Telemarketer fees to access Do Not Call Registry to increase: FTC

Telemarketers pay fees to access numbers on the Do Not Call Registry
Those fees will increase in October
The maximum charge to a company will be $21,402

Updated: Aug 23, 2023 / 05:36 PM CDT

FILE: Apple CEO Tim Cook shows off iPhone X. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

(NewsNation) — Fees for telemarketers accessing phone numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry will increase, the FTC recently announced.

According to the FTC, all telemarketers calling consumers in the U.S. must download the numbers on the registry to make sure they don’t call people on the list, but accessing that list actually costs telemarketers.

“The first five area codes are free to download, and organizations that are exempt, such as some charities and political callers, may obtain the entire list for free. Telemarketers must subscribe each year for access to the registry numbers,” the FTC explained in a news release.

The agency says the maximum charge to a single company for accessing all area codes across the country will be $21,402, up from $20,740.

The increased fee will begin in October.