SMS Compliance Glossary

    Every term used across 10DLC registration, TCPA compliance, and SMS marketing — defined in plain English.

    "Msg & Data Rates May Apply"

    The carrier-required disclosure that must appear next to any SMS opt-in indicating the recipient may incur charges from their wireless carrier.

    10DLC

    10DLC (10-Digit Long Code) is the US carrier-mandated framework for sending Application-to-Person SMS from local 10-digit numbers, requiring brand and campaign registration with The Campaign Registry.

    10DLC Use Case

    A 10DLC use case is the declared purpose of a registered campaign — Marketing, Customer Care, Account Notifications, 2FA, Mixed, or a special use case. Actual traffic must match the declaration.

    A2P (Application-to-Person)

    A2P messaging is any SMS sent from an automated system — including platforms like GoHighLevel, Twilio, Klaviyo — to an individual recipient. A2P traffic must be registered under 10DLC.

    ATDS (Autodialer)

    An Automatic Telephone Dialing System (ATDS) is equipment that stores or produces numbers using a random or sequential number generator and dials them. The Supreme Court narrowed the definition in Facebook v. Duguid (2021).

    Audit Trail

    An audit trail is the chronological, tamper-evident record of consent events — capture, modifications, revocations — that lets a sender reconstruct and prove the consent state of any number at any point in time.

    Brand Registration

    Brand registration is the TCR process of vetting a sending business against its IRS records (legal name + EIN) before any 10DLC campaign can be submitted.

    Brand Vetting

    Brand vetting is an optional paid identity review for registered 10DLC brands. Standard vetting (~$40) typically unlocks meaningful throughput; enhanced vetting (~$1,500) serves high-volume enterprise senders.

    Campaign Registration

    Campaign registration is the process of submitting a specific SMS use case (Marketing, Customer Care, 2FA, etc.) to The Campaign Registry for carrier approval.

    Campaign Service Provider (CSP)

    A Campaign Service Provider (CSP) is the registered intermediary — Twilio, Bandwidth, Sinch, LeadConnector — that submits 10DLC brand and campaign registrations to The Campaign Registry on behalf of businesses.

    Carrier Filtering

    Carrier filtering is the automated blocking or throttling of SMS that carriers judge unregistered, off-use-case, or spam-like — often without any error returned to the sender.

    Carrier Surcharge

    Carrier surcharges are per-segment fees ($0.0025-$0.01 typical) that US carriers charge on A2P SMS, passed through by providers on top of the base message price. Registered traffic pays lower rates than unregistered.

    CNAM (Caller ID Name)

    CNAM (Caller ID Name) is the database system that displays a name instead of a bare number on incoming calls. Registering CNAM for your messaging number supports brand recognition and reduces 'Spam Likely' labeling on the voice side of the same number.

    Consent Checkbox

    The consent checkbox is the affirmative-action element of SMS opt-in. To be valid it must be unchecked by default, dedicated to SMS (not bundled with email or terms), adjacent to the disclosure, and recorded with its state.

    Consent Management Platform (CMP)

    A consent management platform (CMP) is software that captures, stores, and proves consumer consent. SMS-grade CMPs go beyond cookie banners: they produce per-recipient, litigation-ready evidence of TCPA consent.

    Consent Proof

    Consent proof is the evidentiary record that a recipient explicitly opted in to SMS — typically a timestamped, IP-logged, hash-locked record of what the user saw and when they consented.

    Consent Record

    A consent record is the stored evidence package for a single opt-in event: the consumer's identifier, the exact disclosure shown, the affirmative act, attribution data, and integrity protection that proves the record was not altered.

    Consent Revocation

    Under TCPA, consumers can revoke SMS consent at any time by any reasonable means. Senders must honor the revocation — typically by adding the number to a suppression list — within 10 business days.

    CTIA

    CTIA is the US wireless industry association whose Messaging Principles and Best Practices define the operational rules of A2P SMS — consent disclosure, opt-out handling, and prohibited content categories.

    Do Not Call Registry (DNC)

    The National Do Not Call Registry lists numbers that may not receive telemarketing solicitations — and courts treat marketing texts as calls under the rule. Telemarketing senders must scrub against it every 31 days.

    Double Opt-In

    Double opt-in adds a confirmation step to SMS signup: after the form, the subscriber must reply YES (or click a link) before receiving messages. The TCPA does not require it, but several platforms and carriers strongly favor it.

    Emergency Purpose Exception

    The emergency purpose exception permits calls and texts without consent when made for purposes affecting the health and safety of consumers — imminent risks like outages, evacuations, or health emergencies.

    Established Business Relationship (EBR)

    An established business relationship (EBR) is a prior or existing relationship formed by a purchase (18-month window) or inquiry (3-month window). It creates limited DNC exceptions but does not substitute for written consent for marketing texts.

    Express Written Consent

    Express written consent is the TCPA standard for marketing SMS — a clear, conspicuous disclosure with a separate, unchecked affirmative opt-in by the consumer, retained as evidence.

    Florida Telephone Solicitation Act (FTSA)

    The FTSA is Florida's telemarketing statute covering automated marketing calls and texts to Florida numbers, with statutory damages of $500-$1,500 per violation and a broader equipment definition than the federal TCPA.

    IP Logging

    IP logging is the capture of the network address from which a consent form was submitted. It supports attribution (tying the opt-in to a person and place) and detects fraud patterns like bulk fake signups.

    Jornaya LeadiD

    Jornaya LeadiD (now part of Verisk) assigns a unique token to each lead-form interaction. Buyers use the token to verify the lead's origin, age, and consent context — an audit-trail alternative to TrustedForm's certificate model.

    Lead Certification

    Lead certification is third-party documentation attached to a purchased lead proving when, where, and how the consumer's consent was captured — the mechanism lead buyers use to defend TCPA claims on bought data.

    Long Code

    A long code is a standard 10-digit phone number. Businesses may only send A2P SMS from long codes after 10DLC registration; unregistered long-code traffic is filtered by US carriers.

    Message Segment

    A message segment is the billing unit of SMS: 160 GSM-7 characters per single message, 153 per segment when concatenated, and only 70 (67 concatenated) when Unicode characters like emoji are present.

    Mini-TCPA (State Laws)

    Mini-TCPA laws are state statutes regulating calls and texts alongside the federal TCPA — Florida's FTSA, Oklahoma's TSA, and others — often with broader autodialer definitions, stricter hours, and separate statutory damages.

    MMS

    MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) carries images, GIFs, and up to ~1,600 characters of text. It costs roughly 2-3x SMS per message, runs on the same 10DLC campaigns, and follows identical consent rules.

    One-to-One Consent Rule

    The one-to-one consent rule was an FCC regulation requiring lead-generation consent to name each specific seller individually rather than a hyperlinked list of 'marketing partners.' The Eleventh Circuit vacated it in January 2025, but its logic still shapes consent quality standards.

    Opt-In

    An opt-in is a consumer's affirmative agreement to receive SMS from a brand. Marketing texts require the strictest tier — prior express written consent — captured with full disclosure and retained as evidence.

    Opt-In URL

    The publicly accessible web page where TCR reviewers and carriers can verify the consent flow during 10DLC campaign approval.

    Opt-Out

    An opt-out is a consumer's revocation of SMS consent. Under the FCC's revocation rules, any reasonable method counts — not just STOP — and senders must honor it within 10 business days.

    Opt-Out Rate

    Opt-out rate is the percentage of recipients who unsubscribe (reply STOP) per campaign or period. Healthy SMS programs run well under 1% per campaign; sustained spikes signal consent-quality or relevance problems carriers also notice.

    P2P (Person-to-Person)

    In SMS, P2P (Person-to-Person) messaging is a true 1:1 conversation typed manually by a human. P2P traffic is exempt from 10DLC registration, but the definition is narrow and routinely audited by carriers.

    Prior Express Consent

    Prior express consent is the TCPA's baseline consent tier: a consumer who knowingly provides their number for a purpose may receive non-marketing texts related to it. Marketing requires the higher tier, prior express written consent.

    Promotional SMS

    Promotional SMS is any message containing advertising or telemarketing — offers, launches, win-backs, incentivized reviews. It requires prior express written consent, full disclosure at opt-in, quiet-hours compliance, and retained proof.

    Quiet Hours

    Quiet hours are the legally protected windows when telemarketing messages may not be sent: federally before 8 a.m. and after 9 p.m. recipient local time, with stricter state variants like Florida's 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

    RCS (Rich Communication Services)

    RCS (Rich Communication Services) is the carrier-grade successor to SMS, supporting verified branded senders, rich cards, suggested replies, and read receipts. RCS Business Messaging requires agent verification, and TCPA consent rules apply as they do to SMS.

    Sender ID

    Sender ID is the identifier recipients see as a message's source. The US requires numeric senders (10DLC numbers, toll-free, short codes); alphanumeric sender IDs like 'ACMECO' exist in many other countries but are not supported on US routes.

    Session Replay

    Session replay records the exact UI interactions during an opt-in (mouse, scroll, clicks, form fields) so the consent moment can be re-watched as evidence in a TCPA dispute.

    SHA-256 Consent Hash

    A SHA-256 consent hash is a cryptographic fingerprint computed over a consent record at capture time. Any later change to the record changes the hash, making tampering detectable and the original provable.

    Short Code

    A short code is a 5- or 6-digit phone number leased for high-volume A2P SMS, offering the highest throughput available but costing roughly $500-$1,250 per month plus a multi-week approval process.

    Single Opt-In

    Single opt-in subscribes a phone number from one form submission with no confirmation step. It can satisfy the TCPA if the form captures compliant express written consent, but it leaves wrong-number and typo risk unmitigated.

    SMS API

    An SMS API is a programmatic interface (Twilio, Telnyx, Bandwidth, Plivo) for sending and receiving text messages from software. API access changes nothing about compliance: registration, consent, and opt-out duties all apply to API traffic.

    SMS Disclosure

    SMS disclosure is the set of statements that must appear at the point of opt-in: program/brand name, message frequency, 'Msg & data rates may apply,' STOP/HELP instructions, consent-not-a-condition language, and policy links.

    SMS Throughput

    SMS throughput is the rate (messages per second) at which carriers accept a sender's traffic. Under 10DLC it is determined by brand trust score; short codes offer the highest fixed throughput.

    Sole Proprietor 10DLC

    Sole Proprietor is the 10DLC brand type for individuals and unincorporated businesses without an EIN. It allows one number with low throughput (roughly 1 message/second, ~1,000 T-Mobile messages/day).

    STOP / HELP Keywords

    Industry-standard SMS keywords that consumers reply with to opt out (STOP) or request information (HELP). All A2P senders must process them automatically.

    Suppression List

    A suppression list is the registry of phone numbers that have revoked consent. Senders must check this list before every outbound send to remain TCPA-compliant.

    TCPA

    The Telephone Consumer Protection Act is a US federal law (47 U.S.C. § 227) that restricts marketing calls and texts to mobile phones, with statutory damages of $500–$1,500 per violation.

    TCPA Class Action

    A TCPA class action aggregates statutory claims — $500-$1,500 per unlawful text — across everyone similarly texted, turning a single campaign defect into seven- or eight-figure exposure.

    TCPA Statutory Damages

    The TCPA fixes damages at $500 per violation, trebled to $1,500 for willful or knowing violations, with no proof of actual harm required and no statutory cap on aggregation.

    TCR (The Campaign Registry)

    The Campaign Registry is the central authority that vets and approves brand and campaign registrations for 10DLC SMS in the United States.

    Toll-Free Verification (TFV)

    Toll-Free Verification (TFV) is the carrier vetting process that approves a toll-free (8XX) number for A2P SMS, requiring business details, use-case description, and opt-in evidence.

    Transactional SMS

    Transactional SMS is non-promotional messaging tied to an existing transaction or relationship — receipts, delivery updates, appointment reminders, 2FA — sendable under prior express consent rather than written marketing consent.

    Trust Score

    The trust score is a 0-100 rating assigned to a registered 10DLC brand by TCR's vetting partners. It determines message throughput, T-Mobile daily caps, and per-message fees.

    TrustedForm Certificate

    A TrustedForm certificate is ActiveProspect's per-lead evidence artifact: a script on the lead form records the consumer's session and issues a certificate URL documenting the form, the consent language, and the interaction.