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CNN Live At Daybreak
Judge Blocks Do-Not-Call List
Aired September 25, 2003 - 05:58 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Just when you thought it was safe to answer the phone, a judge has blocked the do-not-call list aimed at telemarketers.
Our Greg Clarkin has both sides of the debate.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello.
GREG CLARKIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Telemarketers finally found someone who listened and their sales pitch struck gold. A federal judge struck down the national do not call list. The judge said the Federal Trade Commission didn't have the power to create the list in the first place, a ruling that riled the troops in Washington.
REP. BILLY TAUZIN, (R-LA), ENERGY COMMERCE CHAIRMAN: But it is something that Americans, 50 million munitions, have said they absolutely want the advantage of and we are determined, bound and determined before we leave this session of Congress to make sure they have the advantage of a do-not-call list and that the legality of the FTC in establishing one is cleared up.
CLARKIN: Fifty million people signed up to put an end to the calls. The list was due to take effect October 1. The telemarketing industry said $40 billion a year would be lost, along with two million jobs. They fought the list on free speech grounds.
TIM SEARCY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AMERICAN TELESERVICES ASSOCIATION: When the federal government said you could sign up to no longer receive commercial messaging, everybody got excited. But the reality is is that that's not the role of the federal government, to decide what kinds of commercial messages you receive and what kind of commercial messages you don't receive.
CLARKIN: But Congress can still make the list a reality.
JUDITH O'NEILL, TELECOM LAWYER: Simply for Congress to be very specific and to state that they specifically grant jurisdictional authority to the Federal Trade Commission to implement the no call registry. It's as simple as that.
CLARKIN (on camera): Telemarketers are fighting the list in federal court in Denver, as well, and a ruling there could come shortly. So with a week to go, there's plenty of legal wrangling and even with their victory, telemarketers say it's too soon to predict that they'll be calling you come October 1. Greg Clarkin, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired September 25, 2003 - 05:58 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Just when you thought it was safe to answer the phone, a judge has blocked the do-not-call list aimed at telemarketers.
Our Greg Clarkin has both sides of the debate.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello.
GREG CLARKIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Telemarketers finally found someone who listened and their sales pitch struck gold. A federal judge struck down the national do not call list. The judge said the Federal Trade Commission didn't have the power to create the list in the first place, a ruling that riled the troops in Washington.
REP. BILLY TAUZIN, (R-LA), ENERGY COMMERCE CHAIRMAN: But it is something that Americans, 50 million munitions, have said they absolutely want the advantage of and we are determined, bound and determined before we leave this session of Congress to make sure they have the advantage of a do-not-call list and that the legality of the FTC in establishing one is cleared up.
CLARKIN: Fifty million people signed up to put an end to the calls. The list was due to take effect October 1. The telemarketing industry said $40 billion a year would be lost, along with two million jobs. They fought the list on free speech grounds.
TIM SEARCY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AMERICAN TELESERVICES ASSOCIATION: When the federal government said you could sign up to no longer receive commercial messaging, everybody got excited. But the reality is is that that's not the role of the federal government, to decide what kinds of commercial messages you receive and what kind of commercial messages you don't receive.
CLARKIN: But Congress can still make the list a reality.
JUDITH O'NEILL, TELECOM LAWYER: Simply for Congress to be very specific and to state that they specifically grant jurisdictional authority to the Federal Trade Commission to implement the no call registry. It's as simple as that.
CLARKIN (on camera): Telemarketers are fighting the list in federal court in Denver, as well, and a ruling there could come shortly. So with a week to go, there's plenty of legal wrangling and even with their victory, telemarketers say it's too soon to predict that they'll be calling you come October 1. Greg Clarkin, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
