State's No Call list tops 2 million

As of May 27, Missourians had registered 2,030,251 phone lines with the state’s No Call list, run by the attorney general’s office.

The law, effective since July 2001, protects Missouri residents by imposing fines up to $5,000 per violation on telemarketers and other companies that make sales calls to those on the list.

“Thanks to the state’s No Call law, 2 million Missouri families can now sit down to dinner without the dread of hearing the phone ring and ring and ring, only to have somebody trying to sell them something on the other end of the line,” Attorney General Jay Nixon said in a news release. “The No Call law has empowered Missourians to take control of their homes and guard their privacy.”

Nixon said those who have registered are declaring that they value their privacy.

The attorney general’s office has collected $1,263,000 from violators, including $50,000 from Dish Network. Within the last month, a California telemarketing firm was fined $15,000.

The program is provided free of charge to Missouri residents and is maintained by fines collected from violators.

Residential telephone subscribers can register for the Missouri No Call list or report violators of the law online at www.ago.mo.gov or by calling toll-free 1-866-NOCALL-1.