Q: We received numerous telephone calls for some political position or candidates, despite few political races this year. The 2008 election was a horror, phone-call wise, and we dread 2010. Short of getting a new phone number, how do we stop the unwanted calls?— Bob Mahood, Parker
A: You can’t.
A new telephone number is the only sure-fire way to stop what’s quickly becoming one of the most complained-about issues in telecommunications today.
Telephone campaigning, whether it is for a specific candidate or a policy issue, is in the same boat with the charitable solicitors who ring your home just as you’re sitting down to eat dinner or settling in to watch a movie with the family.
Each is protected by our very own First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which gives us the right to free speech. No matter how annoying these calls are to us, those individuals or groups have the protected right to call you, whether you want to hear them or not.
The protection lies in the message, which is their right to deliver.
Insane? Many people think so, but there’s substantive case law to back up the positions of those political and charitable groups that rely on the telephone to deliver their message.
That means the federal and state “Do Not Call” lists and registries are more like “Does Not Apply” when it comes to these groups, of which there are hundreds. So while you may be on that list — and, no, the federal government is not about to release your cellphone number to solicitors, despite what an alarmist e-mail that’s been circulating for years says — it applies only to businesses and others trying to sell you something.
The free-speech protection even applies to the calls on behalf of the local police charity, though it’s a paid solicitor on the line. The protection applies to the delivery of their message about their good deeds, which in turn is designed to get your money. Check with the Colorado secretary of state before you give to any phone solicitor. You will be surprised how much doesn’t make it to the charitable cause.
How to stop the political calls? Tell them you’ll vote for the opposing party if they keep it up.
David Migoya wants to get the answers to your consumer questions. E-mail consumertips@ or write to Consumer Shopping Bag, The Denver Post, 101 W. Colfax Ave., Suite 600, Denver, CO 80202.
