Springfield -State Senator Dan Rutherford (R-Pontiac) warns area residents that the first deadline to sign up for the new state and federal joint -do not call- list is August 31, 2003.
Consumers who sign up by the August 31 deadline will receive fewer telemarketing calls beginning October 1, 2003. Consumers who register after August 31 will be officially placed on the list within three months of registering.
-I urge area families to sign up by the August 31 deadline if they want to lessen the number of telemarketing calls they receive,- said Rutherford, who serves on the Senate Environment and Energy Committee, which consider telephone utility issues. -Registration is free and applies to both home and cellular phones.-
Run by the Federal Trade Commission, the national -do not call- registry offers one-step enrollment for both state and national registries. Consumers may register for free online and by phone at www.donotcall.gov and 1-888-382-1222 (TTY 1-866-290-4236). Once registered, the number will remain on the list for five years.
Enrollment will reduce, but not eliminate, the number of telemarketing calls registered consumer receive. Once a number is placed on the list, companies who ignore the -do not call- requests can be fined for violating the state and federal law, unless they meet certain exceptions.
