"It is incredibly quick and easy to do," Lydia Parnes, director of the FTC's bureau of consumer protection, said in an interview with the Associated Press. "It was so easy for people to sign up in the first instance. It will be just as easy for them to re-up."
But Representative Mike Doyle, Democrat of Pennsylvania, says people should not be forced to reregister to keep telemarketers at bay. Doyle introduced legislation last week, with bipartisan support, to make registrations permanent.
"When someone takes the time and effort to say, 'I don't want these kinds of calls coming into my house,' they shouldn't have to keep a calendar to find out when they have to re-up to keep this nuisance from happening," Doyle said in an interview.
The FTC built the five-year expiration date into the program to account for changes, such as people who move and switch their phone number.
"Just like a regular person who needs to clean out their address book every so often, the commission felt that was something that was important to do with the registry," explained Parnes.
Doyle, however, pointed out that the list is purged each month of numbers that have been disconnected and reassigned to new customers. He called the FTC's position on the need for an expiration date "completely bogus."
People can register their home and cellphone numbers or file complaints at donotcall.gov or by calling 1-888-382-1222.
The registry prohibits telemarketers from calling phone numbers on the list. Companies face fines of up to $11,000 for each violation.
Organizations engaged in charitable, political, or survey work are exempt. Companies that have an established business relationship with a customer also may call for up to 18 months after the last purchase, payment, or delivery.
In the first week of the program, people signed up 18 million numbers. The registry now has more than 149 million phone numbers.
"I think it's fantastic," said Bonnie Darling of Arlington, Va. Darling placed her name on the list this year after being flooded with calls from roofing companies, chimney sweeps, and construction businesses. She has not heard from those companies in months.
Darling is not worried about the five-year expiration. She said she expects it to be just as easy to register as it was months ago.
But Eileen Feldman of Needham, thinks the expiration date is "ridiculous."
"If you wanted to keep your numbers on there for a lifetime, you should have that option," said Feldman, who placed her phone number on the registry when the program first began.
