Quick Summary

If your business sends text messages to customers from a regular 10-digit phone number (your office line, a VoIP DID, etc.), U.S. mobile carriers now require you to register that number and the way you intend to use it before any messages will reliably reach Verizon, AT&T, or T-Mobile subscribers. This process is called 10DLC registration ("10-Digit Long Code"), and it is mandatory — unregistered traffic will be blocked, throttled, or silently dropped.

The registration is not optional and not our requirement — it is an industry-wide framework operated by The Campaign Registry (TCR) on behalf of the major U.S. carriers, and it sits on top of federal law (the TCPA) enforced by the FCC.

Why This Exists

Three things drive 10DLC registration:

1. The TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act) — Federal law (47 U.S.C. § 227, implemented at 47 C.F.R. § 64.1200) that requires prior express consent before businesses can send most automated calls or texts to mobile numbers. Statutory damages start at $500 per unlawful message and can triple to $1,500 per message for willful or knowing violations.
2. FCC orders — In March 2023 the FCC issued an order requiring mobile carriers to block text messages "highly likely to be illegal." More recent FCC rules (effective April 11, 2025) require businesses to honor opt-out requests within 10 business days and allow consumers to revoke consent in any reasonable manner.
3. Carrier policy — AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, working with the FCC and CTIA, established TCR as the centralized registry for verifying who is sending business texts and what they're saying. No registration = no delivery.

How It Works: Two-Phase Registration

Registration happens in two sequential steps. Brand approval comes first; campaigns cannot be submitted until the Brand is verified.

Phase 1 — Brand Registration

This verifies that your business is a real, legitimate entity. Information must match exactly across IRS records, your website, and your business filings — mismatches are the #1 cause of rejection.

Phase 2 — Campaign Registration

This describes how you intend to use SMS — marketing, appointment reminders, 2FA, customer service, etc. Each distinct use case is reviewed individually. Mixing marketing into a transactional campaign is a common rejection reason.

You cannot register directly with TCR as a business — you must work through a Campaign Service Provider (CSP). We handle this on your behalf through our messaging platform; registration assistance is a billable service in addition to TCR and carrier fees.

Customer Checklist: What You Need to Provide

Gather all of this before we submit, since incomplete or inconsistent information triggers rejections that cost time and money to fix.

Brand Information

• Full legal business name (exactly as it appears on IRS records)
• EIN / Tax ID
• Physical business address (must match IRS records)
• Business website URL (active, public, and clearly identifies your company)
• Primary contact — name, business email (matching domain preferred), and phone number
• Industry / vertical
• Entity type (LLC, Corp, Non-Profit, Sole Proprietor, etc.)

Campaign Information

• Use case(s) — what you'll text customers about (e.g., appointment reminders, account alerts, two-factor auth, customer support, marketing/promotions)
• Campaign description (40-character minimum) — plain-language summary of the messaging program
• 2–5 sample messages that represent what you'll actually send
• Opt-in description — how customers consent to receive your texts (web form, in-store signup, verbal at point of sale, etc.) and proof you can produce on request
• Opt-in language — the exact disclosure customers see/agree to when they sign up
• Public links to your SMS Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions on your website
• Estimated message volume per day/month

Required on Your Website

These pages must be publicly accessible (not behind a login) before submission:

• An SMS-specific privacy policy stating that mobile information is not shared with third parties for marketing purposes
• Terms & conditions describing the messaging program, frequency, and opt-out method
• A consent point (web form, contact page, etc.) with clear opt-in disclosure including: brand name, message frequency disclosure, "Msg & data rates may apply," and "Reply STOP to opt-out, HELP for help"

After Approval: Ongoing Compliance

Approval is not the finish line. Carriers monitor traffic continuously and will suspend campaigns that violate these rules:

• Consent must be on file for every recipient, with documentation you can produce on request.
• Honor STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, QUIT, END, and any reasonably worded opt-out — and do so within 10 business days (per the FCC's April 2025 opt-out rule).
• Respond to HELP with brand identification and contact info.
• Avoid SHAFT content unless your campaign is specifically vetted for it: Sex, Hate, Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco (also cannabis, gambling, and certain loan products).
• Do not stray from your registered use case. Sending marketing on a campaign registered for transactional alerts will get the campaign suspended.
• Don't share opt-in lists across brands or use purchased/lead-generated lists — the FCC's one-to-one consent guidance treats each seller as needing its own consent.

Timeline and Fees

• Brand registration: typically 7–10 business days
• Campaign registration: typically 10–15 business days after Brand approval (longer for complex use cases or vetted campaigns)
• Total realistic timeline: plan on 4–6 weeks end-to-end, longer if rejections require resubmission
• Fees: TCR charges one-time and recurring fees for Brand and Campaign registration, plus carrier pass-through fees on traffic. Resubmission after rejection incurs an additional fee. In addition to these third-party fees, our time to prepare, submit, and manage your registration is billed separately at our standard service rates. Current pricing will be provided with your quote.

References

Federal law and regulations

• Telephone Consumer Protection Act — 47 U.S.C. § 227
• FCC implementing regulations — 47 C.F.R. § 64.1200
• FCC Second Report and Order on the TCPA (FCC 24-24, Feb. 2024) — opt-out and consent revocation rules
• FCC March 2023 Order — mandatory carrier blocking of illegal texts

Industry standards

• CTIA Messaging Principles and Best Practices
• The Campaign Registry — www.campaignregistry.com

Other applicable law

• CAN-SPAM Act (15 U.S.C. §§ 7701 et seq.) — applies to commercial messaging
• State privacy laws (e.g., California CCPA) — may apply to consumer data collected for SMS programs

This article is provided for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Businesses should consult counsel for guidance on TCPA compliance and consent practices specific to their use case.