Editorial: An end to incessant ring, ring

Monday, June 30, 2003 | 8:58 a.m.

A major victory for consumers is how we describe the country's new "Do Not Call" registry, which went into effect on Friday.Consumers have complained for years about the numbers of calls they were receiving each day, particularly those calls coming in at dinner time. When the telemarketing industry ignored the complaints and refused to police itself, resulting in even more bothersome calls to people, the federal government rightly stepped in. It created the national registry and ordered the telemarketing industry to pay for it. By Oct. 1, the date the Federal Trade Commission will begin enforcing its ban on most calls to anyone on the list, consumers who register should at last be freed from the daily annoyances.

Especially welcome was a decision by the Federal Communications Commission to join the fight. While the FTC could only block calls from one state to another state, the FCC has the authority to block calls within a state. The FCC can also block calls from the industries it regulates, which include airlines, banks and telephone companies.

Complementing all this is Assembly Bill 232, sponsored by Assemblyman Marcus Conklin, D-Las Vegas, which creates a state Do Not Call registry -- adding another layer of protection that could shield consumers from calls exempted by the federal legislation. The bill was signed June 10 by Gov. Kenny Guinn and the state's registry should be in place by next spring or early summer. Those who sign up on the national registry will automatically be placed on the state's list when it becomes available.

Friday morning, after the federal registry had been in place for several hours, President Bush said people were signing up at the rate of 108 a second. To join the rush, call (from the number you want registered) 1-888-382-1222. Online registration is also available at www.donotcall.gov.