The bells are ringing too often

<p>He was very pale and dressed in shades of gray. His business card read A.G. Bell. No address or contact information. Only the name. His Scottish accent was filtered through a generous white beard.</p><p>“Youngster,” he said. “I be disturbed by excessive ringing in me ears.”</p><p>“Tinnitus,” I was quick to diagnose. “I have it. It’s a continuous hissing sound that’s always in the background. Comes with age.”</p><p>“I not be thinking that,” Mr. Bell said. “It’s truly ringing of me telephone. Not continuous, but frequent and excessive.”</p><p>“Your popularity?” I offered. “So many folks wanting to talk with you. It’s a good thing you don’t put your phone number on your business card. Nonetheless our numbers do get out. And they do get used by all sorts of people.”</p><p>“Six times in a single hour!” he roared. “Not one of them a call from someone I knew or even one who knew me. All of them trying to get into me purse for things or purposes.”</p><p>“Ah, yes,” I said knowing the correct diagnosis now. “Unsolicited solicitations. Folks trying to sign you up for more comprehensive health insurance, advanced home safety systems, better credit cards and exceptional good causes.”</p><p>“It’s an abomination,” He cried. “An instrument laboriously invented for communication being used as an intrusive commercial bludgeon! The sanctity of the home invaded by automatons, minor minions and morons!”</p><p>“You can sign up electronically with the attorney general’s office to stop the calls,” I suggested to calm him.</p><p>“Useless bureaucratic buffoonery proven by experience to be ineffective, offering a gullible citizenry protection and failing to deliver even a modicum of serenity,” was his evaluation.</p><p>“What could we do?” I asked.</p><p>“Ah, it’s not we, but they,” he replied. “It is not for consumers to protect themselves, but for the providers of communication services to weed out the invasive callers.</p><p>“It need be treated as one would a public health matter,” he continued. “Producers and distributors of milk are required to provide the consumer with a safe product. Government regulation establishes standards with input from medical and industry representatives.</p><p>“So too the phone be meant for communication, not exploitation. Whether a phone be in your home or on your person, as be the case today, t’is a private resource.”</p><p>“That fits,” I said, “with the news AT&amp;amp;T and Verizon will stop selling real-time customer location data to third parties.”</p><p>“A fine promise,” Mr. Bell said, “but what about putting an end to commercial, political and even philanthropic robo-calls? I don’t mind legitimate surveys conducted by licensed polling entities. We need to gather information. But selling or hounding contributors and debtors by phone verges on the immoral in my view.”</p>