Question 1

What is the National Do Not Call Registry?

Accepted Answer

The National Do Not Call Registry is a list maintained by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) of phone numbers belonging to consumers who have opted out of most telemarketing calls. Telemarketers must run compliance checks on their calling lists against the Registry and remove registered numbers, refreshing at least every 31 days. Registration does not expire and applies indefinitely unless the consumer removes their number.

Question 2

What is the TCPA and who must comply?

Accepted Answer

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) is a federal law restricting telemarketing calls, auto-dialed calls, prerecorded messages, and text messages sent to consumers. It applies to virtually any business that contacts consumers by phone or text, including B2B and B2C organizations of all sizes. Compliance requires proper consent, honoring opt-outs, and observing calling-time and content restrictions.

Question 3

What are the penalties for TCPA and DNC violations?

Accepted Answer

TCPA statutory damages range from $500 per violation up to $1,500 per willful violation, and because each individual call or text counts as a separate violation, exposure multiplies rapidly across a campaign. DNC Registry violations carry separate FTC penalties as well.

Question 4

What is the TCPA Revocation of Consent rule?

Accepted Answer

Effective April 11, 2025, enhanced TCPA rules require organizations to honor a consumer's revocation of consent for ATDS calls and texts. You must accept any reasonable opt-out keyword, honor revocation requests within a maximum of 10 business days, and any one-time confirmation message must be sent within 5 minutes of receiving the opt-out. Failing to promptly honor revocations is a common source of litigation.

Question 5

What is the Reassigned Numbers Database (RND)?

Accepted Answer

The FCC's Reassigned Numbers Database tracks phone numbers that have been permanently disconnected and potentially reassigned to a new subscriber. It currently tracks over 554 million disconnected numbers and grows by nearly 9 million each month. On average, 6.2% of numbers compliance-checked against the RND have changed owners; calling a reassigned number without checking creates direct TCPA exposure.

Question 6

What is Safe Harbor protection?

Accepted Answer

Safe Harbor is a legal protection that can shield callers from liability for an inadvertent violation, provided they maintain documented compliance processes, including routine list compliance checks, written procedures, and honoring the Reassigned Numbers Database. Demonstrating a consistent, auditable compliance program is essential to preserving safe harbor eligibility.

Question 7

How do state DNC laws differ from federal rules?

Accepted Answer

Many states maintain their own Do Not Call registries and layer additional requirements on top of federal TCPA and DNC rules, including stricter calling-hour windows, separate registration and compliance check obligations, caller ID mandates, and enhanced penalties. Businesses must comply with the most restrictive applicable rule for each contact, which requires compliance checks against both federal and state lists.

Question 8

Which states have the strictest telemarketing rules?

Accepted Answer

States such as Florida, Oklahoma, and Washington have enacted mini-TCPA statutes with expanded definitions of autodialers, private rights of action, and significant per-violation damages. Florida's Telephone Solicitation Act and Oklahoma's Telephone Solicitation Act, for example, have driven substantial litigation, making state-specific enforcement critical for any multi-state campaign.

Question 9

How do calling-time restrictions vary by state?

Accepted Answer

The federal baseline permits telemarketing calls between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. in the consumer's local time zone, but numerous states impose narrower windows. DNCSolution enforces time-of-day restrictions by area code automatically and blocks calls to states observing a holiday or under a declared state of emergency.

Question 10

What is an Established Business Relationship (EBR)?

Accepted Answer

An Established Business Relationship exemption may permit contact with consumers who have an existing or recent transactional or inquiry relationship with your business, even if their number is on a DNC list, but the rules, time limits, and scope vary between federal and state law. Properly leveraging EBRs expands your contactable universe while staying compliant.

Question 11

What are professional plaintiffs, and how do state laws enable them?

Accepted Answer

Professional plaintiffs (also called serial litigators) file large volumes of TCPA and DNC lawsuits to exploit statutory damages; one Texas individual filed over 60 TCPA lawsuits in a 17-month period. State mini-TCPA statutes with private rights of action create additional avenues for these suits. Suppressing known litigators before outreach is a primary defense.

Question 12

How does DNCSolution keep pace with changing state regulations?

Accepted Answer

Regulations at the federal, state, and international level change constantly. DNCSolution combines industry-leading technology and regulatory expertise, including comprehensive compliance guides, regulatory alerts, and ongoing monitoring, so your organization stays current without relying on aging internal processes.

Browse all products

Browse by industry

Services

Partners

Company

Resources

Do Not Call Compliance, Enforced in Real Time

What's at Stake

A Full Do Not Call Compliance Feature Set

Everything DNcall Includes

DNcall Add-On Capabilities

Do Not Call Is One Channel of the Platform

TCPA & Do Not Call Regulations, Explained

Ready when you are.