Attorney General's News Release

July 10, 2003

Nixon sues MCI, AT&T, Southwestern Bell for continuing telemarketing calls to Missourians who told them to stop

Jefferson City, Mo. — Attorney General Jay Nixon today opened up a new offensive to help Missourians fend off unwanted telemarketing calls by filing lawsuits in federal court against three of the country's largest long-distance carriers. Nixon said MCI, AT&T and Southwestern Bell — which, as telephone companies, are exempt from Missouri's No Call law — have violated the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act by continuing to make telemarketing calls to Missouri consumers who have asked them to stop.

The lawsuits — MCI, AT&T, Southwestern Bell — were filed this morning in federal court in St. Louis.

"The telephone companies and their lobbyists have been quite skillful in carving out and keeping their loophole in the state No Call law," Nixon said. "That does not mean, however, that they can flout federal telemarketing rules. These lawsuits show I will use every tool available to me to fight for the rights of Missourians to be free from these unwanted intrusions by telemarketers."

The federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act requires all telemarketers to refrain from calling back consumers within a one-year period after the consumers have asked them not to call, and place those phone numbers on a do-not-call list. Nixon said Missouri consumers had complained to his office after they received telemarketing calls from the telephone companies after asking them not to call.

"When my office asked MCI, AT&T and Southwestern Bell for copies of the do-not-call lists they are required to keep, the phone companies went to court in Cole County to block our efforts," Nixon said. "We will not be deterred by those maneuvers. Missourians have shown tremendous support for our efforts to curtail unwanted telemarketing calls, and our filing of these lawsuits is one more way to protect them from those calls."

Nixon encouraged Missourians who have received telemarketing calls in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act to file a complaint with his office by going online (PDF link 50K or html) or by calling toll-free 1-866-NOCALL1 (1-866-662-2551).

The Attorney General's Office has aggressively enforced Missouri's No Call law since it took effect July 1, 2001, collecting $1,075,500 in sanctions from companies that have violated the law. There are more than 1.2 million residential telephone numbers on the No Call list, representing an estimated 3 million Missourians.

Inquiries from consumers should be directed to consumer@ago.mo.gov or 1-800-392-8222 (from within Missouri) or 573-751-3321 (outside Missouri).

All media inquiries should be directed to Press Secretary John Fougere.

E-mail      Phone: 573-751-8844         Fax: 573-751-5818