Regulations

What is the TPS?

The Telephone Preference Service, set up by the Direct Marketing Association (UK) Limited (DMA), was originally formed in 1995 as a voluntary self-regulatory mechanism to enable consumers to opt-out of receiving unsolicited sales and marketing calls.

Following the adoption of the Telecommunications Data Protection Directive by the European Parliament in 1997, the Department of Trade & Industry (DTI) and the Office of Telecommunications (OFTEL) entered into a public consultation period resulting in The Telecommunications (Data Protection and Privacy) Regulations 1999 which affect all telemarketers in the UK and come into force 1st May 1999. The Directive and Regulations are wide-ranging in their scope and should be studied carefully, in their entirety, by UK tele- & fax-marketers.

In February 1999 OFTEL issued an Invitation To Tender for the Management of the Telephone and Fax Opt-Out Schemes. The DMA has been awarded the contract to run the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) and Fax Preference Service (FPS).

The TPS enables Individuals to register their objection to receiving direct marketing calls with a central service.

Who are Individuals?

Individuals are consumers, sole traders, and (except in Scotland) partnerships.

Telemarketing companies are able to receive the list of numbers that have been registered by subscribing to the TPS.

( (© www.tpsonline.org.uk) reproduced with kind permission of telephone preference service)