More than 300,000 people signed up for Minnesota’s do-not-call list by the second day it went into effect. That’s more than 10% of the state’s residential telephone customer. “For people who were looking for election returns, here’s some early numbers,” said Bruce Gordon, spokesperson for the Minnesota Department of Commerce, which maintains the list. “There’s no question that people voted and their vote has been heard. They don’t appreciate telemarketing.” Registration for the do-not-call list started on Monday at 6 AM. During the first hour between 175 and 200 calls per minute poured in to register. By Noon on Tuesday, the precise number of individual telephone numbers signed up was 331,385, according to Gordon. “That averages out to 11,000 registrations per hour,” he said. By mid-day Tuesday, 71,000 people registered on the Commerce Dept. Web site, and 10,000 called in their registrations. The Web site, http://www.commerce.state.mn.us, features a large button with a rendering of a ringing phone with a red line through it. “Sign up now for the do not call list!” it says. “Right now we’re taking 126 hits per minute on the Web and the call volume is 125 to 195 per minute,” Gordon said. The new law, which goes into effect Jan. 1, requires telemarketers to pay $125 every three months for a copy of the do-not-call list. Those who don’t buy the list can be fined $1,000. Certain businesses are exempt from participating, including political organizations, nonprofits, businesses that have had a prior business relationship with the recipient, and businesses that don’t intent to complete the business transaction on the phone.
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