Feds seek ‘do not call’ phone sales list

By David Ho

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — People who want to stop most telemarketers from calling their homes will be able to do so with a single request if the government has its way.

The Federal Trade Commission said Tuesday it wants to create a national "do not call" registry, strengthening existing telemarketing rules that forbid late-night calls and deceptive sales tactics.

"We’re not saying ‘don’t call.’ It’s consumers saying ‘don’t call,’ " said Howard Beales, the FTC’s director of consumer protection. "They would prefer not to get calls entirely or at inconvenient times."

Current rules require individual telemarketers to comply when consumers ask them to remove their names from calling lists. Privacy groups advise that people clearly say the phrase: "Put me on your do not call list."

Under the new proposal, Beales said, one toll-free call to the FTC would stop most telemarketing calls made from outside a consumer’s state. Consumers could choose to allow calls from certain companies or charities. Telemarketers would have to update their no-call lists monthly from the national list, which would cost the agency between $4 million and $6 million in the first year.

The FTC plans public hearings in June on the registry and other proposed changes in telemarketing regulation. FTC commissioners could vote on the changes a year from now.

Telemarketers who ignore the national list would face fines of up to $11,000 per violation under the proposal.

Telemarketers say a national registry isn’t needed.

"The government may be overstepping its boundaries by spending taxpayer dollars to limit communication that is protected by the First Amendment," said H. Robert Wientzen, president of the Direct Marketing Association. He said the proposals could cost the telemarketing industry money and jobs by having companies relocate to other countries in order to avoid the regulations.

Wientzen said people who do not want to be called can request that their names be added to his group’s list, which now has 4.1 million names. The bulk of telemarketers voluntarily participate in this service and abide by the list, he said.

The Web site address is www.the-dma.org; scroll down and click on the "remove my name from those lists" box on the right.

Beales said the national registry would apply to companies that aren’t part of the association.

Many states already have statewide "do not call" lists, including Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, New York, Oregon and Texas. Some states charge consumers a few dollars per year to stay on the list. In 1988, Florida became the first with a measure intended to protect senior citizens.

Beales said the FTC would work with states to ensure the national and local lists work together.

The FTC does not have jurisdiction over banks, telephone carriers and nonprofit groups. However, an agency proposal prompted by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks would expand telemarketing rules that apply to sales calls to cover abusive or deceptive calls from charities seeking donations.