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In the not too distant future, you could hear this when you call 411: “Thank you for calling directory assistance. What city and state, please? Landline or wireless?”
While it’s true that some wireless service providers will be allowing their customers to opt in to a cell phone directory assistance service in the coming years, cell phone users need not worry about having those lists become accessible to telemarketers. This is especially good news for individuals that use cell phones as a primary means of communication during the workday, green industry contractors among them.
According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), a number of e-mails have been circulating recently advising cell phone users to add their cell numbers to a National Do-Not-Call Registry being formed specifically for wireless numbers. While it’s perfectly acceptable for cell phone users to add their numbers to the current National Do-Not-Call Reigstry, the FCC notes that a wireless-specific registry is not in the works and that federal regulations already protect cell phone numbers from being accessed by the automatic dialers used by most telemarketing services.
| FACTS ABOUT THE NATIONAL DO-NOT-CALL REGISTRY |
When did the National Do-Not-Call Registry Take Effect? Oct. 1, 2003 How does the National Do-Not-Call Registry Work? Numbers registered at www.donotcall.gov or by calling 888/382-1222 will remain in the registry for five years, unless the line is disconnected or the number is deleted from the registry. Users may renew their registration after five years. The law requires telemarketers to search the registry every three months and avoid calling phone numbers on the registry. Will the National Do-Not-Call Registry Cover All Telemarketing Calls? No. Call from political organizations, charities and telephone surveyors are still permitted. Also, organizations with which you have an established business relationship may call you for up to 18 months after your last payment, purchase or delivery, even if your number is on the registry. And companies to which you’ve made an inquiry or submitted an application can call you for three months. Does the National Do-Not-Call Registry apply to landline and wireless phone numbers? Yes. Users may register traditional and wireless phone numbers. However, it is illegal for telemarketers to use automated dialing functions to access wireless numbers, whether they’re registered or not. How Can I Add My Phone Number to the National Do-Not-Call List? You may register your number online at www.donotcall.gov as long as you have a working e-mail address. Alternatively, you may register by phone by calling 888/382-1222 from the number you wish to register. Registration is free. You can expect fewer telemarketing calls within three months of the date you sign up for the registry. |
“Contrary to what some of the e-mail campaigns are now saying, the Federal Governemnt does not maintain and is not establishing a separate Do-Not-Call Registry for mobile phones,” notes an announcement on the FCC’s Web site. “The FCC and the Federal Trade Commission set up the National Do-Not-Call Registry to enable consumers to reduce the number of unwanted telemarketing calls to their phones. The Registry covers both traditional (wired) and wireless (mobile) phones. The Registry is nationwide in scope and applies to all telemarketers, with the exception of certain non-profit organizations. Personal cell phone users have always been able to add their numbers to the National Do-Not-Call Registry.”
On the legal side, the FCC says that even if a wireless 411 directory is established, most telemarketing calls to cell phones would still be illegal. The regulation states, “It is unlawful for any person to make any call (other than a call made for emergency purposes or made with express prior consent) using any automatic telephone dialing sytem or any artificial or prerecorded voice to any telephone number assigned to a paging service, mobile telephone service, or any service for which the called party is charged for the call.” The FCC adds, “this prohibition applies regardless of whether the number is listed on the Federal Government’s National Do-Not-Call Registry.”
So, lawn and landscape contractors that depend on their wireless service for workday communication can rest easy and know that incoming calls on their cell phones are coming from hardworking crewmembers and not hard-selling telemarketers.