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Business think tank, Direct Marketing Directions, has released their findings on the worldwide effect of ‘Do not call’ lists throughout the English-speaking world based on six months worth of research and interviews.

Excerpt - Responding to a wave of consumer complaints, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said it will bar telemarketers from making prerecorded sales calls unless a consumer explicitly agrees to receive such calls. The FTC also will require all recorded sales calls to provide an opt-out feature to allow consumers to place themselves on the caller's do-not-call list immediately. ~ snip ~

WASHINGTON, (AP) -- Politicians have finally found an issue they all can agree on: Telemarketers calling at dinnertime are a scourge that must be repulsed. Congress on Wednesday sent to President Bush two bills that would make permanent a program to protect consumers from unwanted phone calls from telemarketers. Its hallmark is the national "do not call" list. "This initiative has proven to be one of the most popular laws in history," said Rep. G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C. Extending the program was necessary "to avoid the wrath of millions of angry constituents." The Do Not Call Registry, initiated in 2003, has...

The cherished dinner hour void of telemarketers could vanish next year for millions of people when phone numbers begin dropping off the national Do Not Call list. The Federal Trade Commission, which oversees the list, says there is a simple fix. But some lawmakers think it is a hassle to expect people to re-register their phone numbers every five years. Numbers placed on the registry, begun in June 2003, are valid for five years. For the millions of people who signed onto the list in its early days, their numbers will automatically drop off beginning next June if they do...

Paul Burnett enjoyed four years with almost no calls from telemarketers. That is, until Saturday. The 64-year-old Alameda man is among more than 100 million Americans registered with the National Do Not Call Registry, which bans most telemarketing calls to people on the list. The automated message Saturday sounded liked it was from a local carpet cleaning company. When Burnett tried to call the company back, the phone number wouldn't accept incoming calls. Instead of shrugging it off as a minor annoyance, he filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission and posted the company's phone number on http://www.800notes.com, a...

I'll make this short and simple. Is anyone else as sick of all these pre-recorded political calls as I am? How about if we demand of whoever gets elected, Democrats, Republicans, Conservatives, Liberals, all of them, that by the next election they end the exemption for political calls on the Do Not Call list. I have repretedly called both the National Democrats and Republicans (National Congressional Campaign Committees) and asked them to remove my phone number from their calling lists. I have been promised that it would be done. To no avail. The calls continue. Can anyone think of something...

Political automated phone calls are the most cost-effective way to reach your constituents. The cost is minimal compared to other media, and the effectiveness is unsurpassed. Automated calling will allow your campaign to target your message to your constituents, give them valuable information, and help you capture valuable data to win your election. Also, unlike other media, you will be able to reach your constituents exactly at the time of day of your choosing. You can place your calls in the middle of the day to target answering

The Truth about Cell Phones and the National Do Not Call Registry If you’ve received an e-mail telling you that your cell phone is about to be assaulted by telemarketing calls as a result of a new cell phone number database, rest assured that this is not the case. Telemarketing to cell phone numbers has always been illegal in most cases and will continue to be so. In response to recent e-mail campaigns urging consumers to place their cell phone numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry, the Federal Trade Commission and Federal Communications Commission issue this advisory to...

The New York Times today said they have conclusive evidence that President Bush violated the 'National Do Not Call Registry'. A spokesperson for the Times, who asked not to be identified, said they have a person willing to testify that the President did knowingly violate the Registry. Gertrude Reems of Chicago said she was just sitting down to eat on April 1st 2003 when the telephone rang. The caller asked Mrs. Reems if she had Prince Albert in a can. Reems said she would have to check and asked who was calling. The person on the other end was laughing...

Just days after the New York Times released classified information about eavesdropping by the NSA on Americans linked to international terrorists, President George Bush at a news conference today announced creation of a new website which allows people to voluntarily exclude their phone numbers and email addresses from NSA wiretap lists. The new National Do Not Wiretap Registry (DoNotWiretap.gov) follows the successful DoNotCall.gov model of allowing citizens to opt-out of harassment by electronic means. “If you’re concerned that your civil rights might be violated simply because some al Qaeda member has your information in his cellphone or computer,” the president...

Firm to pay $5.35 million in FTC's largest civil penalty protecting consumers. Updated: 11:46 a.m. ET Dec. 13, 2005 WASHINGTON - DirecTV Inc. will pay $5.35 million to settle charges that its telemarketers called households listed on the national do-not-call registry to pitch satellite TV programming, Federal Trade Commission officials said Tuesday. The proposed settlement, if approved by a federal judge in Los Angeles, would be the FTC’s largest civil penalty in a consumer protection case. The DirecTV complaint, filed by the Department of Justice at the FTC’s request, named the company and five telemarketing firms it hired, as well...

The dead could soon be less likely to be haunted by telemarketers. The nation's largest direct marketing group has set up a registry to remove dead people from its phone, e-mail and direct mail lists - for a one-dollar charge. The fee is for credit card verification and for checking that those on the list are really dead. The Direct Marketing Association says its Deceased Do-Not-Contact list was designed to help families dealing with the loss of a loved one. The idea follows the government's popular Do Not Call list, which allows consumers to sign up online and imposes fines...

JUST A REMINDER...In a few weeks, cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sale calls. YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS. To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone: 888/382-1222. It is the National DO NOT CALL list. This will only take a minute of your time to complete. It blocks your number for five (5) years. Or go to http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/donotcall/index.html and follow the directions.

HARRISBURG -- The Pennsylvania Attorney General said AT&T Corp. will be required to pay about $35,000 in fines and costs for soliciting customers on the state's Do Not Call list. Attorney General Tom Corbett on Friday said AT&T admitted no wrongdoing but agreed to pay $29,500 in civil penalties and $5,000 for investigation costs. According to the attorney general, dozens of consumers on the "no call" list complained that they received multiple calls from AT&T offering them discount long distance service plans.

'The law is now under assault' Steve Carter brings his no-call fight to Evansville By BILL MEDLEY Courier & Press staff writer 464-7519 or medleyb@courierpress.com February 23, 2005 Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter on Tuesday said several more Indiana banks should withdraw their support for a proposed change to the state's no-call law. During a brief stop in Evansville, Carter asked bank customers to call banks that belong to the Consumer Bankers Association to oppose a petition he says will weaken consumer privacy. "The law is now under assault," Carter said at a press conference at Tri-State Aero. "What they're...

Does the national do-not-call list still exist?

A directory of cell phone numbers will be published soon. This opens the door to solicitors calling our cell phones using up our minutes. The Federal Trade Commission has set up a do not call list. You must call FROM the number you wish to register. The number is 1-888-382-1222, OR you can go to the link below to register your cell phones on line.

Cell-phone telemarketing rumor hooks Americans By Candice Choi Staff Writer There's nothing like the specter of telemarketers to stir up an urban legend; this time, it's that the pesky callers will soon start haunting people on their cell phones. Rumors of a Dec. 15 deadline to block telemarketers have reached such a fever pitch that government and industry officials stepped forward Friday to extinguish the fears. "There is no deadline to sign up," said Jen Schwartzman, spokeswoman for the Federal Trade Commission. People are free to sign up for the registry whenever they like, she said, and that's been the...

About 66 million Americans have signed up for the national Do Not Call Registry, resoundingly declaring their desire not to be bothered by telemarketers. "It's been a wild success," acknowledged Allen Hile, a spokesman for the Federal Trade Commission in Washington. So why mess with it? That's what the FTC says it may do in response to a petition from Voice Mail Broadcasting Corp., a Southern California direct-marketing firm that specializes in blitzing consumers with prerecorded phone messages. The company argues that the Federal Communications Commission allows such calls under certain circumstances, which is true, and that all it wants...

Telemarketers will soon have access to your cell phone number. This spring, all cell phone numbers will be put into a directory. The good news is, you do not have to worry about losing your friend's cell phone number. The bad news is, telemarketers will be calling your phone and using up your minutes. "It would be an option if you wanted to be in a directory or not. There could be some advantages - some people are virtually unreachable. About 5% of the cell phone users don't have a land line listing anywhere, so you lose your friends cell...

The agency overseeing the national Do Not Call Registry is considering opening a loophole in the year-old program to allow companies to deliver "pre-recorded message telemarketing" to American homes. The Electronic Privacy Information Center, a Washington-based privacy watchdog, says the change could result in the 64 million people enrolled in the list being bombarded by "answering-machine spam" and other unwanted voices on voice mail. The Federal Trade Commission says the change would have any dramatic results. Allen Hile of the FTC's division of marketing practices, who is overseeing the proposed rule change, said the measure sought by the Voice Mail...

LINKA directory of cell phone numbers will be published soon. This opens the door to solicitors calling our cell phones using up our minutes. The Federal Trade Commission has set up a do not call list. You must call FROM the number you wish to register, or go to their website listed above to be included on the do not call list. The number is 1-888-382-1222 http://www.donotcall.gov/default.aspx

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court Monday let stand a lower-court ruling that telemarketers' rights to free speech are not violated by the government's nationwide do-not-call list. Without comment, the justices rejected an appeal by commercial telemarketers against the lower-court ruling, which upheld as constitutional the popular program in which consumers can put their names on a list if they do not want to be called by telemarketers. "We hold that the do-not-call registry is a valid commercial speech regulation because it directly advances the government's important interests in safeguarding personal privacy and reducing the danger of telemarketing abuse...

Do Not Call - Part Deux Articles / Law & CourtsDate: May 19, 2004 - 02:40 PM Telemarketers vs 'Joe Citizen' We have passed our various state controlled telemarketer ban lists ... and we have passed our federal telemarketer ban list ( Do Not Call ). Things have been quiet and peaceful without the intrusion of boorish telemarketers ..... until now! 1-416-581-1076 The telephone rang it's demanding tone - I glanced over to the caller ID to see if I wanted to stop what I was doing. It showed "Caller Unknown" but it did show the telephone number 1-416-581-1076...

<p>McLEAN, Va. (AP) — Bankrupt telecommunications company MCI said Friday it will cut 4,000 jobs — more than 7% of its workforce — and closing three call centers because of cost-cutting pressures and fallout from the national "do not call" registry. The company had announced in January that it was expecting to reduce overall costs by 15% to 20%, but did not mention specifically that jobs would be cut.</p>

McLEAN, Va. - Bankrupt telecommunications company MCI said Friday it is cutting 4,000 jobs — more than 7 percent of its work force — and closing three call centers because of cost-cutting pressures and fallout from the national Do Not Call registry. The company had announced in January that it was expecting to reduce overall costs by 15 percent to 20 percent, but did not mention specifically that jobs would be cut. The centers being closed are located in Denver, Phoenix and Niles, Ohio. Jobs are also being reduced at MCI facilities in Alpharetta, Ga., Colorado Springs, Colo. and Springfield,...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A telemarketers' trade group said Wednesday it had abandoned its fight against the national "do not call" list and would respect the wishes of consumers who do not want to hear from them. The Direct Marketing Association, which represents 80 percent of the telemarketing industry, said it would abandon its legal case arguing that the no-call list violates telemarketers' free-speech rights. "We're going to abide by the list and let the decision stand," said DMA spokesman Louis Mastria. DMA members have refrained from calling the more than 50 million phone numbers on the list since it took...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government has been successful in shielding many Americans from unsolicited telemarketing phone calls, an Associated Press poll found, but is finding it more difficult to cut down on the growing flood of e-mail "spam." The AP-Ipsos poll found that three-quarters of the people who signed up for the do-not-call list reported fewer telemarketing calls. It also found that few people noticed any difference in the amount of junk e-mail they've received in the six weeks since a law intended to cut down on spam took effect. More than 57 million phone numbers have been placed on...

<p>DENVER — A federal appeals court upheld the government's do-not-call registry (search) Tuesday, dismissing telemarketers' claims that it violates free speech rights and is unfair because it doesn't apply to charities and political solicitations.</p> <p>The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (search) called the registry "a reasonable fit."</p>

DENVER – A federal appeals court upheld the government's do-not-call registry Tuesday, rejecting claims by telemarketers that it crushes free speech rights. "We hold that the do-not-call registry is a valid commercial speech regulation because it directly advances the government's important interests in safeguarding personal privacy and reducing the danger of telemarketing abuse without burdening an excessive amount of speech," the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said. "In other words, there is a reasonable fit between the do-not-call regulations and the government's reasons for enacting them."

<p>As a state assemblywoman in 2001, Elaine Alquist voted for "do-not-call" legislation to shield Californians from annoying telemarketing calls. But Thursday, in the midst of a bid for the state Senate, Alquist's campaign deluged about 13,000 Santa Clara County households with a 7 a.m. wake-up call -- seeking votes in the March 2 primary election.</p>

Washington-AP -- If you have Caller ID, take a look at it starting tomorrow when the phone rings -- and you'll know if a telemarketer is calling. Federal regulations requiring telemarketing firms to identify themselves kick in tomorrow. Up until now, telemarketing calls had shown up on Caller ID as "out of area." But either the name of the company trying to make a sale or the firm making the call now has to pop up -- along with a phone number customers can call to tell the company to stop calling. The new regulations are part of the...

BISMARCK -- Presidential candidate Wesley Clark’s campaign may have made illegal prerecorded telemarketing calls to North Dakotans, the attorney general said Friday.Wayne Stenehjem said his office received a complaint Friday from a woman who received one of the calls this week. He said his office is aware of several others in the state who received the calls but haven’t filed a formal complaint.Stenehjem said his office’s Consumer Protection Division is investigating.Clark, a retired Army general, is one of seven Democrats still in the presidential race and hoping to win votes in North Dakota’s Feb. 3 party caucuses.Clark spokesman Bill...

When federal officials created a national "do not call" registry banning telemarketers from calling your home or cell phone, they touted it as the perfect way to cut down on unwanted sales calls. The registry, launched by the Federal Trade Commission in October, is supposed to protect people from annoying calls from telemarketers pitching everything from phone services to mortgage refinancing.

Back in mid summer I added my name to the National Do Not Call list. Thinking that this would be a great way not to be bothered by those pesky telemarketers. I am NEVER interested. What a great idea. Well along comes November 15th, and I am now NOT to be bothered by telemarketers.I am starting to believe that the National Do Not Call list was sold to the telemarketing community. I have received my call in the last month than I have in the last ten years. My phone is ringing off the hook these days. I think we...

<p>WASHINGTON — To reply, or not to reply? The new legislation Congress approved to stem the flood of unwanted e-mails will require a fundamental change in ways that Internet users respond to overflowing inboxes.</p> <p>As the deluge of unsolicited pitches offering prescription drugs and cheap loans worsened during the Internet's growth, experts have cautioned computer users against doing what comes naturally: Reply to unwanted e-mails to demand an end to them.</p>

One year ago, Deborah Williams was making cold calls to people's homes trying to sell her services as a certified financial planner at Ferris, Baker Watts Inc. But if Williams, now at Legg Mason Inc., were starting from scratch in an attempt to grow her client base today, there would be 54 million homes she couldn't call -- or be faced with fines of up to $11,000 for each unwanted solicitation. "It just makes you rely on referrals a lot more," Williams said. She said the penalties also force financial advisors to get creative with marketing your financial services, such...

The do-not-call lists that millions of Americans have signed up for may be having an unintended consequence that will annoy many people even more than telemarketing calls. Societal changes such as women taking to the labor force in large numbers and an aversion to strangers knocking on doors dramatically reduced the ranks of door-to-door salesmen. But the increasing restraints on telemarketing are prompting many companies to try door-to-door sales calls. (Nonprofit organizations are exempt from do-not-call lists and likely to stay with telemarketing.) Michael Coe, a spokesman for SBC Communications, said the company has tested door-to-door sales in the Midwest...

SACRAMENTO (AP)--The state of California sued a home contractor Thursday, alleging telemarketers for the company violated the federal do-not-call list. Attorney General Bill Lockyer said he believed it was the first time such a lawsuit had been filed. He said the move followed complaints from 60 people who said they had received calls from telemarketers on behalf of the company even though they had signed up for the list, Lockyer said. ``We hope that the legal action will put all telemarketers on notice that they should get a copy of the do-not-call registry and take the law seriously,'' Lockyer said....

Nearly one year ago, I signed up (and paid the fee) for the Arkansas "Do-Not-Call" list. As advertised, it took nearly 3 months for the calls to all but totally stop. Yippie! I also signed up for the Federal list soon after that program began. The Arkansas law is more restrictive, but I figured that it couldn't hurt. In the time between the Arkansas list kicking in and the supposed Federal list's start date (October 1) I only received a couple of telemarketing calls. And those just about panicked when I told them I was on the list... Then the...

Don't kid yourself: They'll keep calling. The national Do Not Call Registry is now in full effect after Tuesday's court ruling. And legal experts anticipate that, after weeks of judicial wrangling, it will stick around — perhaps permanently and almost certainly as long as the issue remains in the courts, which the Federal Trade Commission says could take up to two years. But some telemarketers have been working on ways around the registry, setting up sweepstakes, rebates and product giveaways to lure potential customers into signing on — and, in the process, waiving their do-not-call rights. Under the law, a...

This is simply my personal view after having reviewed the many comments regarding the "No-Call" List. Each memeber who sighned up obviously were stating that they were tired of phone solicitation. After all they pay their telephone service for their use not for the use of others sto annoy them with their solocitaiton regardless of the time of day. I am blind and I pay to have my number blocked and removed from various list and I find that it is an unfair practictice that I am still bothered by charity solicitations in additon to politicians. I will leave with...

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission can enforce the national "do-not-call" registry while an appeals court considers whether it violates telemarketers' free-speech rights, according to a court order released Tuesday. The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals in Denver makes it easier for the federal government to enforce its popular anti-telemarketing program, which had been thrown into legal limbo after a lower court said the FTC could not act. Another federal agency, the Federal Communications Commission, has been tracking complaints about telemarketers who call those who do not want to hear from them, but without the FTC's help the task...

Breaking now...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- On the first day of operation for the national do-not-call antitelemarketing registry, the Hartford (Conn.) Courant reports that 11 executives with a telemarketing industry group that has been fighting the registry have already signed up for the list. The Federal Communications Commission says complaints are coming in about telemarketer violations as it tries to enforce the list. The FCC agreed to handle complaints after federal courts blocked the Federal Trade Commission from running the program. Consumers are being directed to complain to the FCC at (888) 225-5322 or at FCC.gov. However, outdated instructions that remained on government...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Losing millions of potential customers to a "do-not-call" list will almost certainly mean big layoffs at telemarketing companies, where employees already hang from one of the working world's lower rungs. Some 2 million of the 6.5 million people who work in the industry will lose their jobs, according to the American Teleservices Association. It based its estimate on the Federal Trade Commission's prediction that 60 million Americans will eventually add their home telephone numbers to the national "do-not-call list. According to the association, 64 percent of telemarketers are minorities, 30 percent are recent recipients of some...

Telemarketer Tells Members to Observe Registry Friday, September 26, 2003 WASHINGTON — Telemarketers will be free to make sales pitches next week to people who registered for the national do-not-call list (search), the government said Friday. At the same time, the industry's largest association was urging its members to respect the wishes of the millions who say they don't want to be bothered. The Federal Trade Commission (search) acknowledged that a federal judge's ruling in Denver that the registry infringes on telemarketers' free speech rights left the agency with no authority to enforce the list, which was scheduled to take...

Judge who nixed call registry is on list By Associated Press Tribune staff reporter September 29, 2003 DENVER -- The office phone number of a federal judge who ruled last week that a national do-not-call registry is unconstitutional was among the thousands already on the list. U.S. District Judge Edward Nottingham's number was added in July to the registry, which was designed to block telemarketers' calls. It wasn't clear whether Nottingham himself registered the number or knew it had been registered. A call to the office Saturday was not immediately returned. Nottingham on Thursday stopped the Federal Trade Commission from...

Fifty million Americans can't be wrong.<!ENDSUMM!> The appeal of a do-not-call list aimed at commercial telemarketers is obviously enormous nationwide, just as it was when it went into effect here in Massachusetts. (Those who signed up for the Massachusetts list were automatically entered into the federal data base.) It's hardly surprising that the industry is challenging the new law at every opportunity and using every legal remedy at its disposal. Congress moved quickly in the the wake of one federal court decision, clarifying that yes indeed, the Federal Trade Commission has the authority to set up the list that...

On Monday the president signed the latest, and presumably greatest, version of the National Do Not Call Registry. Standing next to Mr. Bush at the signing was Congressman Edward Markey (D-Massachusetts), a long time advocate of the nationwide do not call list. Mr. Markey is an extremely liberal Democrat. An indication of this is his 2002 evaluation from the American Conservative Union, which assigned him a whopping four percent rating. That Markey supports a nationwide do not call list is in itself a red flag. Not that it’s impossible for a confirmed Leftist to actually endorse a sound proposal. Just...