Doyle Legislation Will Make “Do Not Call” Listings Permanent

Washington, DC – September, 10, 2007 –Congressman Mike Doyle (PA-14) announced today that he is introducing legislation to make the federal “Do Not Call” list permanent.

“The ‘do not call’ list was one of the most popular actions the federal government has ever taken,” observed Congressman Doyle, who is Vice Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, which has jurisdiction over this program.  “It makes no sense to force people to sign up again every couple of years.  Unfortunately, that’s just what will happen if action isn’t taken.”

The federal Do-Not-Call Registry put in place by the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission in 2003 is one of the most successful government programs ever created.  Over 132 million home and mobile telephone numbers have been added to the National Do Not Call Registry since its inception on June 27, 2003. 

Unfortunately, the regulations written by the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission require that the registry delete individuals’ numbers after 5 years, so that people have to sign up again every five years.  Consequently, as of June 2008, millions of people will begin to receive telemarketing calls again.  Many of them may not realize that their listing has expired and that they need to resubmit their information to the registry if they want to keep blocking telemarketers’ phone calls. 

“I suspect very few people are saying, ‘gee, I really miss getting those telemarketing calls at dinnertime – I wish the government would take me off the do not call list,” Congressman Doyle said.  “That’s why I’m introducing legislation to make the federal ‘do not call’ list permanent.”

Congressman Doyle’s legislation, the Do-Not-Call Improvement Act of 2007, would eliminate the existing expiration of listings on the federal Do Not Call Registry.  If this bill is enacted, individuals wouldn’t have to worry about signing up for the Do Not Call list every five years.  The Do-Not-Call Improvement Act of 2007 would not change the existing law allowing individuals to take their names off the Do Not Call list if they wished to do so.

“Without passage of the Do-Not-Call Improvement Act of 2007, over 50 million phone numbers will be purged from the Do Not Call Registry within the next year,” Congressman Doyle observed.  “The hassle will be tremendous – with no real pay-off.  The best way to deal with this nightmare is to end it before it starts.  That’s why I’m introducing this bill.  I hope that Congress will pass it as rapidly as it did the legislation authorizing the Do Not Call Registry in 2003.”

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