| Comment Number: | OL-110290 |
| Received: | 12/16/2004 6:53:50 AM |
| Organization: | |
| Commenter: | Rautenberg |
| State: | FL |
| Subject: | Trade Regulation Rule on Telemarketing Sales |
| Title: | Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Request for Comment |
| CFR Citation: | 16 CFR Part 310 |
| No Attachments |
Comments:
It is truly mind boggling that the FTC could consider any expansion of the right to bombard consumers with more unsolicited marketing calls. Given the simplicity to develop software to deliver these marketing messages, in short time companies that could not afford hiring a live telemarketing company, could certainly purchase a computer, phone line(s) and software to implement their own unattended marketing machine. Using this technique would save companies untold amounts of money over direct mail marketing, opening the flood gates of intrusion into citizens privacy the likes of which has never been seen. What happened to the democratic process? If there were a vote to determine whether these calls should be allowed, would even 1% of the citizens vote in favor of allowing unattended marketing calls to those citizens who do not wish to receive them? I really doubt it. Probably way less than 1 in 10,000 citizens would welcome these calls. Next, what about the impact on the communications infrastructure? Surely phone company resources will be stressed when (not if) the proliferation of cheap unattended telemarketing solutions hit the market. What happens if there is an emergency in some area? Would you like to get a circuit busy trying to reach a loved one because some portion of the available communications resources are being wasted by marketers from half-way across the country? I think not. Please reconsider allowing this change to the Do Not Call Registry, and stand up to the marketing lobbyists. Suggesting that requiring a way to opt-out within a message, which surely will be the last thing the consumer will hear, is really no solution. I guarantee that the overwhelming majority of citizens have hung up the phone long before they find out how to prevent further intrusion. Furthermore, since there are bound to be so many more companies using these marketing techniques, we won't live long enough to listen to, then opt-out of all of them. And surely companies can operate under many different aliases so that it is likely we will not truly be able to stop them from invading our space. Our government must protect our right to privacy. Period. It is time for the FTC to do the right thing for both our citizens and our resources. Thank you.