To protect Coloradans from falling victim to some phone scams, the State of Colorado developed Colorado Do Not Call List. It is a database of Colorado telephone service subscribers who do not wish to receive telephone solicitations. Colorado is one of the topmost disturbed states with robocalls in the United States, with over 844 million such calls in 2019. Robocalls are automated phone calls that deliver pre-recorded messages, and over 50% of Colorado's robocalls are targeted at ripping off residents. In 2001, the Colorado General Assembly unanimously passed legislation that allows residents of the state to prevent falling prey to unwanted calls. The legislation was named Colorado's No-Call Law, paving the way for the emergence of the Colorado Do-Not-Call List. The Colorado Do-Not-Call prohibits telemarketers from contacting users of phone numbers listed on the state's Do-Not-Call list. Colorado is one of the few in the United States that has a Do-Not-Call list. A number of anti-robocall laws also exist to curb the menace of spam calls in the state. Phone lookup services can help Coloradans identify robocalls and avoid scams.
Exemptions to Colorado Do-Not-Call exist, implying that numbers registered on the DNC list may still get unsolicited calls. Unsolicited calls can be placed to the phone numbers in the DNC list under the following conditions:
- If the call recipients have given prior express written permission, such calls are allowed.
- Calls placed by or on behalf of charity organizations are no violations of the DNC law.
- If they are calls by or on behalf of persons with whom the called parties have established relationships. By established connections, it means such relationships must have existed in no fewer than 18 months. A robocall violates the Colorado DNC Law if it comes after the termination of a business relationship by either party or not voluntarily formed by both parties.
- Calls soliciting support for the political candidates during elections are not prohibited.
- Calls seeking opinions and ideas, especially on public matters, are allowed.
Is Colorado Do Not Call List Different from the National Do Not Call List?
The National Do Not Call Registry and Colorado Do Not Call list prohibits telephone solicitations to numbers registered in them. Both lists protect only residential phones and phones meant for personal use. However, the cell phone provisions of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) protect business landlines and cell phones from robocalls. The National DNC Registry and Colorado DNC registry do not prohibit certain types of calls. For instance, phone calls that attempt to collect a legitimate debt are not telephone solicitations because they are not trying to sell a product or service. Both lists grant consumers a private right of action to sue erring telemarketers, although the Colorado list requires actual damages or facts which constitute fraud. Also, registration on both lists is free. Coloradans are encouraged to register their numbers in both lists to be sure that they are not missing on a no-call list. Residents who have enlisted their numbers on this list and still get telephone solicitations can use reverse phone lookup services to identify such numbers. The identified numbers can be reported to relevant federal and state agencies and blocked from future calls
There are some marked differences between both lists. These include:
- The Colorado DNC list is managed by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC), while the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) administers the National DNC Registry.
- Registered numbers on the Colorado DNC list require at least 30 days to stop receiving telephone solicitations. Within this period, telemarketing companies would have been advised of such developments. For the National DNC Registry, registered numbers appear the next day, but telemarketing calls will not cease until after 31 days of registration.
- Each of these lists has an exclusive medium for filing consumer complaints. To file a complaint of an unwanted call for a number on the Colorado DNC List, use the Colorado no-call complaint form. For numbers registered on the National Do Not Call Registry, submit a complaint using the FTC's complaint assistant for unwanted calls.
How Do I Register on Colorado Do Not Call List?
Registration on Colorado Do Not Call list is only open to residential and personal cell phone numbers. The law that birthed it does not apply to business numbers. You can enlist your number on this list in two ways:
- Call toll-free 1 (800)-309-7041 from the number you wish to register. Listening carefully to the prompts will guide you to complete the registration process.
- Use the Colorado no-call registration page to register your number online. Once on this page, enter your phone number, zip code, and e-mail (this is optional). Click on the "Add" button to complete the process.
Both methods of registration are accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is crucial to state that adding or removing other persons' phone numbers to/from the Colorado DNC list is a violation of Colorado's No-Call law.
What Should I Know about Colorado Do Not Call List?
To fight the scourge of telephone solicitations in Colorado, the state's General Assembly, in 2001, passed the Colorado No-Call law. This law led to the introduction of the Colorado No-Call List. The Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) is chargeable for implementing this list amidst other responsibilities. Residents of the state can add multiple numbers to this list, and registration is free.
When Coloradans register their phone numbers on the Colorado DNC list, they do not immediately reflect on telemarketers lists. Consequently, telemarketers need to update their records quarterly on April 30, July 31, October 31, and January 31 every year. Registered numbers do not also cease to get robocalls immediately after signing up. It takes at least 30 days from the day of registration to stop receiving telemarketers unsolicited calls. Below is a detailed explanation of how it works:
- If you enroll between January 1 and March 31, by April 30, telemarketers would have updated their records. By May 1, you should stop getting robocalls.
- For registration done between April 1 and June 30, robocalls should stop by August 1, at which time telemarketers would have updated their lists.
- Robocalls should cease by November 1 if the registration date falls within July 1 and September 30. Telemarketers routinely update records on October 31.
- Numbers enrolled on the Colorado DNC list between October 1 and December 31 should stop getting unwanted calls by February 1. Telemarketers are expected to have updated their records by January 31 for numbers registered within this period.
Although registering your number on the Colorado DNC list does not guarantee that you will stop getting unsolicited calls. It will end calls from legitimate telemarketers and reduce robocall inundation. You can be sure that any unsolicited call you get after adding your number on the Colorado DNC list is a potential spam call. This, in part, will prevent you from falling victim to robocall scams. Using reverse phone number search applications can help you retrieve the details of numbers used for spam calls. Coloradans who continue to receive unsolicited telemarketing calls after enlisting their numbers on the Colorado DNC list can report using the Colorado no-call complaint form. Alternatively, they can call 1 (800) 309-7041.