could be fined up to $11,000 per call. If you receive telemarketing
calls after you have registered your phone number and your number has
been in the registry for three months, you can file a complaint at
DONOTCALL.GOV or by calling 1-888-382-1222.
Most of the 27 states that have active do not call
lists plan to transfer the numbers on their lists to the National Do Not
Call Registry. Some will not. A list of states transferring their do not
call lists to the National Registry is posted at www.ftc.gov/donotcall
.
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