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yesthattomD.C. -- Today the U.S. government announced a service where people can register that they don't want to receive email from friends, concerned citizens and relatives telling them that the U.S. government has created a registry of people that don't want to receive phone calls from telemarketers. People have until August 1, 2003 to register their email address, and people are required to check against that list starting September 1st. The fine for not using the list is $5,500 per incident.
"I knew it existed because I read about it in the New York Times, CNN.COM, Slashdot.org, and three other technology publications that I receive. Then I got email about it from my brother, my mother, our department secretary, and three other friends. If the email keeps up, soon I'll be getting more reminders from helpful friends than I ever received calls from telemarketers." said Tim Rimonnelly, a long-time internet user.
Consumers can join the registry online at http://www.donotemailmeaboutdonotcall.gov or by phone west of the Mississippi River (1-555-555-1222). Michael Powell, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, which partnered with the FTC on the registry, reported that penalties for emailing those on the do-not-email-me-about-do-not-call list can range up to $5,500 per unwanted call. Charities, surveys and calls on behalf of politicians are exempt from the registry.
Tim Rimonncelly says that he started lobbying for the do-not-email-me-about-the-do-not-call list after people started forwarding it to email lists. "Shesh! Someone even started forwarding the announcement to all the pornographic mailing lists I'm on. I completely lost my erection!" he reported. "I mean, I understand why the department secretary forwarded it... she forwards everything she gets to the entire company because she thinks she's the only one that hears about these things. But now the moderators of my porn lists are sending it out?!? This has gone too far!"
Statisticians at the Pew Demographic Institute estimate that the only people that haven't heard about the do-not-call list are hermits that don't have telephones anyway. "Actually, we found the one person that hadn't heard about it, so I called him personally to tell him." said Mark Markmarkmark, Director of the institute.
"People think they are trying to be helpful. They aren't. Leave me alone!" concluded Tim.
"I knew it existed because I read about it in the New York Times, CNN.COM, Slashdot.org, and three other technology publications that I receive. Then I got email about it from my brother, my mother, our department secretary, and three other friends. If the email keeps up, soon I'll be getting more reminders from helpful friends than I ever received calls from telemarketers." said Tim Rimonnelly, a long-time internet user.
Consumers can join the registry online at http://www.donotemailmeaboutdonotcall.gov or by phone west of the Mississippi River (1-555-555-1222). Michael Powell, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, which partnered with the FTC on the registry, reported that penalties for emailing those on the do-not-email-me-about-do-not-call list can range up to $5,500 per unwanted call. Charities, surveys and calls on behalf of politicians are exempt from the registry.
Tim Rimonncelly says that he started lobbying for the do-not-email-me-about-the-do-not-call list after people started forwarding it to email lists. "Shesh! Someone even started forwarding the announcement to all the pornographic mailing lists I'm on. I completely lost my erection!" he reported. "I mean, I understand why the department secretary forwarded it... she forwards everything she gets to the entire company because she thinks she's the only one that hears about these things. But now the moderators of my porn lists are sending it out?!? This has gone too far!"
Statisticians at the Pew Demographic Institute estimate that the only people that haven't heard about the do-not-call list are hermits that don't have telephones anyway. "Actually, we found the one person that hadn't heard about it, so I called him personally to tell him." said Mark Markmarkmark, Director of the institute.
"People think they are trying to be helpful. They aren't. Leave me alone!" concluded Tim.
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no subject
Date: 2003-07-07 11:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-07-07 03:37 pm (UTC)I love that song by Wang Chung.
no subject
Date: 2003-07-07 03:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-07-07 03:55 pm (UTC)And that, ladies and gentlemen, was the beginning of the end of the world.
:-)
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Date: 2003-07-07 05:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-07-08 11:37 am (UTC)