1 post tagged “cell phones”

Reminder I received from my mom this morning:
12 days from today, all cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies, and you will start to received sales calls. You will be CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS.

To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone: 888.382.1222 (or go to donotcall.gov). It is the National DO NOT CALL list. It will only take a minute of your time. It blocks your number for 5 years. You must call from the cell phone number you want to have blocked. You cannot call from a different phone number.

Help others by passing this on to all your friends, as I did. It only takes about 20 seconds. *I did it as soon as I got this message from my mom. She used to work for Bellsouth before it merged with At&t. But then, I began to research some things after emailing a helpful friend.

ftc.gov says:

Despite Re-Circulating E-mail, It is Still Not Necessary to Register Cell Phone Numbers

As the number of phone numbers on the National Do Not Call (DNC) Registry surpassed 139 million, the Federal Trade Commission today reiterated that despite the claims made in e-mails circulating on the Internet, consumers should not be concerned that their cell phone numbers will be released to telemarketers at any time in the near future. In addition, according to the agency, it is not necessary to register cell phone numbers on the DNC Registry to be protected from most telemarketing calls to cell phones.

The truth about cell phones and the DNC Registry is:

• Contrary to the e-mail, cell phone numbers are NOT being released to telemarketers, and you will NOT soon be getting telemarketing calls on your cell phone.
  
• There is NO deadline by which you must register your cell phone number on the Registry.
  
• Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations prohibit telemarketers from using automated dialers to call cell phone numbers. Automated dialers are standard in the industry, so most telemarketers are barred from calling consumers on their cell phones without their consent.
  
• The national associations representing telemarketers have stated that their clients do not intend to start calling consumers’ cell phones.
  
• There is only ONE DNC Registry. There is no separate registry for cell phones.
  
• The DNC Registry accepts registrations from both cell phones and land lines. You must call from the phone number that you want to register. If you register online, you must respond to a confirmation e-mail.
  
• While the telecommunications industry has been discussing the possibility of creating a wireless 411 directory, according to the FCC, even if a wireless 411 directory is established, most telemarketing calls to cell phones would still be illegal, regardless of whether the number is listed on the federal government’s National Do Not Call Registry.

The Truth
The U.S. government has established a "do not call" registry where you can list phone numbers you want blocked from unsolicited calls such as from telemarketers.
That registry is for both wired and mobile phones and there is no deadline by which a phone number needs to be listed in order to be protected from telemarketing calls.
There is not a separate cell phone registry.
The registry is at:  www.donotcall.gov.

At this writing there is discussion among mobile providers about setting up a mobile phone directory listing mobile phone numbers.
According to the Cellular Telephone and Internet Association (CTIA), a cell phone directory is proposed that would be available through calling directory assistance only, not published in writing or on the Internet.
So far, there is not a set date when that will be done and the CTIA says the numbers are not going to be "handed over" to telemarketers.
Users would have the option of not having their numbers listed in the directory.

Some telemarketers call some phone numbers regardless of whether they are listed in directories because they use devices that dial numbers in sequence looking for working numbers although at present, they are prohibited by law from including cell numbers.

The version that claims that the cell companies are being required by law to release the names by June 1, 2006, is also a hoax.