Senate proposal targets telemarketers

A proposal being drafted by one state senator aiming to cut down on dinnertime interruptions may also hinder phone solicitors' ability to collect donations for the University.

Sen. Mike Goschka (R-Brant) is drawing up legislation that would restrict the times telemarketers can place calls at night and said he hopes to introduce a series of bills to the Senate floor by the end of this month.

"It dawned on me after talking to my constituents that something needs to be done to allow people to eat in peace," Goschka said. "I wish you could just pass laws to eliminate them (telemarketers), but you can't."

But Telefund Director Leah Hoover said a law that restricts the organization, which solicits donations from alumni, from calling in the evening would likely result in a loss of revenue for University programs.

"This would really put a damper on our fundraising efforts and on the programs that the deans can offer to students," she said.

Goschka said he would like to prohibit calling after 5 p.m., but he is also considering a ban on calls only between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Michigan law currently permits telemarketing calls to be placed between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.

Hoover said Telefund employees solicit donations from alumni between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. on weeknights and during four-hour periods on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

"The current time frame for us works well," Hoover said. "After 9, we just phone people out west."

Each year, Hoover said, Telefund raises more than $4 million, which goes to support student programs.

"The University community would surely hate to see that lost," she said.

Hoover said that since Telefund employees call University alumni who are often eager to donate money to their alma mater, she would like to see a differentiation made that between fundraising organizations and commercial sales calls.

"We are the not-for-profits," she said. "If there is any change in the policies I would hope they would look at the source of the calls."

Goschka said his bills would tighten time restrictions on all telemarketing calls, because he is concerned about protecting Michigan residents from unwanted "nuisance calls."

"People get really emotional over this issue," Goschka said. "They don't like to be bothered."

After announcing last month that he was working on a law to crack down on telemarketing calls, Goschka said his office logged nearly 90 calls within the next two days, with 84 callers in favor of the idea. "I've never ever received this type of response," he said.

With his legislation still early in the drafting stage, Goschka said he also is considering including provisions requiring telemarketers' phone numbers to appear on Caller ID devices and allowing Michigan residents to put their names on a list that would prohibit any unsolicited calls to their homes.

According to the Michigan Public Service Commission, it is illegal for telemarketers to call people who have asked to be added to the company's "do not call" list for the next 10 years, but non-profit organizations are not required to maintain such lists.

Telemarketers also are required by law to announce the company's name and what they are selling at the beginning of a call and are prohibited from tying up a phone line with autodialed or prerecorded messages.

To reduce telemarketing calls, the MPSC recommends contacting the Consumer Protection Division of the Michigan Attorney General's Office or the Federal Communications Commission's Consumer Complaints department.

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