WASHINGTON-Wireless customers are now able to register their telephone numbers on a national do-not-call list, said President George Bush from the White House Rose Garden Friday morning.
“Unwanted telemarketing calls are intrusive, they are annoying, and they’re all too common,” said Bush. “The Federal Communications Commission has joined with the Federal Trade Commission to create a National Do Not Call Registry, a tool that will help ensure that telemarketers respect the privacy of our nation’s citizens. This registry will allow people to limit most unwanted telemarketing calls by registering their home or cell-phone numbers. Registration can be completed by phone or over the Internet, and it is free of charge. The service also comes at no expense to the taxpayers. After all, it is fully funded by the telemarketing industry.”
Bush was joined by FCC Chairman Michael Powell and Timothy Muris, chairman of the Federal Trade Commission.
Wireless subscribers can add their numbers to the list by going to www.donotcall.gov. Bush said Muris and Powell reported a take rate of more than 108 per second since the site went live late Thursday.
On Thursday, the FCC joined the FTC in setting telemarketing rules, greatly expanding the effectiveness of the do-not-call list.
“Consumers are fed up with the barrage of telemarketing calls that intrude on their privacy, and they crave the ability to just say no,” said FCC Commissioner Kathleen Abernathy.
Not all calls will be blocked, however. There are exceptions for non-profit organizations, religious or political calls, and companies with existing relationships with a customer.
The FCC’s action was welcomed by consumer advocates who had worried that the FTC’s do-not-call list would not be strong enough because some industries are exempt from FTC jurisdiction.
