New York Gov. George Pataki yesterday announced legislation that would merge the state's popular no-call registry with the national registry being launched this summer by the Federal Trade Commission.
Merging the lists would let New Yorkers benefit from the national no-call list without having to register again when the FTC's national list opens in July, Pataki said in a statement.
About 2.4 million phone numbers in New York are on the state's no-call list, according to the New York Consumer Protection Board, and these would be automatically registered for the national list if Pataki's legislation passes.
Pataki's legislation would be a victory for the FTC's efforts to harmonize the national list with existing state lists. Some state officials have been leery of ceding no-call authority to the FTC.
FTC officials have described the harmonization process as a “work in progress.” However, California has opted to use the national registry instead of creating its own, and Michigan's DNC law calls for the creation of a state list if the FTC fails to come through on the national list.
