Section 8-19C-2

Database of subscribers objecting to telephone solicitations.

(a) No person or entity may make or cause to be made any telephone solicitation to the telephone line of any residential subscriber in this state who has given notice to the commission of his or her objection to receiving telephone solicitations.

(b)(1) The commission shall establish and operate a database to compile a list of telephone numbers of residential subscribers who object to receiving telephone solicitations. The commission shall have the database in operation before July 1, 2000.

(2) The database may be operated by the commission or by another entity under contract with the commission.

(3) Before July 1, 2000, the commission shall promulgate regulations which shall include all of the following:

a. A requirement that each local exchange company and each competing local exchange carrier shall inform on an annual basis its residential subscribers of the opportunity to provide notification to the commission or its contractor that the subscriber objects to receiving telephone solicitations.

The information shall be disseminated at the option of the carrier by television, radio, or newspaper advertisements; written correspondence; bill insert or messages; telephone book subscription forms; or any other method not expressly prohibited.

b. Methods by which each residential subscriber may give notice to the commission or its contractor of his or her objection to receiving solicitations or revocation of the notice.

c. Methods by which a notice of objection becomes effective and the effect of a change of telephone number on the notice.

d. Methods by which objections and revocations are collected and added to the database.

e. Methods by which a person or entity desiring to make telephone solicitations may obtain access to the database as required to avoid calling the telephone numbers of residential subscribers included in the database.

f. All other matters relating to the database that the commission deems necessary.

(4) If, pursuant to 47 U.S.C. Section 227(c)(3), the Federal Communications Commission establishes a single national database of telephone numbers of subscribers who object to receiving telephone solicitations, the commission shall include the part of the single national database that relates to Alabama in the database established under this section.

(Act 99-450, p. 1043, §3.)