The Federal Trade Commission last week proposed that telemarketers should pay up to $3,000 a year each to help finance a national do-not-call registry of consumers who want to stop sales calls to their homes.
Specifically, the FTC proposed that the Telemarketing Sales Rule be amended to require telemarketers and their clients to pay fees totaling $3 million for the first year of the registry.
The Direct Marketing Association was quick to oppose the proposal.
“As predicted, the FTC has shown that they have not fully worked out the details in their efforts to provide what we consider a superfluous but politically popular service to consumers,” said DMA senior vice president, government affairs Jerry Cerasale, in a statement.
The DMA believes that the FTC proposal for a national list is unnecessary because the trade association already maintains a Telephone Preference Service.
Under the proposal, the estimated 3,000 telemarketers would have to pay to access the registry at a rate of $12 per year for each area code they call.
In addition, the FTC proposed that companies seeking five or fewer area codes would access the registry for free. The $3,000 is the maximum annual fee that would be charged companies to obtain lists of consumers who don’t want calls in 250 or more area codes.
The FTC is accepting comments on this proposal until June 28. It will hold a public three-day forum early next month in Washington, DC, to discuss the proposal.
The agency first proposed a national do-not-call list in January.
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