Coming Soon: National Do-Not-Call List

Time is running out for telemarketers. Federal regulators have pushed up the launch date for a national do-not-call list that will keep telemarketing tactics away from the ears of those seeking silence.

The Federal Trade Commission announced Monday that phone registration for the complimentary service will be available in early July, almost two months ahead of the original schedule.

But what does that mean for landscape professionals?

The green industry is not heavily driven by telephone sales. In fact, according to a Lawn & Landscape Online poll, nearly 71 percent of those polled said they have never used telemarketing to secure new accounts. However, some lawn care companies do rely on telemarketing to grow their customer base. Almost 22 percent of those polled said they had, at some point, resorted to telemarketing methods for new sales – and half of that group said they still use the telephone technique to seek sales.

So, at least a handful of industry professionals could find themselves hunting for new marketing tactics – sans phone.

Beginning July 1, consumers will be allowed to register online for the do-not-call list. A Web address for the FTC site will be announced at that time. Telephone registration in states west of the Mississippi River will begin July 1 as well. Nationwide phone registration should begin a week later.

Once the national list is generated, telemarketers will be held accountable for its contents. Beginning in September, telemarketers will have to check the list every three months for updates. Those who call listed numbers could be fined up to $11,000 for each violation.

The FTC plans to allow consumers to file complaints via phone or the Internet through an automated system.

The government said consumers should see a decrease in telemarketing calls after enforcement of the do-not-call list begins in October.

More than two-dozen states already have their own lists or legislation pending that would create lists. Most plan to add their do-not-call lists to the national registry, which will be financed by fees collected from telemarketers.

However, there are exceptions to the FTC's do-not-call protections. A company may call someone on the list if that person has bought, leased or rented from the company within the preceding 18 months. And telemarketers can call people if they have inquired about or applied for something from the company during the prior three months. Surveys, charities and calls on behalf of politicians also are exempt.

The author is Assistant Editor-Internet of Lawn & Landscape magazine and can be reached at aanderson@lawnandlandscape.com. The Associated Press contributed to this story.