At one time I was quite excited when the phone would ring because it was usually for me. Eventually, I became even more thrilled because, although the call probably wasn't for me, it was probably a telemarketer for me to torment. No matter how rude I was (I once accused a lawn pesticide company telemarketer of being a hired hit man for weeds, and wow, he was mad!) they kept calling back, still hoping that I wouldn't answer the phone and they would get someone who was more compassionate than myself.
Ultimately, answering the phone became quite annoying. Luckily, at around the same time the Federal Communications Commission decided to take action and create the Do Not Call List, which drastically reduced telemarketers' call base. Now only charities, companies with whom you are currently doing business and people calling for political purposes can call those on the list.
This was a huge blow to telemarketers. As a result, companies frantically looked for ways to bend the rules, while trying to challenge the new law in court.
Recently, the Consumer Banking Organization filed a complaint with the FCC stating that the stricter Wisconsin No Call List is too harsh. Companies cannot call existing customers with offers for other services that are unrelated to the customer's current business with them. Furthermore, once a consumer ends his or her business, Wisconsin law limits the company to one call within the 18-month period they have before they can no longer call the person again to try to win back their business.
For students who have residential phone lines, if the FCC sides with the Consumer Banking Organization, it could mean more unwanted calls. While you are studying or spending time with your friends, you will likely be interrupted by sleazy sales pitches that are of no interest to you whatsoever. Even if you tell them you aren't interested, they will call back later trying to share the merits of their promotion with you.
Rather than making the list more lenient and wasting more of Americans' time, we need to push for an even harsher list. Although telemarketers would argue that the laws are too strict already, they are still finding many tactics to bend the rules and get through to consumers.
A true Do Not Call List should mean no unwanted calls, no exceptions. When the cable company is still allowed to encourage you to sign up for a more expensive package and politicians can continue playing their taped messages over the phone, the system is flawed.
Although organizations are supposed to have their own Do Not Call lists that anyone can ask to be put on, that doesn't really guarantee anything. There are numerous companies that make the process of informing them individually that you would prefer they didn't call again a lengthy process. Furthermore, companies using taped messages can largely get around this system.
We have already stood up to telemarketers once and been victorious, and by taking it a step further we can finally end the telemarketing industry as we know it. Imagine receiving only phone calls that you want and not having to listen to any more sales pitches.
By simply expanding the current law to encompass all unwanted phone calls, people will begin to enjoy answering the phone once again and no longer waste their precious time talking to telemarketers. When we have clearly seen that telemarketers can be stopped, why are we continuing to tolerate these calls? It is time that the FCC and the Wisconsin No Call list firmly stand up to telemarketers and express to them that their calls are unwanted and will no longer be tolerated. Once we have reclaimed our phones we will be happier and have more time to do the things that are important to us.
Micaela Frudden is a junior majoring in accounting.
