Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - WTF??? Court blocks FTC Do Not Call Registry!!!

Bill O'Rights · 09-25-2003, 09:43 AM

Quote:

WASHINGTON (AP) - The House approved legislation Thursday aimed at ensuring the national "do-not-call" list goes into effect as scheduled next week so consumers can block many unwanted telemarketing sales pitches.

The House voted 412-8 after less than hour of debate. Lawmakers from both parties uniformly blasted a decision by U.S. District Judge Lee R. West, who ruled Tuesday that the Federal Trade Commission lacked authority to create and operate the registry.

"The judge in this case is dead wrong and I'm sure his decision will in turn be overturned," said Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-La., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. "We should probably call the bill 'This Time We Really Mean It Act' to cure any myopia in the judicial branch. The bill leaves no doubt as to the intent of Congress."

The bills were hastily drafted Wednesday. The speed with which Congress acted underscored the popularity of the list, which after less than four months already has nearly 51 million numbers.

"This legislation got to the House floor faster than a consumer can hang up on a telemarketer at dinnertime," said Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass.

During the House debate, Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., held up a piece of paper he said had the judge's phone number written on it and jokingly threatened to distribute it.

That idea had already occurred to angry consumers, who posted the judge's office and home telephone numbers on Web sites after the ruling and encouraged people to call and complain

There are about 166 million residential phone numbers in the United States and an additional 150 million cell phone numbers.

Whew!!