Issues instructions to telephone companies regarding consumer information

Contact:  Andrew Melnykovych 502-564-3940

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Feb. 5, 2008) – The Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC) is reminding residents that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has assumed responsibility for maintaining the list of telephone customers who do not want to receive calls from telemarketers.

In an order issued today, the PSC instructed telephone service providers on the steps they must take annually to inform their customers of the provisions of Kentucky’s telemarketing laws.

Under a bill passed by the 2007 Kentucky General Assembly, names already on the Kentucky do-not-call list were transferred last year to the FTC’s national registry. With that change, Kentucky customers wishing to sign up for the do-not-call list in the future must do so by contacting the FTC, either online at  www.donotcall.gov or by calling toll free, 888-382-1222 (TTY 866-290-4236), from the number they wish to register. A link to the FTC site is available on the Kentucky Office of Attorney General’s do-not-call Web site, www.nocall.ky.gov.

PSC Chairman Mark David Goss noted that the do-not-call list has been the subject of a number of rumors in recent months.

“Contrary to some of the information circulating in cyberspace, telemarketers are not about to receive unrestricted access to wireless phones,” Goss said. “All a consumer needs to do to protect his or her wireless phone number is to place it on the do-not-call list.”

Goss also noted that there is no truth to the rumor that the FTC will begin removing numbers from the list if they were registered more than five years ago. The FTC has announced that it will not purge numbers until either it or Congress makes a final decision on whether to impose an expiration period, he said.

“If phone numbers were on the Kentucky list as of June 2007, there is nothing a customer needs to do at this point to remain protected against unwanted telemarketing calls,” Goss said.

The Kentucky law bars telemarketing calls with the exception of those soliciting donations for charities; those made by companies with whom the recipient has a prior business relationship, debt or contract; or those made at the recipient’s request.

Complaints regarding possible violations of Kentucky or federal do-not-call statutes may be filed with the Kentucky Office of Attorney General (www.nocall.ky.gov or 866-877-7867) or the FTC (www.donotcall.gov or 888-382-1222).

Telecommunication providers in Kentucky must notify their customers of the do-not-call provisions through bill inserts, bill messages or the customer guides in their telephone directories.

A brochure explaining the do-not-call law, as well as today’s order, may be found on the PSC’s Web site. The case number is 2007-00506.

The PSC is an independent agency attached for administrative purposes to the Department of Public Protection in the Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet. It regulates more than 1,500 gas, water, sewer, electric and telecommunication utilities operating in the commonwealth of Kentucky and has approximately 110 employees.