How do telemarketers get the lists of phone numbers on the national Do Not Call Registry? They have to buy them from the federal government.
All telemarketers making calls to consumers in the U.S. are required to purchase the numbers on the Do Not Call list registry from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to ensure they do not call consumers who have registered their phone numbers.
Under the Do-Not-Call Registry Fee Extension Act of 2007, the FTC sets an annual per-area code fee to be paid by telemarketers to download lists of phone numbers they cannot call. p>
For fiscal year 2010 – Oct. 1, 2009 to Sept. 30, 2010 – telemarketers will pay $55 for Do Not Call Registry phone numbers in a single area code, up to a maximum of $15,058 for numbers in all U.S. area codes. By law, telemarketers get numbers from up to five area codes for free, and some exempt organizations, such as charities, can get the entire list for free.
The Do Not Call Registry is just one of the regulatory tools used by the FTC to enforce the Telemarketing Sales Rule. Authorized by the Telemarketing and Consumer Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act of 1994, the Telemarketing Sales Rule gives the FTC and state attorneys general law enforcement tools to combat telemarketing fraud, give consumers added privacy protections and defenses against unscrupulous telemarketers, and help consumers tell the difference between fraudulent and legitimate telemarketing.
Also See:
Truth About Cell Phones and the Do Not Call Registry
Telemarketers to Pay $500,000 for Do Not Call Violations
How To Make A Telemarketing Complaint
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