Good News from the FTC -- Do Not Call Registration Won't Expire

Written by Doug Klunder
One of the great consumer privacy tools of the past decade, the national Do Not Call registry, has recently come under considerable criticism. When it was set up close to five years ago, some of the FTC fine print said that listings would be purged every five years unless renewed by the consumer. The purported concern was that people regularly change telephone numbers, and the listings would be out of date, not accurately representing the desires of the current number holders. The five-year limit didn't arouse much comment at the time, no doubt partly because the very existence of the registry was a huge step forward.

But now, as the five-year anniversary approaches, the expiration of listings has suddenly taken on importance. Many organizations and media outlets have tried to get the word out that people need to renew their registrations. And many have commented that there's no good reason for the purge in the first place.

The FTC has listened to these complaints, and two weeks ago announced that registrations will not expire after all, at least not until Congress or the FTC formally enacts new legislation or regulations. Congress also is stepping up to the plate, with multiple bills. S. 2096 and H.R. 3541 have both been reported out of committee. These are important steps to protect the privacy of the nearly 150 million people who have registered their phone numbers.