We provide this free financial resource to visitors of the Community Room of SeniorSSuperStoreS in an effort to keep baby boomers, seniors and the elderly informed of matters that can affect their lifestyle.

People fed up with unwanted telemarketing can sign up as of July, 2003, for a national do-not-call list that will block many sales calls according to the Federal Trade Commission.

The FTC has released its schedule for creating and implementing the national "do not call" registry, first announced in December 2002 as part of the Amended Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR). The registry gives consumers a choice about whether to receive most telemarketing calls.

Beginning in July, 2003, consumers will be able to put their telephone numbers on the national registry, which telemarketers subsequently will be required to access. After October, 2003, it will be illegal for most telemarketers to call a number listed on the registry.

Consumers can register for free in two ways: online or by telephone. The FTC will announce the Web site URL for online registration and the toll-free number in June. To better manage the anticipated volume of registrations, initial sign-up by phone for the registry will be phased in, region-by-region, over an eight-week period. The number will first work on the West Coast and then spread across the country until it is available nationwide by the end of August.

Online registration will be available immediately throughout the United States in July. Consumers' names will remain on the registry for five years, or until they change their phone number. At that point, consumers will be able to renew their registration.

The registry will be available to telemarketers and other sellers in September 2003, and they will be required to "scrub" their call lists against the names on the registry at least once every 90 days. In October 2003, the FTC and the States will begin enforcing the national "do not call" provisions of the Amended TSR. Violators will be subject to a fine of up to $11,000 per violation. Consumers listed should begin to receive fewer unwanted telemarketing calls approximately three months after they register.

Telemarketers say the registry will devastate their industry, endanger millions of jobs and send ripples through the economy. The Direct Marketing Association, an industry group, has sued the FTC on grounds the registry amounts to an unlawful restriction on free speech.

More than two dozen states already have their own do-not-call lists or legislation pending that would create them. Most states plan to add their lists to the national registry.

Until the national "do not call" registry begins accepting registrations, consumers may limit the number of telemarketing calls they receive by placing their names on the "do not call" lists of individual companies. Additionally, some states have established "do not call" lists for their residents' convenience. Consumers can visit ftc.gov/donotcall for additional information and updates.

There are exceptions to the FTC's do-not-call protections. A company may call someone on the list if that person has bought, leased or rented from the company within the past 18 months. Telemarketers also can call people if they have inquired or applied for something from the company during the past three months. Charities, surveys and calls on behalf of politicians (as we might expect) also are exempt.

The FTC will not allow private companies or other such third parties to "pre-register" consumers for the national Do Not Call registry. Web sites or phone solicitations that claim they can or will register a consumer's name or phone number on a national list - especially those that charge a fee - are a SCAM. Consumers will be able to register directly with the FTC, or through some state governments, but never private companies.