What is the National Do Not Call Registry?
The National Do Not Call Registry is the federal list of phone numbers whose owners have said they do not want to receive telemarketing calls.
How the registry works
The FTC maintains the registry. The FCC describes it as a list of landline and wireless numbers that legitimate telemarketers agree not to call, and people can register their numbers for free. Two federal rules rely on it:
- The FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule makes it an abusive practice to call a number on the registry unless the seller has the person's express written agreement, or has an established business relationship with them and they have not asked not to be called.
- The FCC's rules under the TCPA bar telephone solicitations to residential subscribers who registered their numbers. Registrations are honored indefinitely, or until cancelled or removed.
Both rules give a safe harbor to callers who, among other steps, use a version of the registry obtained no more than 31 days before the call.
Who it covers
The FTC's compliance guide says the TSR's ban on calls to registered numbers does not apply to business-to-business calls. It also says that calls to business lines that pitch individual employees on buying something for their own use are not business-to-business calls. The FCC's rule protects residential subscribers, and FCC rules also apply it to wireless numbers to the extent described in an FCC order. Which rule covers a given call depends on the facts. A company's own internal do-not-call list is a separate obligation.
This is a general definition, not legal advice.