In another show of the White House's support for the national no-call list, President Bush signed a bill yesterday affirming the Federal Trade Commission's authority to obtain funding for the agency's do-not-call registry.
Bush signed the bill that grants the FTC permission to levy fees on telemarketers that will fund the estimated $16 million cost of launching and maintaining the list in its first year, the Associated Press reported. Bush's action followed his signature last month of the FY2003 Omnibus Appropriations bill, which also authorized the FTC to charge telemarketers.
After the passage of the appropriations bill, the FTC chose AT&T Government Solutions as the contractor in charge of the DNC list's launch. AT&T's contract is valued at $3.5 million in the first year, and the FTC has annual renewal options over the next nine years.
The Direct Marketing Association and the American Teleservices Association have filed lawsuits against the FTC challenging the national no-call registry on constitutional grounds.
