'Do Not Call' list is expiring for millions, the state warns

HARRISBURG - Pennsylvanians who signed up for the state's "Do Not Call" list five years ago have to register again - or can expect to start hearing from telemarketers before the year's end.

Attorney General Tom Corbett yesterday launched a public-awareness campaign to remind people that the 2002 law set registrations to expire after five years.

The registry, which his office maintains, includes nearly four million phone numbers, and about half were added within its first few weeks, Corbett said.

He said the law, which exempts charities and political entities, had been a success.

"I know this: I don't get those calls at dinnertime any more, and I certainly appreciate it," he said.

The expected influx of reregistrations poses a logistical challenge for Corbett's office, and he said he hoped that only those who had signed up earliest would reregister in the coming weeks. Phone customers can sign up through the Internet, by writing to the Attorney General's Office, or by calling a phone bank that Corbett has established.

The two million or so who signed up in the immediate aftermath of the registry's launch must act by Sept. 15, or their numbers will be dropped Nov. 1.

Corbett's office considered sending letters to the soon-to-expire registrants, but concluded that the $500,000 cost was too high, he said.

Telemarketers must buy the "Do Not Call" list every three months at a cost of $465. The state has taken legal action against violators 75 times in five years, generating about $800,000 in fines and costs and returning about $80,000 to consumers.

The number of complaints has dropped from about 10,000 in the first year to 1,900 so far in 2007. Violations carry potential civil penalties of $1,000, or triple that if the call recipient is at least 60 years old.

There are three ways to reregister up to seven residential and cellular numbers per person:

Visit the Attorney General's Office Web site: www.attorneygeneral.gov. The site also allows people to verify when they first registered for the list.

Call a toll-free hotline: 1-888-777-3406.

Mail a name, mailing address, phone number and signature to the Attorney General's Office, Strawberry Square, Harrisburg, Pa. 17120.

There are exceptions to the "Do Not Call" list for telemarketers with an established business relationship with someone within a year of the call, tax-exempt charities, veterans groups, and calls on behalf of political candidates or parties.

Telemarketers may not block their numbers from caller-ID devices.

A violation can result in a penalty of $1,000, and $3,000 if the call recipient is at least 60.

SOURCE: Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office, AP

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