Posted on 06/26/2003 6:17:10 PM PDT by Libloather
Signup Against Telemarketer Calls Starts Friday
1 hour, 46 minutes ago
By Andy Sullivan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. households tired of unwanted telemarketing calls can begin registering on Friday for a national "do not call list" due to be launched by President Bush.
Telemarketers who call numbers on the list after Oct. 1 face penalties of up to $11,000 per call under the popular measure that Bush will kick off in a White House Rose Garden ceremony at 8:30 a.m. EDT.
The measure got a boost from the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday when the agency voted 5-0 to support the list announced by the Federal Trade Commission last year in response to consumer complaints.
The FCC's endorsement fills a number of gaps in the program, roping in banks, telephone companies, insurance companies and other heavy telemarketers who fall outside the FTC's jurisdiction.
"This is the most sweeping consumer-protection measure ever adopted by the Federal Communications Commission," FCC Chairman Michael Powell said.
Consumers will be able to sign up for the list through a toll-free number or on the Web. The FTC already maintains a home page for the list at http://www.ftc.gov/donotcall.
The list will be funded by telemarketers who can also be sued directly by consumers for damages of up to $500 per call.
Exceptions to the list will still remain. Nonprofit and political callers will not have to comply with the new rule, and businesses will be free to call customers for 18 months after a sale -- although they must honor consumer requests not to be called back.
Sales calls made within one state will fall under the new national rules, setting a baseline above which states can set tougher guidelines if they wish.
The FCC vote drew a mixed response from telemarketing groups that have lobbied furiously against the list and filed lawsuits that are pending to block its implementation.
The Direct Marketing Association said telemarketing companies would have an easier time complying with one national do-not-call list, rather than the dozens of state-specific registries.
The American Teleservices Association said the FCC bowed to political pressure to impose unconstitutional restrictions on the industry, and did not consider the 2 million telemarketers whose jobs will be put at risk.
"You don't know who's interested in an offer until they have an opportunity to hear it," said ATA Executive Director Tim Searcy. "It implies that consumers can make a choice prior to having a choice to make."
On the contrary. It is very constitutional.
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