"Do Not Call" Legislation on the Way to the White House

Press Release

Legislation to prevent the expiration of millions of "Do Not Call" registrations is on its way to the President's desk, U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) announced Thursday at a press conference on Capitol Hill.

Without this legislation more than 150 million phone numbers currently registered on the Do Not Call registry were set to expire on September 30, 2008. North Dakota has had over 350,000 phone numbers registered since the program was created.

"With the signing of this law, thousands of North Dakotans and millions of other Americans who signed up for the ‘Do Not Call' registry can continue to eat dinner in peace," Dorgan said. "Without it, they all would have had to re-register their phone numbers."

The legislation prevents the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from automatically expiring numbers and removing them from the registry without a specific request from the telephone owner. As a result of this legislation being introduced, the FTC agreed to keep the numbers on the list until the Congress passed this bill into law.

Congress established the "Do Not Call" registry in 2003. It quickly became one of the most popular consumer protection programs in history. More Americans have registered phone numbers than watched the Super Bowl this year.

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 they wrote the rules for implementing the program.

Dorgan, who sponsored the legislation in the Senate, was joined by House sponsor Representative Mike Doyle (D-PA) at today's press conference. Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) cosponsored the legislation in the Senate and Representative Chip Pickering (R-MS) was the co-sponsor in the House.

"Last year, Senator Dorgan and I introduced legislation to protect more than 150 million Americans from a renewed onslaught of telemarketing calls,'" Congressman Doyle said today. "Today we can claim victory on behalf of these savvy consumers."

The AARP welcomed the news.

"The Do-Not-Call Improvement Act of 2007 is common sense legislation that would protect consumers and improve their quality of life," said Tom Nelson, COO at AARP. "Senator Dorgan, Senator Stevens and their colleagues understand that the "Do Not Call" rule not only protects families from dinnertime disruptions, but also protects consumers against predatory telemarketers. By extending the Do Not Call registry, without requiring individuals to repeatedly sign up, this act will save consumers from needless hassle - and potential fraud."

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