Merging Federal, State Do-Not-Call Lists a Good Call for New Yorkers

July 29, 2003

A few years ago, New York State created a law that helped protect quiet family dinners and relaxing weekend afternoons from unwanted interruptions. That law set up the state’s Do-Not-Call Registry, a service residents can sign up for to stop receiving calls from unwelcome telemarketers.

Since the creation of the state registry in 2001, 2.4 million households across the state signed up and an estimated half-billion sales calls have been blocked from New York homes. In fact, the system was so successful that the federal government has taken the cue and set up a national registry. To improve on the protections the Do-Not-Call registry offers, I sponsored Assembly Bill A.8986, which the Governor signed, merging our list with the national database. New York residents already registered with the state will be automatically transferred to the national list.

The benefits for New York’s consumers are great. First, the state will no longer have to manage registration, thus saving the taxpayers over $1 million in operating costs. Second, the federal law creating the registry has more teeth, with fines for violators reaching as much as $11,000 per violation, more than twice the highest state fine.

The Assembly has a strong record of helping citizens deal with telemarketers. In 2000, I supported the Telemarketing and Consumer Fraud and Abuse Protection Act. The law requires telemarketers to register and bond with the Department of State so fraud victims would have the means to recover their money. Additionally, it prohibits abusive marketers from making contact with a person who has informed them they no longer want to be contacted, mandates telemarketers to disclose the purpose of their call before receiving personal information and imposes civil and criminal penalties for violating the act (Ch. 546 of 2000).

Having a telephone line should not be an invitation for endless annoying calls from telemarketers. The majority of telephone sales calls are endorsing honest, valuable services. However, there are the unfortunate few that are not and the residents of this state shouldn’t have to deal with these aggravating interruptions. New York has been a leader in preventing this kind of harassment and I will fight to make sure we continue.

To sign up for the national do-not-call list, visit www.donotcall.gov or call 1-888-382-1222. People who sign up now should notice a downturn in the number of calls they receive after Oct. 1. To report a violation, call the New York State Consumer Protection Board at 1-800-697-1220 or visit www.consumer.state.ny.us.

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