A federal appeals court recently granted the Federal Trade Commission's request to stay the order of the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado enjoining enforcement of the FTC's Do-Not-Call Rule.

FTC Chairman Timothy J. Muris provided the following statement in response to the court's decision: "I am heartened that the court of appeals has granted our request to stay the order of the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado enjoining enforcement of the FTC's Do-Not-Call Rule. This is an important victory for American consumers. We believe the Rule fully satisfies the requirements of the U.S. Constitution, and we will now proceed to implement and enforce the Do Not Call Registry."

You also can limit telemarketing calls by asking a company to put you on its own do not call list. The FTC and its state partners will enforce this provision.

What did the federal court in Denver decide?

On September 25, 2003, the U.S. District Court in Denver ruled that the National Do Not Call Registry provisions of the TSR violate the First Amendment, and prohibited the FTC from implementing the registry.

How can consumers limit telemarketing calls?

Consumers who don't want to receive telemarketing calls from particular sellers can limit them by telling companies to put their number on each company's do not call list. Write down the name of the company and the date that you asked to be put on its do not call list. You should not receive further calls from that company. This provision of the Telemarketing Sales Rule is still in force (as are all non-do-not-call provisions of the Rule). The FTC and its state partners are committed to enforcing the company-specific provisions of the Rule.

The company-specific do not call rules apply to all telemarketing calls, including calls from companies with which you have done business and telemarketing calls on behalf of charities.