More Thoughts On The 'Do Not Call' Registry

More Thoughts On The Do Not Call Registry

To The Editor:

Regarding Jack Bobos column on the National “Do Not Call” Registry in the Sept. 15 issue, I agree with him, but I also feel he did not go deep enough.

When we look at who benefits from the “Do Not Call” Registry, we of course see the people trying to eat their dinner and getting interrupted with the annoying telemarketers. As Jack pointed out, while it is certainly a nuisance, it could very definitely impede an economic recovery.

The thing that is not clear is who is behind the majority of those annoying calls. I believe that if you were to look deeper at the companies behind the calls you would find that the large corporations are the only ones who can afford to hire in-house telemarketers or outside telemarketing firms. I believe that you would find a very small percentage of the total telemarketing calls come from small businesses.

I would therefore propose an exception to the “Do Not Call” rules for any type of small business with total sales under $10 million and fewer than 50 employees. The company would have to have the telephone in the small business company name, and it would not be allowed to block its number or company name on caller ID.

This exception would only apply to companies that hired their own in-house telemarketers (and were still under the 50 employee maximum) or hired outside telemarketing firms with fewer than 50 employees. This would give small businesses an opportunity to ply their wares, actually encouraging small businesses to grow and also giving them an advantage that they so severely need without threatening large corporations.

Jeffrey W. Rusk
Via e-mail

To The Editor:

Regrettably, “Do Not Call” is now the law of the land, and yes, it does apply to life insurance agents and financial planners.