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 STATEMENT  OF  COMMISSIONER  KEVIN  J.  MARTIN 
 Re:  Rules  and  Regulations  Implementing  the  Telephone  Consumer  Protection  Act  of  1991;  CGB  Docket  No.  02-  XXX  ;  CC  Docket  No.  92-  90 


 I  commend  the  Chairman  and  Bureau  staff  for  their  effort  to  craft  this  Notice  that  seeks  comment  on  how  we  can  more  effectively  protect  consumers  from 
 unwanted  telephone  solicitations  and  facsimile  transmissions.  I  also  support  the  inquiry  on  whether  to  revisit  the  option  of  establishing  a  national  do-  not-  call  list 
 and,  to  what  extent,  we  should  supplement  the  Federal  Trade  Commission’s  pending  proposal  to  adopt  a  national  do-  not-  call  list. 


 With  the  development  of  more  effective  telemarketing  practices  during  the  past  decade,  American  consumers  are  now  faced  with  a  greater  amount  of  unwanted 
 solicitations  on  their  telephones  and  fax  machines.  The  frequency  of  these  solicitations  has  become  an  unwanted  interruption  in  the  busy  lives  of  the 
 American  family.  Today,  we  begin  the  process  to  give  the  American  consumer  additional  tools  to  stem  the  tide  of  these  unwanted  solicitations.  I  am  pleased  to 
 support  another  Commission  decision  that  engages  our  authority  to  protect  consumers  by  modifying  our  rules  to  address  evolving  business  practices, 
 changing  marketplace  conditions,  and  technological  innovation. 
 I  am  also  pleased  to  note  that  the  proceeding  we  launch  today  does  not  seek  to  alter  in  any  way  the  existing  exemption  from  the  telemarketing  restrictions  for 


 entities  involved  in  political  or  religious  speech.  Protecting  free  and  unfettered  political  and  religious  speech  is  critical  to  our  democracy.  In  my  view,  the  risk  of 
 any  actual  or  perceived  infringement  on  political  and  religious  discourse  outweighs  whatever  speculative  benefits  may  be  obtained  from  imposing 
 additional  regulatory  restrictions  on  such  activity. 
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