June 26, 2003

NASHVILLE, TN - The Tennessee Regulatory Authority (TRA) announced today that it intends to retain exclusive use of the state Registry used in the Tennessee Do-Not-Call Program and not export the data to the Federal Trade Commission(FTC) for shared use in the national program.

Today’s announcement will allow Tennessee consumers to decide for themselves if they want to be included in the Federal program. The TRA will continue to offer Tennessee consumers the same protections and diligent enforcement currently provided by the state program.

At a special conference on June 23rd, the directors voted unanimously in favor of sending the database to the federal agency on the condition that the FTC require telemarketers to comply with Tennessee law prior to receiving database information from the FTC. The FTC declined the TRA’s offer stating it was unable to do so.

The condition was established by the TRA out of concern that the federal program might comprise the effectiveness and financial integrity of the Tennessee program as well as weaken the statutory safeguards established by the Tennessee General Assembly to protect consumers from unwanted telemarketing calls.

“The FTC’s response that the TRA’s reguest was not “practicable” results in the TRA maintaining the state Registry in-house and continuing to operate the program as it has been successfully operated since its inception three years ago,” said TRA Chairman, Sara Kyle.

“Currently, there are over 850,000 Tennessee consumers and over 700 telephone solicitation companies and organizations participating in the Tennessee program. The program has served as a model for other states seeking to implement similar “no-telemarketing” legislation,” added Kyle. The FTC’s program will require new enrollees to register with both state and federal agencies.

Today’s TRA announcement will allow consumers to decide for themselves if they want to be included in the federal program will be made available by the FTC in the coming days.

To register in the Tennessee Do-Not-Call Program, call 1-877-872-7030, or for information about the state and federal programs, visit the TRA’s website at www.state.tn/tra.