12.Feb.2009 Momentum grows in the US

The latest news from the US is that momentum is building to offer an adequate opt-out facility for the delivery of printed phonebooks with some telcos going so far as to propose the introduction of an opt-in facility, thereby dramatically reducing the number of books produced.

According to the Kelsey Group, legislation has been introduced in Minnesota and Albany, New York, to compel Yellow Pages publishers to make it easy for consumers to opt out. While other directory publishers continue to refine their own programs in the hope of demonstrating genuine self-regulation, thus avoiding having regulations imposed on them. Read more >

And just this week AT&T Ohio called for a waiver of the rule that requires the company to distribute printed white pages after a similar request by Cincinnati Bell recently.  The company is calling it an ‘environmentally friendly initiative’ that it believes many of its customers will appreciate . An AT&T spokeswoman said, “There are ways to obtain this information electronically.” The company also proposes the provision of a toll free directory enquiries number as a substitute. The article claims that the company distributes 800,000 of the books annually in Columbus alone! Read more >

If the telcos themselves are calling for a reduction in the number of printed directories produced, the demise of the  phonebook must be near….