Registry to block unwanted calls

Detroit ^ | 3/12/2003 | AP

[CharacterCounts]

WASHINGTON -- President Bush on Tuesday signed legislation creating a national "do-not-call" list intended to help consumers block unwanted telemarketing calls.

The bill allows the Federal Trade Commission to collect fees from telemarketers to pay for the registry. The program should begin operation by summer.

[CharacterCounts]

No more annoying telephone calls at 8:59 P.M?

[CharacterCounts]

Source should be Detroit News

[Bikers4Bush]

I hate that. My phone rings non-stop from 8:50 to 9:00 p.m.

[martin_fierro]

Now all they gotta do is apply that law to junk faxers.

Nothing peeves me more than getting a junk fax, at home, at 6 am PST.

[TommyDale]

My calls always occur during dinner time. If there is any hesitation or silence for more than 1/2 second, I hang up.
I have a "Zapper" on the phone upstairs. I just love that device!

[EggsAckley]

I think there already IS a junk fax law.

As for telemarketers, I have effectively eliminated the problem with the Telezapper. I was getting between 10 and 20 junk calls a day.

[CharacterCounts]

A couple weeks ago I had a telemarketer called me around 9 PM. I complained that he was calling me so late at night. He very arrogantly informed me that he was allowed to call at 9 PM and was only 8:59 PM.

My response cannot be printed on this site.

[MudPuppy]

Junk Faxes suck!!!
They were trying to send them at least once a month to us in the middle of the night on our phone line.. Annoying is being woken up at 0130 by fax screeching noises in your ear and then it was on auto redial for 3 tries. We got the telezapper and they seem to have stopped.
I hate telemarketer calls! A pox on them I say! :)

[CharacterCounts]

I also use the telezapper, but it only seemed to catch about 80 percent of the calls.

[Blue Screen of Death]

Telemarketers say the registry will devastate their business. The Direct Marketing Association filed a lawsuit against the trade commission last month, saying the registry unlawfully restricts free speech.

When they passed laws against bank robery it devastated the bank robery business. I believe the free speech section of the first amendment applies to political speech, not some huckser trying to sell life insurance.

[Pablo64]

"Telemarketers say the registry will devastate their business.

Aawwwww, poor baby! Would you like some cheese with that whine??

"Those who call listed people could be fined up to $11,000 for each violation."

Any chance we, the consumer, could get a piece of that action? How about maybe $1,000 bucks for our trouble, and they keep the other 10K for "operating expenses"?? (Yeah...like that'll happen).

[MudPuppy]

80 % zapped is better than 0% :)
I like to imagine the telemarketers being zapped with a tazer-like device when my telezapper gets them :)

[CharacterCounts]

In my opinion, this is not a free speech issue. No one is telling the advertiser they cannot advertise. They are merely telling them that I cannot be forced to listen.

[martin_fierro]

There IS a junk fax law (California's is especially strong), but its enforcement has been lax.

There's an outfit that's suing the junk faxers, for what it's worth.

[CharacterCounts]

I like to imagine the telemarketers being zapped with a tazer-like device when my telezapper gets them :)

You're not looking for a telezapper, you're looking for a cattle prod.

[babygene]

"I believe the free speech section of the first amendment applies to political speech, not some huckser trying to sell life insurance."

Free speach doesn't oblige anyone to listen... even to political speach.

[Clara Lou]

Telemarketers say the registry will devastate their business.
I weep-- tears of joy.

[Jackie]

As I said on the duplicate thread, I do not expect this Bill to be very effective, as the telemarketers will probably move their operations offshore.

[CharacterCounts]

There IS a junk fax law (California's is especially strong), but its enforcement has been lax

I get junk faxes that my office all the time. It is particularly annoying because they are using my paper for their advertisement. Calls to the number provided in the bottom of the fax do not help.

[Mamzelle]

Charities can still call--that means any noodnik with a C501-3 can nag you during dinner. Half my nuisance calls come from "charities." Surveys? Gee, you can wiggle a lot into that, too.

One thing I've started doing that has helped is to pay attention to how the nuisance caller work. Generally these nuisance callers must be using some kind of machine that dials for the personnel, probably several numbers at once. I look for "out of area" on Caller ID, a first indicator of a nuisance call, but not absolute. Then I know to listen for that pause on the line that tells me they are using some sort of automated dialer. I hang up as soon as I hear the pause.

What I dread is when they start using my cell phone. They haven't yet. Why not?