Dorgan' Bill to Prevent "Do Not Call" List Expiration Clears Senate Commerce Committee

Floor Speech

DORGAN'S BILL TO PREVENT "DO NOT CALL" LIST EXPIRATION CLEARS SENATE COMMERCE COMMITTEE

U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan's (D-ND) legislation to ensure that the 350,000 North Dakotans and millions of other Americans who signed up for the "Do Not Call" list avoid a resumption of supper time telemarketer calls next year, was approved Tuesday by the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee.

Americans have registered more than 145 million phone numbers on the national "Do Not Call" list. Telemarketers are prohibited from calling those numbers. Although most Americans don't know it, those registrations start expiring in about 10 months. Without Dorgan's legislation, telemarketers can start calling again unless those who signed up for the list call the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and re-register their telephone numbers.

Dorgan's bill would prevent the FTC and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from automatically removing the numbers from the "Do Not Call" registry.

Congress established the "Do Not Call" registry in 2003. It quickly became one of the most popular consumer protection programs in history. Congress did not provide for automatic expiration of "Do Not Call" list registrations, but the FTC and FCC included an automatic five year expiration for registrations when it wrote its rules for implementing the program. Millions of numbers are set to begin expiring at the end of September, 2008.

"Congress intended that once you signed up, you were on the list until you took yourself off. Today's action by the Commerce Committee moves us significantly toward restoring that policy," Dorgan said.

"It's either approve this bill or get ready for the telephones to start ringing again during supper time. The Senate is moving in the right direction," Dorgan said.

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