Are Cell Phone Numbers Going Public?

You may have heard that during the month of March 2010 cell phone numbers will be released to telemarketing companies and to expect a flurry of sales calls to your cell. In the small town I live in there was a warning posted on the front page of the weekly newspaper directing the public to call the National Do Not Call Registry. Some even say they have received an email about the upcoming cell phone violation. According to the Web site, this is all a rumor, and there is no need to call out the cavalry.

The Federal Trade Commission states, "you may have received an email telling you that your cell phone is about to be assaulted by telemarketing calls as a result of a new cell phone number database; however, that is not the case. FCC regulations prohibit telemarketers from using automated dialers to call cell phone numbers. Automated dialers are standard in the industry, so most telemarketers don't call consumers on their cell phones without their consent." The Registry website claims they have been accepting cell phone number registrations since they opened the registration website in June 2003.

Citizens can register up to three phones at a time including your cell phone numbers. What do you need to register? A valid email address and your phone numbers. Once you register, your phone numbers stay on the list indefinitely, unless they are disconnected or reassigned. After registering, your phone numbers show on the list the next day, and telemarketers have up to 31 days to take you off their call list.

What does the National Do Not Call Registry protect you from? By registering you have the opportunity to limit the amount of telemarketing calls you receive, however, all calls will not stop. "Calls from or on behalf of political organizations, charities, and telephone surveyors would still be permitted, as would calls from companies with which you have an existing business relationship, or those to whom you've provided express agreement in writing to receive their calls," according to the FTC Web site. The site further states "only telemarketing calls are covered - that is, calls that solicit sales of goods or services. Callers purporting to take a survey, but also offering to sell goods or services, must comply with the National Do Not Call Registry."

After you have been registered for at least 31 days on the Do Not Call list and you receive a telemarketing call that you believe is covered by the National Do Not Call Registry, you can file a complaint at the registry's Web site www.donotcall.gov or through their toll-free number 888-382-1222. Claims are entered into an on-line database that is accessible by law enforcement agents throughout the nation and help the FTC investigate the companies we file claims against.

According to a statement released January 4, 2010, by the FTC, the Do Not Call Registry has more than 191 million active registrations, and the "FTC and the Federal Communications Commission have collected penalties totaling over $22 million from Registry violators."