It has been almost five years since the
Federal Trade Commission inaugurated
its Do Not Call Registry. To date, more than 140 million phone numbers have been
registered with the DNCR. The life of the
sign-up was five years. Now, it is time for
many people to once again consider
whether they want their phone number to
be on the list.
June 2008 marks the five-year anniversary of the DNCR’s implementation,
according to Steve Brubaker, senior vice
president for Corporate Affairs at
InfoCision Management Corp.
Smart Business spoke with Brubaker
about the DNCR and its various options.
What actually happens in 2008 with DNCR?
When the FTC created the DNCR, it came
with the stipulation that all numbers added
to the list would stay on it for a period of
five years from the date the number was
added. In June 2008, the first wave of
phone numbers added to the registry will
begin to come off. Those people who want
their numbers to remain on the list will
need to re-register.
Do you expect everyone who was on the list
to opt out again?
We certainly expect that a high percentage will opt out again, but I think it’s likely
that some people will decide not to
because they want to know what offers are
out there. When targeted to the proper
audience, telemarketing is extremely beneficial for consumers who want to stay in
the loop regarding the products and services they may need.
Is it the teleservice company’s responsibility
to assure DNCR numbers are not called or
the client’s?
As a third-party vendor, it is the teleser-vice company’s responsibility to be compliant with the DNCR and all other state and
federal regulations. We take it upon ourselves to make sure each program meets
compliance standards relative to the
client’s industry and the consumers we
call. We have a dedicated compliance team that stays on top of the latest compliance
issues and updates our internal systems
regularly to account for any changes in
laws and regulations.
What if a number was registered three years
ago? Must it be re-entered now?
No. Each number that is entered into the
DNCR will stay on the list for a full five
years from the date it is registered.
What happens if I do not sign up my business
number? Will we be bombarded with calls?
Business-to-business calls are exempt
from the DNCR, so entering your business
number onto the list will have a minimal
impact on the amount of solicitation calls
your business receives.
What about cell phone numbers?
You may register your cell number, just
like you would your landline phone.
However, the Federal Communications
Commission restricts telemarketers from
using automated systems to call cell
phones, and nearly all teleservices firms
use computerized dialers. The only way
you should receive calls on your cell phone
is if you have an established business relationship with an organization and have
given them specific permission to call your
cell phone number.
Are there certain organizations that are not
bound by DNCR?
Political and nonprofit organizations as
well as surveyors are exempt from DNCR
restrictions. In addition, any organization
with which you have an established business relationship is permitted to call you
for a period of 18 months since your last
purchase or use of its service.
Is there any other pending legislation that
would affect the direct marketing industry?
Rep. Mike Doyle of Pennsylvania has
introduced legislation to make registration
on the DNCR permanent. We agree with
the FTC’s five-year renewal legislation.
Lydia Barnes, director of the FTC’s Bureau
of Consumer Protection, stated the FTC’s
position in a recent interview with the
Associated Press: ‘Just like a regular person who needs to clean out their address
book every so often, the Commission felt
that was something that was important to
do with the registry. It was so easy for people to sign up in the first instance. It will be
just as easy for them to re-up.’
Another issue is that more states are
beginning to look at creating a do-not-mail
registry, which would keep companies
from sending consumers solicitations
using traditional mail. If implemented, a
national do-not-mail registry would have
an extremely negative impact on the economy. Direct mail, properly targeted, is a
great tool for both marketers and consumers, and stimulates economic growth.
STEVE BRUBAKER is senior vice president for Corporate
Affairs at InfoCision Management Corp. Reach him at (330) 670-5156 or [email protected]. In business for 25 years, Info-Cision Management Corporation is the second largest privately
held teleservices company and a leading provider of customer
care services, commercial sales and marketing for a variety of
Fortune 100 companies and smaller businesses. InfoCision is
also a leader of inbound and outbound marketing for nonprofit,
religious and political organizations. InfoCision operates 32 call
centers at 13 locations throughout Ohio, Pennsylvania and West
Virginia. For more information, visit www.infocision.com.