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FCC Consumer Advisory

Predictive Dialing: Silence on the Other End of the Line

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) receives complaints about “dead air” or hang up calls. Here’s what happens: the phone rings and when the person receiving the call picks up the phone, he or she is met with silence or the “click” of the calling party disconnecting the call. This can be caused by predictive dialing, a technology that allows a telemarketer to simultaneously dial many more numbers than the telemarketer can handle if all of the called parties pick up at the same time. The first to pick up is connected to the telemarketer while the rest are disconnected.

The practice of predictive dialing, and the resulting abandoned calls, often do not allow you to identify the company calling and, therefore, do not afford you the opportunity to make a ”do-not-call” request under FCC rules.

In 2003, the FCC adopted rules that prohibit telemarketers from abandoning more than three percent of all calls placed by the telemarketer and answered by a person. A call will be considered “abandoned” if it is not transferred to a live sales agent within two seconds of the recipient’s greeting.

If you wish to avoid telemarketing calls, you may want to register your number with the National

Do-Not-Call Registry by calling 1-888-382-1222 (1-866-290-4236 (TTY)) from the telephone number you wish to register, or you can register on line at www.donotcall.gov. You may also want to contact your state to find out if it has a broad “do-not-call” law that restricts telemarketing calls to individuals registered on its state list.