National Do-Not-Call Registry

Reduce the number of unwanted calls to your home.
In 2003, due to an increasing number of complaints from consumers around the country, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) established a National Do-Not-Call Registry. This registry is nationwide in scope and applies to all telemarketers (with the exception of certain non-profit organizations), and covers both interstate and intrastate-telemarketing calls.

Commercial telemarketers are not allowed to call a consumer's home if their number is on the registry. As a result, consumers can, if they choose, reduce the number of unwanted phone calls to their homes.

Consumers can register their phone number for free, and it will remain on the national do-not-call list for five years. Phone numbers will have to be re-entered onto the list when five years have passed. Numbers can be removed at any time.

The Do-Not-Call Registry will not prevent all unwanted calls. It will not cover the following:

• Calls from organizations with which consumers have an established business relationship.
• Calls for which consumers have given prior written consent.
• Calls which are not commercial or do not include unsolicited advertisements.
• Calls by or on behalf of tax exempt non-profit organizations.

How to Register
Consumers can register online at: www.DoNotCall.gov, or by calling 1-888-382-1222; for TTY call 1-866-290-4236. The call must come from the phone number that is to be registered. Consumers can also register their wireless phone numbers as well. The federal Do-Not-Call Registry took effect on October 1, 2003.

If a consumer receives an unwanted telemarketing call and their phone number has been placed on the registry, a compliant can be filed in one of four ways:

• Send the FCC an e-mail: The address is fccinfo@fcc.gov.
• Visit the FCC's web site at www.fcc.gov
• Call the FCC: 1-888-225-5322 or for TTY dial, 1-888-835-5322
• Send the FCC a letter. The address is:

Federal Communications Commission
Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau
Consumer Inquiries and Complaint Division
Washington, DC 20554

Unwanted Sales and Survey Calls
There are several steps you can take if you receive unwanted sales and/or survey calls:

• Be skeptical of offers that sound too good to be true; they usually are.
• Report companies using questionable sales practices to the Better Business Bureau or your state Attorney General’s office.
• Contact the Direct Marketing Association to have your name removed from telephone solicitation lists, by writing to:  Telephone Preference Service  c/o Direct Marketing Association  P.O. Box 9014  Farmingdale, NY 11735-9014
• Contact the following companies that compile directories and request that your listing be removed:

• When you are contacted by telemarketers, request to be put on their “Do Not Call” list.
• Call your local telephone company to have your name removed at no charge from any lists that they may lease to other firms. Customers with non-listed or non-published numbers are never included on the lists.
• Do not give your telephone credit card number to anyone who calls and asks for the number.
• Screen your calls with an answering machine, voice mail or caller ID service.
• Get an unlisted phone number. There may be a fee to be unlisted.
• When calling an “800,” “888,” “877,” “866,” or “900" number, request that your name, address and phone number not be sold or rented and that they not call you in the future.