Albany, NY Takes a Reasonable Step Toward Preventing YP Spam
In case you missed it, Matt from Yellow Pages – Do Not Distribute left a comment about Albany, New York’s decision to mandate opt-out and delivery standards for yellow pages companies in their community:
And in case you haven’t heard, last night in Albany, NY, in what is sure to set presidence for all of these other cities, the council passed into law a requirement that any Yellow Pages that are delivered must be placed within 10 feet of the door. All publishers must offer a way to opt out of the directory (either on the cover or in the table of contents), and any names added to an opt out list must stay on there for 5 years.
Let’s watch now and see how many other cities follow suit.
Good for Albany. It’s great to see legislatures implement reasonable measures that make life better for their constituents.
January 23rd, 2009 at 9:28 pm
I think this is absurd. Governments have no business poking its nose in phone book companies. Find something necessary to do or don’t do anything.
January 24th, 2009 at 12:17 am
Kevin, they’re reacting to concerns from constituents. If phone book companies had treated people people with the respect they expect (aka. don’t litter on my property) the issue never would have come up. And as long as they respect citizens now, they won’t run into issues with the law.
January 24th, 2009 at 12:21 am
Kevin – Did you complain when the government implemented the Do Not Call Registry? Or how about when the FTC passed the CAN-SPAM act in 2003? Why should the Yellow Pages be any different from any of these other companies?
There are some cities where the residents receive 5+ phone book a year, all from different publishers. That is an average of a new phone book thrown on their lawns or driveways about every 10 weeks.
Where I live, we get 4 a year from different publishers. About every 3 months a van comes down our street, and a guy flings the book out of the open side door on my side walk. My neighbor compared it to a drive by shooting, except with phone books instead of bullets.
The law that was passed in Albany now makes the publishers accountable for their directories, how they are delivered, and if a person really wants it. Now that is a law, and nose poking that I can live with.