| Comment Number: | OL-100967 |
| Received: | 11/27/2004 4:38:06 PM |
| Organization: | |
| Commenter: | K. Larsen |
| State: | IL |
| Subject: | Trade Regulation Rule on Telemarketing Sales |
| Title: | Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Request for Comment |
| CFR Citation: | 16 CFR Part 310 |
| No Attachments |
Comments:
A fundamental issue has not been addressed in any of the arguments that I've heard posed regarding this issue. While telemarketers are certainly allowed freedom of speech, their rights end where my property begins. If I sign up for a do not call list, that is exactly what I want - do not call me. I do not make nor intend exceptions for special interest groups, charities, automated messages or anything else. I pay for a phone line in order to make outgoing calls, and to receive phone calls from friends, relatives, and from businesses with which I have current/ongoing transactions. My personal phoneline, located on my property and payed for with my wages and on which I also pay state, federal and local fees/taxes IS NOT A FREE MARKETING RESOURCE. IT IS PRIVATE PROPERTY. Uninvited phone calls from businesses constitute TRESPASSING. If the individual or business is not someone I know or otherwise have a pre-existing reason to have contact with, then the phone call is unwelcome--period. For those who feel that creating loopholes is a clever way of dodging the issue: I DO NOT PATRONIZE BUSINESSES THAT VIOLATE MY HOME. I will never do business with any company that cold calls me, and will cease doing business with any company that abuses an existing relationship by attempting to market to me using my personal phone line. Rather than providing for an opt-out for spam, phone messages, and all other such advertising, (which places additional burden on the consumer at each and every transaction) I feel that the industry standard should be an OPT-IN. If I do not explicitly authorize you to contact me, you may not. By default, all such measures will automatically be set to DO NOT CONTACT unless the consumer makes SPECIAL EFFORT to REQUEST contact. I get advertising on television. I get advertising on the radio. I get advertising on billboards on the way to and from work. I even get advertising on/with some products that I purchase. I get advertising with my mail. I get advertising in newspapers, magazines and occasionally in books. I get advertising on the internet. Is it too much to ask not to have have strangers bothering me, trying to sell me something or otherwise asking for my money in the privacy of my own home when simply sitting with friends and family, or when trying to rest? Doesn't the individual have ANY rights anymore? I am more than just a marketing share. Please keep telemarketing out of my home and away from my phone line. Rather than making new loopholes, you should be closing up those that still exist.