The nation’s consumer watchdog, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), has created a do not call registry to reduce excessive telemarketing.

The FTC handed down a decision June 2 creating a new Web site and phone line intended to help individuals reduce the number of phone calls they receive from telemarketers.

“The registry was created to offer consumers a choice regarding telemarketing calls,” according to www.donotcall.gov.

“The National Do Not Call Registry was the culmination of a comprehensive, three year review of the Telemarketing Sales Rules, as well as the numerous workshops, meetings and briefings to solicit feedback from interested parties and considered over 64,000 public comments, most of which favored creating a registry.”

Judy Minnick, assistant registrar, said the Registrar’s office, for a fee, gives information, including name, address and phone number from the ISU student directory, to anyone who requests it. These requests come from both inside the university and outside sources, she said.

Minnick said the information which is dispersed is only directory information, and is generally a very specific portion of the student body. For example, a company which makes graduation announcements will request the directory information of the students who have registered to graduate for that semester, she said.

Minnick said the information can be dispersed as labels, a paper list, on a diskette or on a spreadsheet. The majority of requests are internal, said Minnick, but external requests are usually specific to a certain curriculum and year in school.

Minnick said students call her office and accuse her of selling their name and information to credit card companies. She said she has never sold a list to a credit card or insurance company.

Students who work for the ISU Foundation do not need to worry about their fundraising jobs, said Ann Wilson, director of communication for the ISU Foundation.

“The ISU Foundation, like all non-profits, is exempt from this new law,” Wilson said. “This new ruling has no impact on our organization.”

Access Direct, a telemarketing company whose corporate headquarters is in Cedar Rapids, has a small pool of customers that request cold-calling, said Mark Drish, Executive Vice President of Access Direct.

Cold-calling is making a call with no connection to the customer. The majority of Access Direct’s calls are made to customers with which the company has an existing relationship, Drish said.

These calls are allowed under the new telemarketing sales rules, Drish said. He said telemarketing companies need to be conscious of what their customers need and want.

“If people don’t want to be called at home, we don’t want to call them there,” Drish said.

According to the Web site, the registration expires after five years and allows certain groups to continue to call unsolicited.

“Placing your number on the National Do Not Call Registry will stop most, but not all, telemarketing calls,” according to the Web site. “You may still receive calls from political organizations, charities, telephone surveyors or companies with which you have an existing business relationship.”

Some students said they do not feel the Web site is beneficial.

Nikki Fessler, junior in marketing, said she believes the Web site may be of use to some students, but could have an adverse effect on the number of jobs these companies may be able to offer.

“It is nice to have the right to choose if you want to be badgered or not, but it could cost jobs in Iowa and across the country,” Fessler said.

If a person is OK with receiving a call from a certain company or organization, they may provide a written approval to that group, according to the Web site. The group may then call the consumer without fear of penalty, according to the Web site.

At any time, consumers may add their name to the registry and the telemarketing companies must delete the consumer’s information from their database, according to the Web site.

The consumer may also delete their name from the registry, allowing the telemarketing companies to add their information back into their database within three months, according to the Web site.

For more information go to www.donotcall.gov, call 1-888-382-1222 or 1-866-290-4236 for TTY.