From Inman News Features
The National Association of Realtors has launched an action effort that could enable Realtors to continue making unsolicited telephone calls to numbers placed on the national do-not-call registry.
The effort was started after the Federal Communications Commissions last month announced amendments to the Federal Trade Commission’s national do-not-call rules. Unlike the FTC’s plan, the FCC’s plan would preempt state telemarketing laws, some of which exempt real estate brokers.
NAR’s effort so far includes an assessment of whether Congress supports the FCC’s attempt to preempt state regulation of intrastate calls, an exploration of options to amend the FCC rule through formal administrative processes before it becomes effective, an evaluation of the merits of challenging the FCC’s rules and meetings with FCC officials to clarify how the rules would affect Realtors, according to information posted on NAR’s Web site.
The national do-not-call rules don’t prohibit cold-calling. Rather, they allow individuals to place their own residential telephone numbers on a no-solicitations-wanted list.
Businesses are required to cross-reference telephone numbers against the list before calling them. Fines can be levied against businesses that cold call telephone numbers placed on the registry.
The FTC launched the national do-not-call registry earlier this year, and 17 million telephone numbers already have been added to its registry, according to the commission.
The FCC’s more restrictive amendments are set to become effective by Oct. 1.