I’m somewhat concerned that the new Do Not Call list isn’t going to help with the overall telemarketing traffic to any great degree. Despite the fact that putting yourself on the Do Not Call list exempts you from commercial telemarketing, there are a number of categories of solicitation that are still allowed even if you’re on the list. Clearly with lots of people on the Do Not Call list, the overall demand for telemarketing services will be going down, which one would expect to lower the fees charged by the direct marketing firms for their services. . That means that the people in the exempted categories will be able to afford more telemarketing for the same number of dollars that they were already spending, and it probably means that the direct marketing firms are going to be pitching their services to people in the exempted categories more aggressively than ever.

Here’s the list of exempted types of calls (from the consumer FAQ:

Placing your number on the National Do Not Call Registry will stop most, but not all, telemarketing calls. You may still receive calls from political organizations, charities, telephone surveyors, the business of insurance (to the extent that it is regulated by state law), or companies with which you have an existing business relationship.