… it appears that this story, about an up-and-coming cell phone directory for telemarketers, is false:
Officials at the Federal Trade Commission say an erroneous e-mail has crossed the country urging cell phone users to get on the federal Do Not Call list before Jan. 1 or risk being called by telemarketers. Cellular customers pay for their incoming calls, adding to consumer worries about unwanted solicitations.
“The e-mail is running rampant, and the information in it is just not true,” said Jen Schwartzman, a Federal Trade Commission spokeswoman.
I wasn’t the only one to believe it, though.
Plenty of cell phone subscribers are heeding the warning. The federal Do Not Call list typically receives 200,000 new phone numbers a week. Last week, 5 million people registered.
“The situation is starting to cause us some grief,” Schwartzman said.
There is a nugget of truth to the story. Cell phone system operators will be banding together to offer a directory of cell phone numbers to information (411) operators. But the list will not be sold or available (legitimately) to telemarketers, and folks will have to actually opt-in to be included on it.
Called Wireless 411 Service, the directory is a coordinated effort by Alltel, Cingular/AT&T Wireless, Nextel, Sprint and T-Mobile. Only their customers will be able to sign up, although other companies may join later. […]
About 5 million people now pay to list their cell phone numbers in published telephone directories, according to the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association. “This directory is a chance for them to list their numbers for free,” Fishburn said. “In order to get someone’s cell phone number, you have to know a little about them, for instance the town that they live in. And the numbers will only be available from an operator. There will not be an Internet directory.”
FYI.
Good to know.