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Bayh Urges FCC to Protect Indiana's Do-Not-Call Law

By: Evan Bayh
By: Evan Bayh
Date: July 29, 2005
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Technology and Communication


Bayh Urges FCC to Protect Indiana's Do-Not-Call Law

Senator says Hoosier customers shouldn't lose protection because of weaker federal law

July 29, 2005

Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Senator Evan Bayh today joined a bipartisan group of senators, including Senator Lugar, to urge the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to protect Indiana's successful "Do-Not-Call" law from attempts to weaken it by pre-empting its protections with a weaker federal law.

"If Indiana wants to have a strong "Do-Not-Call" law, the FCC should respect that," Senator Bayh said. "Hoosiers have demonstrated overwhelming support for our state's "Do-Not-Call" registry, and I will continue to fight to make sure that the FCC does not water-down Hoosier's consumer rights for the benefit of telemarketers."

In a letter to the FCC, Bayh argues that the preemption of state telemarketing laws would erode consumer protection in Indiana and therefore should not be permitted. Under Indiana law, telemarketers that do not have established business relationships with consumers are forbidden from calling Hoosier households without first receiving their permission. However, certain banks and telemarketers are asking the FCC to forbid states, including Indiana, from enforcing their own anti-telemarketing laws that are more restrictive than the federal law. If the FCC agrees with the banks, Hoosiers could once again be inundated with thousands of unwanted calls.

Indiana's "Do-Not-Call" registry is the most widely used consumer protection law in Indiana's history. More than three million Hoosiers have joined Indiana's "Do-Not-Call" list since it was started to protect Hoosiers from telemarketers' constant calls. Indiana's "Do-Not-Call" law is considered one of the strongest in the nation and was in place before the federal "Do-Not-Call" law was passed.

In March, Senator Bayh and Senator Lugar jointly sent a letter to the FCC in support of Indiana's "Do-Not-Call" registry.

http://bayh.senate.gov/~bayh/releases/2005/07/29JULY05PRB.htm

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