While telemarketing groups welcomed the Federal Trade Commission’s decision late Friday to postpone until Oct. 1 implementation of some parts of its changes to the Telemarketing Sales Rule, some telemarketing firms wondered if they could meet even these extended deadlines.
The FTC granted a Direct Marketing Association petition and extended the implementation date for the abandoned-call provision of the revised Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR). But, the FTC denied the petition by the DMA and the American Teleservices Association to stay other provisions of the TSR.
Other provisions include:
*Implementing a national do-not-call list
*Requiring telemarketers to transmit Caller ID information
*Restricting unauthorized billing
The granted petition extends until Oct. 1, enforcement of the provisions that say telemarketers must use a recorded message as part of a “safe harbor” if the telemarketer abandons a call after the person who has been called answers the phone. This provision was to have gone into effect on March 31.
“It certainly buys us time, I don
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