Mississippi Gov. Ronnie Musgrove signed legislation that will create a no-call registry in the state, the Associated Press reported yesterday.
The law takes effect July 1. In an April 9 statement, the state Public Service Commission said it would establish specific rules regarding the registry “over the next several weeks” and conduct public hearings across the state to educate the public about the new law.
The commission, which will maintain the registry, also will begin enhancing its computer systems to make them capable of hosting the do-not-call database, according to the statement.
Calls to existing business relationships are exempt, as are calls from “newspapers, state licensed realtors, insurance companies, automobile dealers, funeral homes, financial institutions and some charitable organizations,” according to the commission's statement.
States continue to create their own DNC lists despite the Federal Trade Commission's widely publicized plan to launch a national list that will cover all consumers and be “harmonized” with state lists. California originally intended to create its own DNC list but scrapped those plans in favor of giving its residents the chance for early signup for the national list.
Consumer registry for the national list officially begins this summer, and enforcement is expected to begin in October.
