FTC Vows to Keep Numbers on Do-Not-Call List

The Federal Trade Commission said this week it does not intend to drop phone numbers from its national “Do-Not-Call” list as originally planned when the registry was started in 2003.

The FTC initially adopted a five-year re-registration mechanism and said that the list would be periodically purged of disconnected or reassigned numbers. In testimony before a House subcommittee Tuesday, the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection Director Lydia Parnes said that “the Commission now commits that it will not drop any telephone numbers from the Registry based on the five-year expiration period pending final Congressional or agency action on whether to make registration permanent.”

Parnes said that since the Do-Not-Call list has been in place, several changes have occurred, including the increased use of cell phones and the popularity of telephone number portability. In addition, the legal landscape surrounding the list has become clearer, and the FTC has more information about how the courts view consumer privacy in this context.

Although debt collection agencies are explicitly exempt from the provisions of the Do-Not-Call list, collectors still complain that consumers cite the list when they receive collection calls.

“The Commission will continue its robust efforts to maintain the Registry’s accuracy and ensure the continued success of the Do Not Call program,” said Parnes. She cited a Harris Interactive survey released in January 2006 showing that 94 percent of American adults have heard of the list and 76 percent have placed their phone numbers on it.

The FTC says that more than 145 million phone numbers are currently on the list.