What exactly do you mean by "released"? That would conflict with Federal law if suddenly any and all cell phone numbers in Texas were fair game for cold calls from telemarketers.

One feature that I am very glad to have on my current cell phone is a reject caller list. I rarely get telemarketing calls so if I ever get a call from an unknown, especially out-of-town area code, I'll ignore the call and then go look up the number on Google. Nine times out of 10, people will be reporting it as a telemarketing call, so I just put it on the reject list for a while, my cell phone never rings when they call, and after a few days or maybe a week, they stop calling.

It's particularly handy for these numbers that seem to call folks multiple times a day and yet if they answer, there is never anyone on the line. Sounds like an over-zealous autodialing program, but it's illegal to call cell phones with one.

Fortunately, I have only needed to keep one number on the list at a time, rather than juggling a whole bunch of telemarketing numbers. I do have my cell number on the Do Not Call list and limit giving it out to any businesses, so that probably helps.

Say what you may, but for a short period of time they were released. I do not know about now, but it did happen. I had to raise hell about it with A.T.&.T. in the past.

Don't know if it is still going on. I just do not answer if I do not recognize the caller. Checking VM is free.

They arent releasing phone numbers; I work in telecommunications, and have been dealing with these rumors for over a year now. It is private information; you cannot search for it, in say the white pages, because of that. They will NOT be released next month. If they are, I will eat my hat. And, I REALLY dont want to do that, as I like my hat!!!
If ATT is the only one that did it, they did so either voluntarily, or accidentally. They certainly werent ORDERED to...my guess is someone either hacked them in TX, or a disgruntled employee released them. IF it were even true. And, depending on WHEN it happened, there may have been confusion as to what #'s were cells, and which ones were landlines.

Why would these numbers need to be "released" anyway? I know what prefixes are used in a particular area. I don't have to have a list to just start dialing numbers. Telemarketers use autodialers so they start down a sequence of numbers.

I did add my cell number to the DO NOT CALL list for this very reason.

Myth, but also, perhaps, a scam.

It is hard to image a better way to get your number than having people dial your server up and insert their phone number thinking they are excluding their phone number.

Related, a common thought about no-call lists is that spammers could easily site their company off-shore, where US laws don't apply, and they subcontract or lease dialer banks inside the US to make the actual calls. The key that makes this work for them is having your number. Which is pretty easy because the US government distributes the database of no-call numbers.

In effect by signing up for a no-call list you could be guaranteeing that scammers have your number. Evidently it hasn't happened much yet but ... in time. Something to keep an eye on.