'Do Not Call' list bill gets voted in... (1 Viewer)

[DeathStar1]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp.../do_not_call_8

I love this line...

>>In introducing the legislation, Tauzin said, "If anyone holds this legislation up, we're prepared to give out their home phone numbers."
>>

Why can't they do the same with spam mail, with the same threat? .

 

[Ross Williams]

I want this to go through today.

 

[KeithAP]

There is a major limitation with this legislation. From the article...

Charities, surveys and calls on behalf of politicians would be exempt.

This would seem to leave untouched many of the calls made not to mention building in some loopholes for the telemarketers to exploit.

-Keith

 

[MikeAlletto]

I think this combined with the local states do-not-call lists will clean out a lot of the calls. For the rest just tell the person on the other end to put you on their no call list.

 

[BrianB]

My worst offender, even since the "do not call" request option, has been Qwest, my local phone company provider.

Ah, you're still in trouble then. I believe there's a loophole of "businesses you already do business with" being able to still call you...

 

[Mark Hayenga]

Just wanted to say that they do NOT want to attempt to regulate political speech with this bill (ie politcal advertisements via phone and such). Commercial speech is much, much more regulate-able than political speech and including anything but commercial speech would likely endanger the constitutionality of the statute. At least that's what I'd think given what we've covered in my government class recently.

 

[Yee-Ming]

calls on behalf of politicians would be exempt

"ironic" that the politicos would give themselves an explicit loophole, sorry, exemption

oh well. all I can say is I'm glad that around here telemarketing is still a relatively rare thing.

 

[Dennis Reno]

"ironic" that the politicos would give themselves an explicit loophole, sorry, exemption

Nahh, thats to be expected. Scum protect scum.

Aided by Caller ID, my wife and no longer even bother to answer unknown calls. Over the last year we have noticed a major decrease in the amount of telemarketer calls we receive. I think it is similar to spam. If you tell them not to call it is similar to the "Remove me from the mailing list" in emails that result in MORE spam being sent your way. If you answer the phone they think they just might have a shot at making a sale!

 

[DeathStar1]

>Just wanted to say that they do NOT want to attempt to regulate political speech with this bill (ie politcal advertisements via phone and such).>

I wish they would. During the last voting terms, e got about 3 calls per hour on bad days, 3 calls per day on good ones. Just as annoying as Telemarketers IMHO .

 

[DeathStar1]

If you answer the phone they think they just might have a shot at making a sale!>>

My mother ALWAYS talks to these people, and my father once spent 20 minutes on the phone with one answering some sort of a survey.Granted, that never happened again, but still, ugh. I just hang up if there's more then 2 seconds of silence...

 

[Yee-Ming]

don't cellphones in the US have a different "area code" to land-lines? they no doubt don't call cellphones 'cos the cheapskates don't want to pay the mobile charges.

here in Singapore, there are no area codes at all (country is too small), but we've moved to 8-digit phone numbers, and at the moment all mobile numbers start with "9", whilst all land-lines start with "6". even if the US doesn't have different area codes for mobiles (which I believe is the way it works in the UK), no doubt the numbers can be distinguished, probably in the first 3 digits or so.

there's no "calling party pays" here in Singapore, the mobile user pays all his/her own costs, so this doesn't discourage them and I have in the past received an automated telemarketing call, which I promptly hung up in disgust the moment I realised it was (a) telemarketing, and (b) automated to boot.

to add insult to injury: there are three cell operators now here, but back in the days of only two I received a call from the other one (which was the incumbent Govt-linked ex-monopoly) trying to sell me their IDD service -- while I was overseas and therefore paying IDD autoroaming charges. I told them off about making me pay long-distance charges for nothing and hung up -- only for the phone to ring about 30 seconds later with another marketeer from the same company, who got an even louder earful from me...

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Cell phones do not have separate area codes from land lines (which is partly the reason that the U.S. is quickly running out of area codes). However, carriers are assigned "exchanges" within an area code. An exchange is the first three digits after the area code. In the days before cell phones, fax machines, pagers, etc. the exchange designated which central office switch (or "exchange") the number was assigned to. It still can, but it is no longer the only meaning for an exchange.

 

[DeathStar1]

>>Cell phones to do not separate area codes from land lines (which is partly the reason that the U.S. is quickly running out of area codes).>>'

This may sound WAAAY to simplistic... but can't we find a way to upgrade the phone system so we don't even have to DIAL numbers? For instance, something along the line of the Jetsons, only without the Video(For Bandwith Limitations). You just press a button, the signal finds someway to go directly to your house, and boom, your done. Perhaps the Wires would be numbered and colored differently and that's how the signal can tell the direct line to your house..

 

[Scott Merryfield]

This may sound WAAAY to simplistic... but can't we find a way to upgrade the phone system so we don't even have to DIAL numbers? For instance, something along the line of the Jetsons, only without the Video(For Bandwith Limitations). You just press a button, the signal finds someway to go directly to your house, and boom, your done. Perhaps the Wires would be numbered and colored differently and that's how the signal can tell the direct line to your house..

What makes you think there was not a sophisticated communications network behind those video phones on The Jetsons?

 

[Jay Taylor]

The "Do Not Call" legislation here in Oklahoma went into effect on February 1st. Unfortunately our version has a ridiculous loophole that may make the entire program ineffective.

In addition to the previously mentioned loopholes, ours allows calls from telemarketers desiring to make a face-to-face appointment. As a result, we'll probably get calls such as:

"This is Dave Destroyourhomelife calling to make an appointment with you to change your long distance service."

I plan on continuing to pay Southwestern Bell for their Privacy Manager service. Since adding this service I have not had a single telemarketer get through to us when we were at home. When we're not at home only about 1 telemarketer call a month manages to get through to our answering machine with a partial message before the service cuts them off.

Jay Taylor

 

[Mark Zimmer]

This is about as useful as an Internet petition. No one will enforce the damned thing, which means that all you've done is put yourself on a list with your phone number, which can be obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. Lucky you, you've just made yourself the target of MORE telemarketers. Another feel-good, do-nothing bill.

 

[Nathan_F]

We have a State list here in Indiana. Since placing our numbers on the list, we have seen a reduction of telemarketing calls from 1-2 per night(!) to 1 or 2 per month (at most!) Now if they could just figure out a way to let us do that with email...