Do Not Call listings aren’t forever — AP

The Do Not Call list is almost five years old, and since registrations are only good for five years, those who registered their phone numbers early may be fielding calls from telemarketers again soon enough.

Numbers placed on the registry, begun in June 2003, are valid for five years. For the millions of people who signed onto the list in its early days, their numbers will automatically drop off beginning next June if they do not enroll again.

“It is incredibly quick and easy to do,” Lydia Parnes, director of the FTC’s bureau of consumer protection, said in an interview with The Associated Press this week. “It was so easy for people to sign up in the first instance. It will be just as easy for them to re-up.”

But Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Pa., says people should not be forced to re-register to keep telemarketers at bay. Doyle introduced legislation this week, with bipartisan support, to make registrations permanent.

All you have to do is reregister at www.donotcall.gov. It takes less than a minute, so here’s your fair warning.