Is the National Do Not Call Registry Effective?

One of the first pieces of advice anyone gets about how to reduce the number of telemarketing calls to their phone is to sign up for the National Do Not Call Registry that is managed by the FCC. But how effective is it?

According to a recent report by Clutch called How Do People React to Robocalls, only 31% of consumers believe that the Registry is effective and 19% actually believe it increases the number of robocalls they receive.

There are likely two main factors at play with the poor brand reputation of the Registry:

1. People aren't aware of the number of unsolicited calls they have not received. The very nature of the Registry is that when it's doing its job well, you won't really notice. With the invention of technology to assist plus the growth of new phone numbers, the number of telemarketing calls has skyrocketed over the past decade. YouMail's Robocall index claims there were 4.7 billion robocalls placed in December 2018 alone. For every 10 calls you receive, there are likely 10x that number that have not been patched through.
2. There are a lot of bad actors that don't follow the rules. Whether they are operating from overseas and do not fear recourse or simply disregard the regulations, many providers simply don't pay attention to the Registry. In the end, telemarketing is a numbers game. Providers know that the more calls they make, the more likely it is that they will close a piece of business and they are willing to do what it takes to find those few needles in a haystack. Being on the Registry will have no affect on whether these providers call you or not.

While the Registry doesn't stop all telemarketing calls, it still serves an important purpose. Beyond the calls that it does prevent, it also gives you recourse to file a complaint against an offending provider with the FCC.

If you're looking to stop robocalls to your home, business or cell phone, it is still strongly recommended that you sign up for the Do Not Call Registry. And if you need additional tips to reduce these pesky calls - check out our piece that covers 6 Ways to Reduce Robocalls to Your Cell Phone.