SPRINGFIELD – By Tuesday, more than 1 million people in Illinois had signed up for the federal do-not-call list, letting telemarketers know they've had enough.

Melissa Mertz, spokeswoman for Attorney General Lisa Madigan, said 1.1 million people had signed up by noon Tuesday, mostly through the toll-free phone number.

Telephone enrollment began Monday, but registrations were accepted over the Internet starting June 27.

A spokesman at the Federal Trade Commission said 21.8 million Americans had registered phone numbers on the do-not-call list as of 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Interested residents can call toll-free at (888) 382-1222, but must call from the phone number they wish to register.

Or, you can visit www.donotcall.gov.

Registration is simultaneous for both the state and local do-not-call lists.

State Sen. Dan Rutherford, R-Chenoa, who supported the state do-not-call legislation, encouraged area residents to take advantage of the free program.

"Unwanted telemarketing calls are one of the top complaints I hear from consumers," he said. "They want to know how they can stop the calls. This convenient registry will not stop all of the unwanted calls that plague area homeowners, but it will substantially lessen the number participating households receive."

The list will not be enforced until October, and it does allow exemptions for certain charitable and religious organizations, political candidates and parties, phone and cable companies, real estate and insurance companies, survey conductors, and companies with whom you already have a business relationship.

Registration on the do-not-call list lasts for five years, and violators will be fined.

In order to report a complaint, however, residents must obtain either the company's name or its phone number.

You can reach Kate Clements at (217) 782-2486 or via e-mail at kclements@news-gazette.com.