September 21, 2007
Do Not Call... Ever
It's dinner time. The phone rings. You get up from the table to answer it, but the person on the other end can't even pronounce your name right. No, it can't be. It's... a telemarketer!
For many Americans, this nightmare ended four years ago, when the Federal Trade Commission began allowing citizens to enter their phone numbers in a national Do Not Call registry. But what many people might not know is that the list is not permanent. Numbers placed on the registry will be dropped from the list after the first five years, meaning the first lucky citizens to make their phones off-limits to telemarketers when the service was launched in June 2003 will have to re-register to keep from fielding annoying calls once again.
The FTC says the five-year period was designed to allow for changes, such as switched numbers.
"Just like a regular person who needs to clean out their address book every so often, the commission felt that was something that was important to do with the registry," Lydia Parnes, director of the FTC's bureau of consumer protection, told AP.
Some lawmakers, however, argue that the system places an undue burden on consumers.
"When someone takes the time and effort to say 'I don't want these kinds of calls coming into my house,' they shouldn't have to keep a calendar to find out when they have to re-up to keep this nuisance from happening," said Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Pa., who introduced a bill last week that would make the "Do Not Call" registry permanent.
In the meantime, those who want to keep pesky telemarketers at bay can register or re-register online or by phone at 888-382-1222.
