FTC's National "Do Not Call" Registry Coming Soon By SaintPort in MLP Thu Jan 02, 2003 at 11:18:37 PM EST Tags: News (all tags) While listening to NPR this morning I heard about the FTC's National "Do Not Call" Registry for telemarketers for the first time. It's about time.  I really hope this does not get derailed or neutered. Why?  As family members age and experience health complications, communication to and from them becomes more critical.  But there is a trend of 'not picking up the phone because its probably a pushy sales person'.  This is a real fear when you know you will not understand the sales pitch or the questions.   So, we all got Caller ID so we would not miss important calls.  But if I call a loved one from work, the company has its ID blanked-out, so my call may be ignored. We got a telezapper to help out.  But for it to work, someone must answer the call. I don't expect the FTC list to solve all these problems.  I just hope it becomes an effective tool to add to our arsenal. I realize that there is a furious 'Free Speech' debate here.  But a telephone is not a public forum.  The service is paid for by the individual, who should be allowed to post a 'No Soliciting' sign. Main links: The web address and phone number for registration will be available at http://www.ftc.gov/donotcall. The National "Do Not Call" Registry Amendment to the Telemarketing Sales Rule The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has amended the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) to give consumers a choice about whether they want to receive most telemarketing calls. Consumers soon will be able to put their phone numbers on a national "do not call" registry. It will be illegal for most telemarketers to call a number listed on the registry. Q&A: The FTC's Changes to the Telemarketing Sales Rule http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/dncalrt.htm FTC Unveils National 'No Call' List for Telemarketers  Dec. 18, 2002 http://discover.npr.org/features/feature.jhtml?wfId=883948 'Do Not Call' List  Jun. 7, 2002 http://discover.npr.org/features/feature.jhtml?wfId=1144612 Marketers Squawk At FTC No-Call List http://www.cardforum.com/html/cardmark/may02_3.htm Turf wars... Attorney General To FTC: Do Not Preempt State "No Call" Programs Protecting Consumer Privacy http://caag.state.ca.us/newsalerts/2002/02-037.htm Related links: This organization wants to [non]profit from your misfortune... Anybody know anything about these folks? Stop Spam & Telemarketers Now!   Have your personal information removed from marketer's lists.   Remove.Org forces marketers to be responsible and accountable.   Protect children from being exposed to adult related material.   Annual membership is $9.95 for all three services. http://www.remove.org/ Sick of Telemarketers? http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2002/3/1/171114/3724 Full discussion: http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2003/1/2/115347/5061