Thanks to the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC)
National Do-Not-Call Registry, all American households can reclaim
quieter dinner hours
and significantly reduce telemarketing calls. (The telemarketing industry
challenged the national registry in federal court on freedom-of-speech
grounds. The FTC can implement and enforce the registry while the court
deliberates the case.)
Dozens of states also have laws limiting telemarketing phone calls,
providing additional penalties for violators.
Keep in mind that all states with no-call
laws don't necessarily maintain
their own lists of registered phone numbers. Indeed, some states make
their residents sign up with national registries such as the FTC's
National Do-Not-Call Registry or the Direct Marketing Association's
registry, and those states' no-call laws simply establish penalties
for telemarketers who call state residents on those lists.
Other states with no-call laws run their own registries. Residents
in these states are urged to sign up for both the federal and their
state list.
Cut
Down on Direct Mail, Email Marketing
The Direct Marketing Association
(DMA) maintains a no-mail list to help you reduce junk mail.
The DMA's Mail
Preference Service costs $5, and your name/address will
remain on the list for five years. (It's free if you mail your
request to the DMA.) The list is updated quarterly.
The DMA's e-Mail
Preference Service cuts down on spam. It's free, and
your email address will remain on the list for two years.
Be aware that many types of organizations are exempt from the federal
and state no-call laws. For instance, political organizations, charities,
telephone surveyors and companies with which you have an existing business
relationship may still call you.
Sign up, at no charge, for the National
Do-Not-Call Registry online or by calling 1-888-382-1222
(TTY 1-866-290-4236) from the phone number you want listed.
Use the drop-down menu below or scroll down this page to find links
to and details about no-call registration info in your state.
How to register: Online via the
FTC's national registry,
to which Alabama's no-call website provides a link
Cost: Free
How long until registration becomes active: For
Alabamans who registered on the state's list before Aug. 14, 2003,
federal enforcement began Oct. 1. Registration after that takes
three months
to become effective.
How long does phone number stay on list: Five years
Notes: Residents gain more protections
with the national registry, as Alabama's no-call law is weaker
than the federal registry.
How long until registration becomes active: Weeks to several
months, depending upon publication of the next telephone directory
How long does phone number stay on list: As long as a number
is listed
Notes: The state Attorney General's
office encourages residents to sign up for the free national registry
also. The state law covers
most intrastate telemarketing calls, which the federal registry does
not.
How to register: Print out and
mail a registration form available on the state's no-call website.
Cost: $5 per phone number per year
How long until registration becomes active: Three months
How long does phone number stay on list: One year
Notes: Residents who signed up
for the state list prior to Sept. 3, 2003 are automatically added
to the federal database.
Going forward, the state Attorney General's office encourages residents
to sign up for both the state and national list. Arkansas' law covers
intrastate telemarketing calls, which the national registry does
not.
How to register: Online via the
FTC's national registry
Cost: Free
How long until registration becomes active: Three months
How long does phone number stay on list: Five years
Notes: Arizona recently passed its no-call law, using the
federal database instead of its own registry. The new state law provides
recourse in state courts for telemarketing violations.
How to register: Online via the
FTC's national registry,
to which California's no-call website provides a link
Cost: Free
How long until registration becomes active: Three months
How long does phone number stay on list: Five years
Notes: California's law gives
added remedy by allowing consumers to take claims against alleged
violators to small-claims court. Owners
of small businesses who make telemarketing calls personally within
50 miles of business location are exempt.
How to register: Online or by calling
888-249-9097
Cost: Free
How long until registration becomes active: List is updated
quarterly
How long does phone number stay on list: No limit
Notes: Colorado sends the names of those on its list automatically
to the national registry. Colorado law also covers telemarketing
calls made from within Colorado.
How to register: Online via the
FTC's national registry,
to which Connecticut's no-call website provides a link
Cost: Free
How long until registration becomes active: Three months
How long does phone number stay on list: Five years
Notes: Connecticut residents enjoy tougher restrictions
than the federal registry offers, including protection against calls
made from within Connecticut. The program's website offers an online
complaint form, and it identifies the types of telemarketing calls
that are exempt from the law.
How long until registration becomes active: List is updated
quarterly
How long does phone number stay on list: Three years
Notes: Idaho's Attorney General's office encourages residents
to sign up with the national registry, as that will automatically
place residents on the state's no-call list too. However, residents
can sign up for only the state list, if they choose. The federal
list provides broader protections, but the state list covers telemarketing
calls made from within Idaho.
How to register: Online or by calling
888-834-9969
Cost: Free
How long until registration becomes active: List is updated
quarterly
How long does phone number stay on list: No limit
Notes: The state's Attorney General
says Indiana residents should sign up for the state list in order
to enjoy more protections
than those offered by the national registry.
How to register: Online or by calling
866-622-5567
Cost: Free
How long until registration becomes active: List is updated
quarterly
How long does phone number stay on list: Five years from
the expiration date of the period in which you registered
Notes: The 2003 state law allows
a number of organizations-including
organizations that don't make "major" sales presentations over the
phone, real estate agents, car dealers and others-to call residential
numbers on the state list. Residents who sign up for the federal
list also will be included on the state list.
How to register: Online or by calling
866-662-2551
Cost: Free
How long until registration becomes active: List is updated
quarterly
How long does phone number stay on list: No limit
Notes: The program's website also offers a complaint form
and identifies actions taken against telemarketers. Missouri does
not share its list with the federal registry. Residents must sign
up for each list.
How long until registration becomes active: List will be
updated quarterly
How long does phone number stay on list: Three years
Notes: Nevada residents are encouraged to sign up for the
national registry. Recent state law directs the attorney general
to decide by April 1, 2004, to piggyback onto the federal registry
or create a state-run registry.
How long until registration becomes active: List will be
updated quarterly
How long does phone number stay on list: No limit
Notes: The New Jersey registry will not launch until May
2004. The state encourages residents to sign up with the federal
registry and will include these numbers in the state registry.
How to register: Online via the
FTC's national registry,
to which New York's no-call website provides a link
Cost: Free
How long until registration becomes active: List is updated
quarterly
How long does phone number stay on list: Five years
Notes: New York had created its own registry prior to the
federal registry, but the state no longer collects phone numbers
itself. The New York State Consumer Protection Board expects telemarketers
to stop calling the 3.8 million state residents who have signed up
for either the state or federal registry.
Notes: Oregon's No Call program
was terminated as of October 1, 2003. Residents who previously
registered their number on the
Oregon No Call List must re-register on the national registry. Oregon
suggests that residents register both their home and mobile phone
numbers with the national registry.
How to register: Online or by calling
866-896-6225
Cost: $2.25 per telephone number
How long until registration becomes active: List is updated
quarterly
How long does phone number stay on list: Three years
Notes: The state encourages Texans
to sign up for both the state and federal programs, as registrants' numbers on Texas' registry
will not be forwarded to the federal program. Beginning Jan 1, 2004,
mobile phone numbers can be placed on the Texas registry.
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