On one hand the federal government is helping over 100 million consumers a day avoid that annoying telephone call from a telemarketer. So this Company is helping marketers exploit the " Loop Holes" and warning violators that fines of up to $11,000 may be imposed for each call to a registered household.

On the other hand, political groups are exempt from the changes and will be able to continue conducting their telemarketing business as usual.  So are religious organizations.  So are charitable organizations. And survey takers. And Realtors too! You can expect to continue hearing from many types of telemarketers - regularly.

Oh, and, if you voluntarily respond to an advertisement, the company you contact is allowed to continue to call you for 3 months, whether or not your name and number appears on the national Do Not Call Registry.  If you actually conduct transactional business with a company, it can legally contact you by telephone for an additional 18 months. 

In other words, you may feel great about adding your name (and up to three telephone numbers) to the Do Not Call Registry, but don’t expect the phone to stop ringing. 

Not only that.  A reduction in marketing allowed by telephone will predictably result in an up-tick in e-mail spam and direct mail.  In fact, households that voluntarily opt-out of unsolicited in-bound telemarketing calls may inadvertently be identifying themselves as ideal targets for certain types of products, such as anti-spam software,  privacy protection programs, and caller ID gadgets.

Do Not Call-registered households can expect, realistically, to see their e-mailboxes and U.S. Postal Service snail-mailboxes fill up with offers specifically targeted to their desires to avoid intrusions of many types. In that regard, the registry itself cannot be guaranteed to remain immune from crass use for the creation of new and improved marketing methods. 

The federal government has left just enough loopholes to ensure that its crackdown on nuisance telemarketing calls doesn’t actually undermine commerce.  In an economy relying heavily on consumer spending, it’s hardly surprising.

Meanwhile, if you register on the Do Not Call site before September 1, 2003 qualifying telemarketers will be required to cease and desist after October 1, 2003.  If you file on or after September 1, they are required to stop calling you 90 days from the date you register. 

A number of states have established their own registries which may or may not be merged into the federal Do Not Call Registry without requiring individuals to register a second time.  It’s best to visit the site to find out if your state list will be transferred.