Minnesota’s Do Not Call Law
/ What the law does:
On May 15, 2002 Governor Ventura signed into law the "Do Not Call List" bill which is expected to reduce the number of unsolicited telemarketing calls that consumers receive. The new law allows Minnesota consumers who do not want to be contacted by telemarketers to register their phone numbers on a Do Not Call list. Phone solicitors contacting consumers are required to purchase an updated list every four months and remove those phone numbers from their databases. Phone numbers will remain on the list for four years. The Department of Commerce will maintain the list and enforce the law, which goes into effect January 1, 2003.
What the law does NOT do:
The new law will not stop all telemarketing calls to consumers. Certain organizations are exempt from the law, meaning they do not have to purchase the Do Not Call list before phoning Minnesota citizens:
  • Non profit organizations
  • Political organizations
  • Businesses with a prior relationship with the customer (such as banks, credit card companies and telephone companies)
  • Businesses that do not complete the sale over the phone, but rather complete thepresentation in a face-to-face setting (such as home repair services, lawn services, and mortgage companies)
How the list is funded
The cost of establishing and maintaining the list will be recovered through the fees paid by telemarketers who are required to purchase the No Call list on a quarterly basis. Violators could be charged with a civil penalty of up to $1,000 per violation. Repeat offenders will be barred from all telemarketing in the state.
Other provision in the No Call List law
  • All telemarketers will be prohibited from using devices that disable Caller ID on consumers' telephones.
  • Telemarketers will be required to immediately identify themselves, the company they represent and the product they are selling.
  • If the Federal Trade Commission develops a nationwide "do not call list," Minnesota's list will be automatically included on the national register. In that case, companies that obtain the federal list wouldn't be required to buy the state list.
A Word from the Department of Commerce:
The department is concerned that the new law creates the expectation that consumers will no longer have their lives interrupted by unwanted telemarketing calls. The exceptions in the law may make it possible for a number of telemarketers to continue soliciting customers by phone.