The House of Representatives have approved a national "do-not-call" list by 418-7 to help consumers avoid telemarketers, but with a rising federal deficit, the money to fund the program proposed by the Federal Trade Commission has yet to be approved by the House and Senate.

Telemarketers would be charged a fee by the FTC to access the names of individuals who do not wish to be called, and they will have to keep their company no-call lists updated every three months. Fines for non-compliance could be as hih as $11,000. Some states charge as much as $25,000 per infraction.

Published: February 14, 2003

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