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For Release:
June 27, 2003
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.
Responsibilities of states under the new
FCC regulations are located at http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-235841A1.pdf.
FTC MEDIA CONTACT:
Cathy MacFarlane
Office of Public Affairs
202-326-2710
FCC MEDIA CONTACT:
David Fiske
Office of Media Relations
202-418-0513
(http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2003/06/donotcall.htm)
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