Fees for access to Registry

Section 2, of the Do-Not-Call Implementation Act (15 U.S.C. 6101 note) is amended to read as follows:

Telemarketing sales rule; Do-Not-Call Registry fees

(a)

In General

The Federal Trade Commission shall assess and collect an annual fee pursuant to this section in order to implement and enforce the do-not-call registry as provided for in section 310.4(b)(1)(iii) of title 16, Code of Federal Regulations, or any other regulation issued by the Commission under section 3 of the Telemarketing and Consumer Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act (15 U.S.C. 6102). (b)

Annual Fees

(1)

In general

The Commission shall charge each person who accesses the do-not-call registry an annual fee that is equal to the lesser of— (A)$54 for each area code of data accessed from the registry; or (B)$14,850 for access to every area code of data contained in the registry. (2)

Exception

The Commission shall not charge a fee to any person— (A)for accessing the first 5 area codes of data; or (B)for accessing area codes of data in the registry if the person is permitted to access, but is not required to access, the do-not-call registry under section 310 of title 16, Code of Federal Regulations, section 64.1200 of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations, or any other Federal regulation or law. (3)

Duration of access

(A)

In general

The Commission shall allow each person who pays the annual fee described in paragraph (1), each person excepted under paragraph (2) from paying the annual fee, and each person excepted from paying an annual fee under section 310.4(b)(1)(iii)(B) of title 16, Code of Federal Regulations, to access the area codes of data in the do-not-call registry for which the person has paid during that person’s annual period. (B)

Annual period

In this paragraph, the term annual period means the 12-month period beginning on the first day of the month in which a person pays the fee described in paragraph (1). (c)

Additional Fees

(1)

In general

The Commission shall charge a person required to pay an annual fee under subsection (b) an additional fee for each additional area code of data the person wishes to access during that person’s annual period. (2)

Rates

For each additional area code of data to be accessed during the person’s annual period, the Commission shall charge— (A)$54 for access to such data if access to the area code of data is first requested during the first 6 months of the person’s annual period; or (B)$27 for access to such data if access to the area code of data is first requested after the first 6 months of the person’s annual period. (d)

Adjustment of Fees

(1)

In general

(A)

Fiscal year 2009

The dollar amount described in subsection (b) or (c) is the amount to be charged for fiscal year 2009. (B)

Fiscal years after 2009

For each fiscal year beginning after fiscal year 2009, each dollar amount in subsection (b)(1) and (c)(2) shall be increased by an amount equal to— (i)the dollar amount in paragraph (b)(1) or (c)(2), whichever is applicable, multiplied by (ii)the percentage (if any) by which the CPI for the most recently ended 12-month period ending on June 30 exceeds the baseline CPI. (2)

Rounding

Any increase under subparagraph (B) shall be rounded to the nearest dollar. (3)

Changes less than 1 percent

The Commission shall not adjust the fees under this section if the change in the CPI is less than 1 percent. (4)

Publication

Not later than September 1 of each year the Commission shall publish in the Federal Register the adjustments to the applicable fees, if any, made under this subsection. (5)

Definitions

In this subsection: (A)

CPI

The term CPI means the average of the monthly consumer price index (for all urban consumers published by the Department of Labor). (B)

Baseline CPI

The term baseline CPI means the CPI for the 12-month period ending June 30, 2008. (e)

Prohibition Against Fee Sharing

No person may enter into or participate in an arrangement (as such term is used in section 310.8(c) of the Commission’s regulations (16 C.F.R. 310.8(c))) to share any fee required by subsection (b) or (c), including any arrangement to divide the costs to access the registry among various clients of a telemarketer or service provider. (f)

Handling of Fees

(1)

In general

The commission shall deposit and credit as offsetting collections any fee collected under this section in the account Federal Trade Commission—Salaries and Expenses, and such sums shall remain available until expended. (2)

Limitation

No amount shall be collected as a fee under this section for any fiscal year except to the extent provided in advance by appropriations Acts.

Report

Section 4 of the Do-Not-Call Implementation Act (15 U.S.C. 6101 note) is amended to read as follows:

Reporting requirements

(a)

Biennial Reports

Not later than December 31, 2009, and biennially thereafter, the Federal Trade Commission, in consultation with the Federal Communications Commission, shall transmit a report to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce that includes— (1)the number of consumers who have placed their telephone numbers on the registry; (2)the number of persons paying fees for access to the registry and the amount of such fees; (3)the impact on the do-not-call registry of— (A)the 5-year reregistration requirement; (B)new telecommunications technology; and (C)number portability and abandoned telephone numbers; and (4)the impact of the established business relationship exception on businesses and consumers. (b)

Additional Report

Not later than December 31, 2009, the Federal Trade Commission, in consultation with the Federal Communications Commission, shall transmit a report to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce that includes— (1)the effectiveness of do-not-call outreach and enforcement efforts with regard to senior citizens and immigrant communities; (2)the impact of the exceptions to the do-not-call registry on businesses and consumers, including an analysis of the effectiveness of the registry and consumer perceptions of the registry’s effectiveness; and (3)the impact of abandoned calls made by predictive dialing devices on do-not-call enforcement.