InfoCision To FTC: "Don't Increase DNC Registry Fees"

By Tracey E. Schelmetic

Editorial Director,
Customer Interaction Solutions magazine

 

The FTC’s authority to collect list fees from marketers who access the Federal Do Not Call Registry is set to expire at the end of 2007. However, Senate Bill 781, introduced on March 6, 2007 by Senator Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) would allow the FTC to collect Registry access fees indefinitely, and potentially continue to increase those fees.

 

Companies that perform outbound calling are required to pay to access the Registry in order to comply with do-not-call instructions from consumers who have placed their telephone numbers on the list. Companies that operate nationwide generally purchase access to the entire Registry; companies that operate locally (for example, real estate companies or landscaping services), may purchase access to just the area codes they need.

 

“Although we are supportive of Senator Pryor’s intent to keep the DNC Registry intact, we are against any further increases in the fees charged to marketers who access the Federal Do Not Call Registry,” said Steve Brubaker, Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs at InfoCision Management Corporation. “Since the Registry’s inception in 2003 the fees to comply have risen by approximately 135 percent.”

 

Currently fees charged to marketers to access the Registry are $62 for each area code or a maximum annual fee of $17,050 to access the full Registry for nationwide calling.

 

Brubaker added: “In fact, we believe the DNC Registry has improved the image of our industry. The companies that are thriving are those that respect the wishes of consumers not to be called and have invested millions of dollars in technology that enable them to comply with the regulations. However, the FTC needs to realize that increasing the fees makes it more difficult for companies that want to do the right thing, to comply.”

 

For more information about InfoCision, visit www.infocision.com.

 

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