Do-Not-Call List Registers 10 Million

Monday, June 30, 2003

(5:16 PM)

By David Ho

Associated Press Writer

The telemarketing industry estimates the do-not-call list could cut its business in half, costing them up to $50 billion in sales each year, said Louis Mastria, a spokesman for the Direct Marketing Association.

WASHINGTON -- AP
People registered more than 10 million phone numbers with the national do-not-call list in its first four days, finally giving vent to their frustration with telemarketers.

The free service intended to block most telemarketing calls was launched Friday. At the height of the registration surge that evening, 158 phone numbers were signed up every second, the Federal Trade Commission said Monday.

``This is really a phenomenal response,'' said Eileen Harrington, the FTC's director of marketing practices. ``There is an enormous enthusiasm and pent-up demand for this service.''

About 85 percent of the numbers were registered online at http://donotcall.gov/, the FTC said. On the Web site, consumers provide the home or cell phone numbers they want protected and an e-mail address to receive a confirmation message.

People have entered another 3 million numbers online, but still need to complete registration by clicking on a link in the e-mail message, the FTC said.

Some consumers have had problems with the link in the confirmation message because their Internet provider or older Web browser software prevents it from working, the FTC said. The commission said that if the link doesn't work, people should copy and paste it directly into their Web browser's address box to confirm registration.
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2003 © The Associated Press.

Lead Story:
* Do-Not-Call List Logs 735K Phone Numbers
David Ho

The Associated Press

``You're talking about a big hit to the economy and a big hit to our industry. There may be some job losses.''

The right to choose in action. How sad...

Dan