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SMS Compliance

Business SMS & 10DLC
Compliance Hub

Everything your business needs to know to protect your deliverability, build customer trust, and avoid costly carrier penalties.

$1,500
per-message fine for willful TCPA violations
100% Blocked
Unregistered 10-digit numbers are actively filtered by all U.S. carriers as of late 2024
Why It Matters

Compliance is No Longer Optional

As of late 2024, U.S. mobile carriers actively block all text messages sent from unregistered 10-digit numbers. Unregistered business texting is officially dead.

The Stakes
Non-compliance ruins your customer experience and hits your bottom line.
Financial Risk
TCPA fines range from $500 to $1,500 per message for willful violations.
Operational Risk
Messages may be filtered, delivery postponed, or brands can be completely blacklisted by major carriers.
Scam Content Penalties
Carriers can issue penalties of up to $2,000 for scam-related content, including phishing links and social engineering attempts.
Once You're Blocked
Recovering from a carrier block isn't quick. The Root Cause Analysis (RCA) process required to get reinstated is often tedious and expensive, and new campaign approvals become harder to obtain, sometimes taking several days.
The Foundation

What Is 10DLC?

10DLC (10-digit long code) is a dedicated phone number format created for businesses to send A2P (application-to-person) text messages.

Why 10DLC Was Introduced

Carriers in the United States developed this new system to address increasing concerns about unregistered messages, spam, message deliverability, and regulatory compliance.

Previously, many businesses relied on shared short codes or standard long codes, which were either costly or prone to abuse.

With 10DLC, mobile network operators introduced a structured vetting process to make sure your messaging campaigns are trustworthy and aligned with regulatory standards, such as the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA).

Registration Process

The Two-Step 10DLC Registration Checklist

Before sending a single text, businesses must go through a dual-layered vetting process via The Campaign Registry (TCR):

1
Brand Registration
Verify Who You Are
Step 1: Verify Who You Are.
Submit basic business details such as legal business name, physical address, website, and tax ID (EIN). This proves to carriers that you are a legitimate sender.
2
Campaign Registration
Verify What You Are Sending
Step 2: Verify What You Are Sending.
Define your exact messaging use case (e.g., promotional alerts, customer service, 2FA, or appointment reminders). Provide exact templates of what your texts will look like for manual carrier vetting.
Regulatory Landscape

The Regulatory Landscape

You must follow BOTH the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA) to legally text in the United States.

Governing Body What It Is Core Mandate Consequences of Violation
TCPA & FCC Federal Law Legal regulations protecting consumers from unsolicited automated texts. Heavy monetary lawsuits and statutory legal fines.
CTIA & Carriers Industry Association Cellular network guidelines optimized for the absolute best user experience. Blocked campaigns, disabled numbers, and carrier penalties.
Governing Body
TCPA & FCC
What It Is
Federal Law
Core Mandate
Legal regulations protecting consumers from unsolicited automated texts.
Consequences of Violation
Heavy monetary lawsuits and statutory legal fines.
Governing Body
CTIA & Carriers
What It Is
Industry Association
Core Mandate
Cellular network guidelines optimized for the absolute best user experience.
Consequences of Violation
Blocked campaigns, disabled numbers, and carrier penalties.
Campaign Compliance

Compliance Checklist for SMS Campaigns

Ensuring your SMS campaigns comply with regulations protects your business and instills trust in your audience.

Text messages can generally be categorized into three types:

Transactional Messages
Provide necessary information related to a user's action or account, such as order confirmations, shipping updates, or appointment reminders. These messages should only be sent to customers who have completed a transaction or have an ongoing relationship with your business.
Only sent to customers who have completed a transaction or have an ongoing relationship with your business.
Conversational Messages
Two-way communications initiated by either the customer or the business, such as customer support queries, booking confirmations, or feedback requests.
Explicit consent should be obtained for sending non-transactional conversational messages if the business initiates them.
Promotional Texts
Used to promote sales, special offers, or events. They are designed to engage customers and motivate them to take action.
You must obtain clear opt-in consent specifically for promotional messaging, as these require explicit permission under most regulations.
Content Restrictions

SHAFT Content Restrictions

Regardless of whether a user gives you explicit written consent, certain topics are banned from being sent via A2P SMS. Featuring any of this type of content will result in immediate campaign rejection or heavy carrier fines.

S
Sexually Explicit Content
Any adult material or sexually explicit messaging.
H
Hate Speech
Discriminatory language targeting race, religion, gender, or orientation.
A
Alcohol
Heavily restricted content. Cannot be sent without strict, proven age-gating mechanisms at the point of opt-in.
F
Firearms
Promotion, sales, or messaging involving weapons and firearms.
T
Tobacco & Cannabis
Includes vaping, tobacco, and all cannabis/CBD products, even if legally permitted or licensed at the state level.
A Closer Look

Always-On Compliance Monitoring

Industry's First Comprehensive Compliance Monitoring Service
AI Based System-Wide Always-On Real-Time

Registering a campaign with the carriers is only the first step toward staying compliant. Mobile carriers typically need to see several thousand messages before they can detect a non-compliant pattern, which often means violations go unnoticed until an account is already facing suspension or fines.

To help close that gap, Textellent's monitoring layer runs continuously across the account rather than relying on a single point-in-time approval, watching for SHAFT-related content and other anomalies before they escalate.

Detects Compliance Anomalies
The system continuously watches for patterns that fall outside normal, compliant messaging behavior.
Automatic Sandboxing
If an anomaly is detected, the affected account is automatically placed in a sandbox while it's reviewed.
Dual Notification
Both the client and the Textellent Compliance Team are notified as soon as an account is flagged.
Review & Client Outreach
The Compliance Team reviews the flag and handles any necessary outreach directly with the client.
A Significant Investment
Running this level of always-on, AI-based monitoring continuously across every account adds significant cost on Textellent's end — but it's built in as part of how we help protect your messaging program.

This is a newer addition to the Textellent platform and continues to evolve as carrier requirements change.

Best Practices

Best Practices for Every SMS Campaign

Check these items to ensure your broadcast stays inside carrier guidelines:

Identify Yourself
Always include your brand name in the very first sentence of the text.
Respect the Quiet Hours
Never broadcast marketing texts before 8:00 AM or after 9:00 PM in the recipient's local time zone.
Honest Frequency
Stick to the message frequency you promised during opt-in (e.g., if you promised "1 message/week", sending 5 will get you flagged).
Clean Language & No SHAFT Content
Avoid SHAFT topics as well as overly aggressive "spammy" marketing fluff (e.g., screaming in all caps: "ACT NOW!!! FREE CASH!!!").
Mandatory Opt-Out Instructions
Every promotional message must clearly state how to leave. End your texts with standard keywords: "Reply STOP to unsubscribe."
Let Us Handle Your Compliance

Let Us Handle Your Compliance.

Keeping your SMS marketing compliant can be frustrating and risky. Fines, customer complaints, and blocked messages are all common problems businesses can face.

Textellent makes it easy to stay compliant, protect your deliverability, and keep your communication running without interruption. We will guide you through the 10DLC process and set you up for compliant SMS from day one.

Start a 14-Day Free Trial Schedule a Compliance Consultation

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