WASHINGTON — Politicians have finally found an issue they all can agree on: Telemarketers calling at dinnertime are a scourge that must be repulsed.
Congress on Wednesday sent to President Bush two bills that would make permanent a program to protect consumers from unwanted phone calls from telemarketers. Its hallmark is the national “do not call” list.
The Do Not Call Registry, initiated in 2003, has been widely acclaimed for allowing Americans to eat their suppers in peace. Some 150 million people have listed their phones on the registry, which prohibits calls from telemarketers. Consumers can register online at www or by calling 888-382-1222.
“I remember times we just used to take our phones off the hook,” said Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Pa., a leader on the issue, recalling pre-registry days.
The House passed by voice vote and sent to the president a bill to make permanent the authority of the Federal Trade Commission to collect fees from telemarketers to run the program.
The Senate later approved by a voice vote and sent to the White House a bill, promoted by Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., to make the list permanent, overturning an FTC rule that people must re-register their phone numbers every five years.
The FTC reasoned that re-registering would update the list to account for people who move and switch their phone numbers. Critics argued that the list is already scrubbed each month of numbers that have been disconnected.
