[Infowarrior] - Relief From the Robo-Calls Is Coming

[Richard Forno]

Relief From the Robo-Calls Is Coming
By Deborah Yao
Associated Press
Friday, August 28, 2009

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/27/AR2009082703822_pf.html
Americans tired of having their dinners interrupted by phone calls  
touting car warranties or vacation packages will soon get some relief.

The Federal Trade Commission said Thursday it is banning many types of  
prerecorded telemarketing solicitations, known as robo-calls.  
Currently, consumers must specifically join a do-not-call list to  
avoid them. Starting Sept. 1, telemarketers will first need written  
permission from the customer to make such calls.

"American consumers have made it crystal clear that few things annoy  
them more than the billions of commercial telemarketing robo-calls  
they receive every year," said Jon Leibowitz, chairman of the FTC.

Violators will face penalties of up to $16,000 per call.

Don't expect phone solicitations to disappear completely, though.

Calls that are not trying to sell goods and services to consumers will  
be exempt, such as those that provide information such as flight  
cancellations and delivery notices and those from debt collectors.

Other calls not covered include those from politicians, charities that  
contact consumers directly, banks, insurers and phone companies, as  
well as surveys and certain health-care messages such as prescription  
notifications. The FTC said those do not fall under its jurisdiction.

And calls made by humans rather than automated systems will still be  
allowed, unless the phone number is on the National Do Not Call  
Registry.

But the FTC said the ban should cover most robo-calls, forcing  
marketers to turn to more expensive live calls, or ramp up efforts in  
direct mail, e-mail and TV ads.

The ban is part of a series amendments to the FTC's Telemarketing  
Sales Rule that were announced a year ago.

Because the ban has been known, telemarketers already have been  
phasing out robo-calls, said Tim Searcy, chief executive of the  
American Teleservices Association, a trade group whose members include  
telemarketers. He said the public will not see much of a change.

Searcy also said the ban will do little to stop calls touting illegal  
scams.

People who get an unauthorized call can file complaints with the  
commission online or by calling 877-382-4357 (877-FTC-HELP).