With the increased use of the Internet in the 20th century, came the onslaught of telemarketing solicitors. Computers became a common “appliance” within households, and eventually became a staple, if you will. As more and more homes utilized the use of the Internet and its glorious abilities, telemarketing companies took advantage of the information submitted to the World Wide Web. Users wishing to win the latest Nintendo game, trip to Aruba, or dazzling diamond ring, only needed to submit their personal information, phone number included, to become entered in the drawing. The user’s information is sold to companies wishing to make sales calls to private homes. Voila! We have mass telemarketing calls barraging us at all hours of the day. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) became bombarded with complaints of calls from consumers regarding companies not respecting their right to privacy within their own homes. Soon the Telephone Consumer Protection Act passed with regulations on the automatic dialers to formalize their policies and/or make new ones if necessary to follow these protocols:
• Identification must be given during the call. This includes the caller’s name, name of the company the caller is calling on behalf of, and phone number or address of the entity.
• Calling hours restricted from nine p.m. to eight a.m. (at the called party’s location)
• If the called person requests to be removed from the calling list, his or her name is added to a do not call list. This is kept confidential and cannot be sold or passed on for 10 years.
• Auto dialers cannot call o Emergency lines o Hospitals o Paging or cellular devices o Residential lines used for commercial purposes In conjunction with the FCC’s Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the Federal Trade Commission was implemented in 2003. Sponsored by Representatives Billy Tauzin and John Dingell, President George W. Bush signed into law the Do Not Call Implementation Act. The act allowed establishment of fees to enforce the provisions relating to the Do Not Call registry. The registry allows consumers to call or register online, the phone number(s) they wish to block telemarketers from calling. The block remains in effect until the number is transferred or the service is discontinued. Tax exempt nonprofit organizations are exempt from the DNC list as well as businesses, which prior business relations have been established. Business numbers can be registered; however, solicitations to any company are not illegal. The same goes for faxed solicitations as well. Consumer privacy seems to be a never-ending battle. Laws such as the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 and the Do Not Call Implementation Act of 2003 assist in making consumer privacy more private. Although it is not a solid resolution, a simple registration to the Do Not Call hotline or website can make one’s life a little less interrupted. That is, until the next barrage of information technology advancements come along.

References:
Telephone consumer protection act. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.ataconnect.org/public/consumers/teleconsumerprotection.php
Unwanted telephone marketing calls. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.fcc.gov/guides/unwanted-telephone-marketing-cal