*Except politicians, banks, insurance companies, phone companies, surveys, some health care messages. It started with a good idea and then the same people who have blown the economy and are blocking health care get exceptions. At least the exceptions to the rule have to proactively find consumers who will agree to being bothered.
The ban is part of the amendments to the FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule unveiled a year ago.
But there are exceptions. Calls that are not trying to sell goods and services to consumers will be exempt, such as those that provide information like flight cancellations and delivery notices and those from debt collectors.
Other calls not covered by the Telemarketing Sales Rule include those from politicians, charities that contact consumers directly, banks, insurers, phone companies, survey calls and certain health care messages such as prescription notifications. These don't fall under the jurisdiction of the FTC, a commission spokesman said.
Before the ban, consumers had to specifically join a do-not-call list to avoid prerecorded telemarketing calls. But after Sept. 1, consumers shouldn't get most of these calls anymore. If they do get one, they can file a complaint with the commission online through FTC.gov or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP.
