Waiting for October
The National Do Not Call Registry went online yesterday. This is the national registray of people who do not wish to receive telemarketing calls. If you put your telephone number on the registry, you ought to start receiving fewer marketing calls on October 1. After that date, telemarketing companies will need to check the registry and not call any telephone number that is on it.
There has been much written about this, including an article or two here. I think it is a wonderful idea. Some have said that it may even help telemarketers, as those people who actually want to receive these calls will be concentrated when the people who do not are removed from the queue. I'm not sure about that, and truth be known, I don't really care.
I do care that this is a way for me to receive fewer unwanted calls. I entered my number on their web site last night. I was supposed to get a confirmation email message, but it hasn't come through yet. The service was hit with more than 700,000 registrations yesterday, with more than 1,000 site visits a minue at the peak. That's a lot of traffic.
I called and entered my number over the telephone instead today. Should you wish to do so, you can visit the site at http://donotcall.gov/ or call the registry from the telephone number you wish to list at 888-382-1222.
Update: This toll-free number is only for telephone numbers west of the Mississippi River. A corresponding number for east of the Mississippi River will come online on July 7.
Update: Newsweek has an interview with K. Dane Snowden, Chief of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at the FCC who is administering the Do Not Call Registry. It explains the rules around the registry.
5:49:48 PM 
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