Make ‘do not call’ requests permanent

THE ISSUE Registrations on the government's list of phone numbers telemarketers are prohibited from calling will expire next June.

CONSUMERS who put their land-line or cell phone numbers on a "do not call" list to avoid telemarketers' solicitations might have to do so again starting next June. That's because a 2003 Federal Trade Commission rule requires them to re-register after five years.

Congress should approve a House bill, introduced by Pennsylvania Democrat Mike Doyle, that would make registrations permanent but still allow people to opt out if they want.

The FTC put the five-year sunset on the registry, contending that as people move or change their numbers, the registry would become outdated. But Doyle noted that every month, the registry is purged of disconnected and reassigned numbers anyway, and forcing people to remember to re-enter every five years is unnecessary and a nuisance.

The measure has bipartisan support, but until its passage, consumers who want to make sure their martini or dinner hours remain uninterrupted, or those who have yet to register, can do so at www.donotcall.gov or by calling 1-888-382-1222.