3 Out Of 4 Block Telemarketing Calls

Three out of four adult Americans say they've signed up for the Federal Trade Commission's Do-Not-Call Registry, and are receiving fewer telemarketing calls because of the block, a national pollster said Thursday.

According to the Harris Interactive survey, 76 percent of all U.S. adults say that they've signed up at the registry, with a solid majority of those claiming that although they're still getting some unwanted calls, they're getting far fewer than before. Overall, more than 90 percent who have registered say they've experienced some kind of drop in calls.

The Do-Not-Call Registry went live in June 2003 and registered more than 10 million numbers in the its first weekend. Since then, the percentage of Americans who have registered has steadily climbed, from 32 percent in September 2003 and 57 percent in January 2004 to the current 76 percent.

While there was once talk of instituting something similar for e-mail--a so-called "Do-Not-Spam" list--the FTC has told Congress that a copycat program wouldn't stymie spam.

Consumers can sign up with the registry at this FTC-sponsored site.