[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 26 (Monday, June 30, 2003)]
[Pages 825-826]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on the Creation of the National Do Not Call Registry

June 27, 2003

    Good morning. I'm pleased to be joined by the Federal Trade 
Commission Chairman, Tim Muris, Federal Communications Commission 
Chairman Michael Powell. I also want to thank their--members of their 
staffs who have joined us today. I appreciate your hard work on a--in an 
interesting and important initiative. We are announcing new measures by 
the Federal Government that will help Americans protect their private 
time or family time by blocking unwelcome phone calls from 
telemarketers.
    Unwanted telemarketing calls are intrusive. They are annoying, and 
they're all too common. When Americans are sitting down to dinner or a 
parent is reading to his or her child, the last thing they need is a 
call from a stranger with a sales pitch, so we're taking practical 
action to address this problem.
    The Federal Communications Commission has joined with the Federal 
Trade Commission to create a National Do Not Call Registry, a tool that 
will help ensure that telemarketers respect the privacy of our Nation's 
citizens. This registry will allow people to limit most unwanted 
telemarketing calls by registering their home or cell phone numbers. 
Registration can be completed by phone or over the Internet, and it is 
free of charge. The service also comes at no expense to the taxpayers. 
After all, it is fully funded by the telemarketing industry.
    Response to the initial proposal to create the do-not-call list was 
very strong. The FTC received more than 60,000 comments that 
overwhelmingly supported the registry's creation. After a number is 
registered, commercial telemarketers will be required to remove that 
number from their call list within 3 months. In addition, most States 
that already have similar do-not-call lists will transfer their numbers 
to the national registry.
    Citizens interested in finding out more about the Do Not Call 
Registry and how to register telephone numbers should visit

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donotcall.gov--should call up on the Internet, donotcall.gov, and they 
will find out how to place their number in the registry. Chairman Muris 
and Chairman Powell told me that as of today--starting last night, as of 
today, 108 persons per second are now registering their phone numbers.
    I want to commend the FTC and the FCC and the United States Congress 
for their good work on behalf of American consumers.
    I'm also pleased by the votes last night in the United States Senate 
and the United States House of Representatives to improve Medicare and 
to extend prescription drug coverage to our seniors. A stronger Medicare 
system that gives our seniors more choices and better benefits has been 
a central priority of my administration. I urge the Congress to 
reconcile their differences and to get a bill to my desk as quickly as 
possible.
    Thank you all for coming.

Note: The President spoke at 8:42 a.m. in the Rose Garden at the White 
House. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish 
language transcript of these remarks.