NEGAUNEE TWP -- We've all experienced it at one time or another.  We sit down at our dinner table and the phone rings.  It's almost always a prying telemarketer, trying to make a sale.  But in 2003, the FCC and FTC developed something that would cut the constant calls:  the National Do Not Call Registry.

"It basically stops you from getting telemarketing calls that you don't want," said Todd Kossow, assistant director of the FTC Midwest region.

By the end of 2010, over 7 million Michigan residents registered on the Do Not Call List, and over 200 million applications were submitted nationwide.  Why?  It works.  The registry is nationwide in scope, applies to all telemarketers and covers both interstate and intrastate telemarketing calls.  Commercial telemarketers are not allowed to call you if your number is on the registry.

But there are some exceptions:  calls from organizations with which you have established a business relationship, calls for which you have given prior written permission, calls which are not commercial or do not include unsolicited advertisements, and calls by or on behalf of tax-exempt, non-profit organizations.

The FTC admits the system has its cracks in it, but they are constantly working to improve it.

"We urge consumers if their numbers are registered on the Do Not Call Registry and they continue to receive calls, they should submit a complaint to the FTC, and they can do that at donotcall.gov," Kossow said.

That's the same website you register for the list.  Registration is simple and free.  All you need to do is visit the website, submit your number, and it will become telemarketer-free.

You can register multiple land line or mobile phone numbers on the do not call list and they will remain on the list until you remove them or discontinue service.  There is no need to re-register numbers.