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Please Don't Call

September 20, 2007

The most popular thing that President Bush has done in his term as president was signing into law the legislation that created the Federal Do Not Call Registry which puts your phone number on a huge "do not call" list that telemarketers must abide by. But it appears that the federal registry only lasts five years. That's right, in the middle of 2008, the list that began in 2003 expires. The telemarketers can't wait to reach out and touch you -- most likely when you're in the middle of dinner.

The five-year limit was set in place to purge the list of Americans who invariably move or change numbers. But for telemarketers, a lack of awareness about the expiration date signals new opportunity. "Will we attempt to touch people no longer on the list? Of course." says Tim Searcy, CEO of the American Teleservices Association. The "mass expiration," he argues, will also let customers decide whether they want to opt out. "New offers might be compelling after five years," he says. Most households probably don't see things that way. "I bet 99.9 percent of people who swear off calls never want to get them again," says Baicker from Pennsylvania.

The federal government (which is going to spend one trillion dollars on the Iraq War according to the estimates) says it doesn't have the money to tell people that they need to re-enter their phone numbers in 2008 to avoid being called, so you're on your own to remember your anniversary date five years after your first signed up. You can enter your number in the federal Do Not Call registry here.

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