TOPEKA, KAN. – The Kansas No-Call Act should be expanded to cover consumers’ cellular telephone numbers, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said today.
Schmidt announced at a news conference that he is proposing a bill to update the Kansas No-Call Act to allow his office to enforce violations against telemarketers who target consumer’s cellular phone numbers registered on the federal Do-Not-Call list. Senator Pat Apple (R-Louisburg), chairman of the Senate Utilities Committee, and representatives of Kansas AARP, AT&T, Sprint and Verizon joined Schmidt and announced their support for the bill.
“Kansans who register their personal phone numbers on the Do-Not-Call list have an expectation of privacy, whether that number is tied to a landline or wireless phone,” Schmidt said. “The Kansas No-Call Act needs to be updated to reflect the reality that many Kansans use wireless phones as their primary – and often only – phone number.”
While the federal Do-Not-Call database allows consumers to register any phone number, the Kansas law is unclear whether the Attorney General can pursue violations of the Act when a call is made to a cell phone number registered on the list. Schmidt’s proposal would clarify that the law does apply to mobile phone numbers and update other parts of the statute to mirror federal Do-Not-Call regulations.
Kansans who wish to register a phone number on the Do-Not-Call list may do so by visiting www.InYourCornerKansas.org and clicking on the “Register for the Do-Not-Call List” button.
