Announced Action for January 31, 2005

Commission comments on GAO report on National Do Not Call Registry: The Commission has submitted comments to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) concerning a new GAO report evaluating the implementation and success of the National Do Not Call Registry. The report, “Telemarketing: Implementation of the National Do-Not-Call Registry,” addresses: (1) how the FTC and the Federal Communications Commission have implemented and operated the Registry; (2) how the FTC has fees collected fees to cover the Registry’s operating costs; and (3) how the FTC has measured the Registry’s success. The report also analyzes the FTC’s objectives for measuring the Registry’s success, which were: (1) to have the system operational in calendar year 2003; (2) to have a system that could register approximately 60 million telephone numbers within the first year; and (3) to reduce unwanted telemarketing calls by 80 percent for consumers who placed their numbers on the Registry.

The Commission’s comments support the GAO’s conclusion that the Registry is a success based on the FTC’s chosen evaluation criteria. The Commission states that the FTC met its objectives, has received a relatively small number of consumer complaints, and continues to be successful in its efforts to harmonize existing state registries into the National Registry.

The Commission vote to approve the comments was 5-0.

Copies of the documents mentioned in this release are available from the FTC’s Web site at http://www.ftc.gov and also from the FTC’s Consumer Response Center, Room 130, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20580. Call toll-free: 1-877-FTC-HELP.