FTC Finalizes Telemarket 'Scrub' Rule

The Federal Trade Commission has finalized a rule that will require telemarketers to "scrub'" their call lists every 31 days to make sure they include all phone numbers listed on the national "do-not-call" register.Telemarketers are currently required to scrub their lists quarterly. Based on a recent poll, the FTC says it believes most businesses have been diligent in meeting the quarterly requirement. The FTC decided to postpone the effective date of the new rule until Jan. 1, 2005, to give businesses time to implement new systems and procedures to accommodate the more frequent scrubbing. To date, consumers have registered 58.4 million phone numbers on the do-not-call list.