THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. I'm pleased to be joined by the
Federal Trade Commission Chairman, Tim Muris, and Federal
Communications Commission Chairman, Michael Powell. I also want to
thank their -- members of their staffs who have joined us today. I
appreciate your hard work on a -- in an interesting and important
initiative. We are announcing new measures by the federal government
that will help Americans protect their private time or family time by
blocking unwelcome phone calls from telemarketers.
Unwanted telemarketing calls are intrusive, they are annoying, and
they're all too common. When Americans are sitting down to dinner, or
a parent is reading to his or her child, the last thing they need is a
call from a stranger with a sales pitch. So we're taking practical
action to address this problem.
The Federal Communications Commission has joined with the Federal
Trade Commission to create a National Do Not Call Registry, a tool that
will help ensure that telemarketers respect the privacy of our nation's
citizens. This registry will allow people to limit most unwanted
telemarketing calls by registering their home or cell phone numbers.
Registration can be completed by phone or over the Internet, and it is
free of charge. The service also comes at no expense to the
taxpayers. After all, it is fully funded by the telemarketing
industry.
FTC Chairman Tim Muris answered your questions on the Do Not Call Registry on "Ask the White House."
Read the transcript.
Response to the initial proposal to create the do-not-call list was
very strong. The FTC received more than 60,000 comments that
overwhelmingly supported the registry's creation. After a number is
registered, commercial telemarketers will be required to remove that
number from their call list within three months. In addition, most
states that already have similar do-not-call lists will transfer their
numbers to the national registry.
Citizens interested in finding out more about the Do Not Call
Registry and how to register telephone numbers should visit
donotcall.gov
-- should call up on the Internet, donotcall.gov, and
they will find out how to place their number in the registry. Chairman
Muris and Chairman Powell told me that as of today, starting last
night, as of today, 108 persons per second are now registering their
phone numbers.
I want to commend the FTC and the FCC and the United States
Congress for their good work on behalf of American consumers.
I'm also pleased by the votes last night in the United States
Senate and the United States House of Representatives to improve
Medicare and to extend prescription drug coverage to our seniors. A
stronger Medicare system that gives our seniors more choices and better
benefits has been a central priority of my administration. I urge the
Congress to reconcile their differences and to get a bill to my desk as
quickly as possible.