This just in: Cell phone numbers NOT going public next month

Here's an oldie but goodie that's been making the rounds for years now, but every time a friend, co-worker, or loved one forwards it to me—like yesterday, for example—it feels new all over again.

So … straight from the petri dish that is my inbox, here's the message in question:

REMEMBER: Cell Phone Numbers Go Public next month.



REMINDER.... all cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sale calls.


.... YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS



To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone:  888-382-1222 ..
It is the National DO NOT CALL list . It will only take a minute of your time. It blocks your number for five (5) years. You must call from the cell phone number you want to have blocked. You cannot call from a different phone number.



HELP OTHERS BY PASSING THIS ON TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS... It takes about 20 seconds.

Who knows how many times I've gotten this e-mail forward—and this time, the innocent forwarder was my mother-in-law, who (thanks to her new DSL modem) has been surfing the Web at light speed in the past month or so.

Anyway, to the point: Are telemarketers really chomping at the bit, waiting for cell phone numbers to go public next month? In a word, no.

Snopes.com—the exhaustive Web-based index of urban legends—has a thorough entry on this particular rumor, which it quickly busts like a piñata.

First of all: There's no such thing as a complete, nationwide directory of cell phone numbers. Several so-called "Wireless 911" services have tried to get off the ground, but without much success—and besides, Wireless 911 directories are opt-in only, meaning that callers who do nothing wouldn't be included.

Next: There's no deadline for registering your cell phone on the federal "Do Not Call" list, and thanks to recent legislation, all numbers on the list will stay there permanently, not just for five years.

Finally: Keep in mind that the FCC already bans telemarketers from using automated dialers to call cell phone numbers—and since automated dialers are "standard in the industry" (as the FTC puts it), that essentially puts the kibosh on 99.9 percent of cell-phone telemarketing calls.

So no, your cell phone number is NOT going public next month, and the next time someone forwards you a warning that it is, please nip that message in the bud.

Related:
Celling Your Soul [Snopes.com]