Reply #56: I have a couple of questions [View All]

[soup]

1. funding - where does the $16,000,000.00 + (2003 Appropriations) to maintain this list come from?

2. exemptions - charitable and political organizations, phone surveyors and insurance companies, companies you've done business with in the last 18 months - so they can still call in spite of the do not call registry? INSURANCE COMPANIES? what's that all about?

3. disconnect - and your name drops off. So, if you move, change your number, or have billing issues - you have to apply again? and wait the 3 months for it to go into effect again?

There are a couple of points that I do like-

Reduces abandoned calls.
Starting October 1, 2003, telemarketers will be required to connect their call to a sales representative within two seconds of the consumer's greeting. This will reduce the number of "dead air" or hang-up calls you get from telemarketers. These calls result from the use of automatic dialing equipment that sometimes reaches more numbers than there are available sales representatives. In addition, when the telemarketer doesn't have a representative standing by, a recorded message must play to let you know who's calling and the number they're calling from. The law prohibits a sales pitch. And to give you time to answer the phone, the telemarketer may not hang up before 15 seconds or four rings.

Requires caller ID transmission.
Beginning January 29, 2004, telemarketers must transmit their telephone number and if possible, their name, to your caller ID service. This will protect your privacy, increase accountability on the telemarketer's part, and help in law enforcement efforts.
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/tmarkg/donotcall.htm

Have I signed on? no. I just depend on the caller ID and further screen incoming calls with the answering machine. When they come in

unknown
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or A+ Heating & Cooling or whatever, I just don't pick it up. How hard is that?