More businesses are adopting texting as a communications channel. However, as texting volume continues to grow, so too do trust concerns. As a result, regulators and carriers have partnered to implement A2P 10DLC to validate the trustworthiness of text messages being sent by businesses to consumers. But what does this mean? And how will it impact businesses that want to communicate with their customers using text messages?
What is A2P 10DLC?
A2P 10DLC refers to a 10-digit long code (10DLC) available through app-to-person (A2P) business texting. The 10-digit long code, which is the format used by mobile carriers for calling and texting, was until recently intended for person-to-person (P2P) SMS traffic between familiar contacts, like family and friends.
Who is requiring A2P 10DLC and why?
A2P 10DLC is a trust mechanism that leading U.S. mobile carriers such as AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile/Sprint, US Cellular and others put forth to protect their mobile users from spam and unsolicited messages. It’s a good thing! With A2P 10DLC, mobile carriers are providing mobile customers the assurance that the text messages they receive from their friends, family, and now businesses, are trust-worthy and free of spam or communications from companies they have not given their consent to.
What does this mean for your company?
In a nutshell, if you’re currently sending, or plan to send, text messages to customers – even just a handful per month – you should adhere to CTIA’s Messaging Principles and Best Practices by following these recommendations:
- Register your company through an A2P 10DLC messaging campaign registry to provide transparency about who is sending the messages and what types of messages are being sent. Spoiler alert: if you enable business texting with Cloudli, we’ll take care of this for you – more on this later!
- Obtain consent from your customers to receive text messages from your company.
If your company fails to meet these best practices, your mobile carrier could penalize your company: filtering your text messages and flagging them as spam, or worse, blocking the phone numbers you use to communicate.
Is messaging to Canada affected by A2P 10DLC?
Text messages sent to Canada are not impacted by these new recommendations – yet. Canadian mobile carriers may introduce registered A2P 10DLC solutions in the future, but at this time, carriers have not announced any plans to do so. It’s also important to note that text messages sent from a Canadian number to a U.S. number are not subject to A2P 10DLC for now.
What is Cloudli doing to help its customers comply with A2P 10DLC?
We, at Cloudli, have an obligation to help our customers comply with A2P 10DLC. All Cloudli customers who currently use a Business Texting solution in the United States must have the appropriate A2P 10DLC registration implemented as of March 1, 2022. Since we’re all about providing user-friendly communications tools, we’ve simplified the A2P 10DLC compliance process for our customers.
If you’re currently a Cloudli customer or sign up to a Cloudli Business Texting solution, our team automatically registers your business in the Campaign Registry. We register your company “campaign” and declare “who” is sending the campaign, and “what” type of message is being sent. Once the Campaign Registry approves your registration, your company and brand(s) can begin sending trust-worthy messages in a sanctioned environment.
However, there are fees attached to A2P 10DLC and we’d rather be upfront about them from the get-go. On your invoice, you’ll see A2P 10DLC charges alongside other regulatory fees and taxes. The A2P 10DLC charge will vary depending on your use. If you send a low volume of text messages, the monthly fee from the Campaign Registry works out to $2 USD/month. For higher volume usage associated with enterprise-grade plans, that fee increases to $10 USD/month. These fees are set by the Campaign Registry and we are simply collecting them to keep your business texting in compliance.
Don’t forget to obtain your customers’ consent
Your messaging environment should operate and be consistent with relevant laws and regulations under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), and associated Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations regarding consumer consent for communications. Your company should therefore:
- Obtain your customers’ consent to receive any general messages from your company
- Obtain your customers’ express written consent to specifically receive marketing messages
- Ensure your customers have the ability to easily revoke their consent
The type of consent required depends on the nature of the message that is being sent. To learn more about the types of messaging and the consent required for each, please take a look at the CTIA’s Exhibit II: Types of Messaging Content & Associated Consent Principles table on page 12.
The information provided on this blog article does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this blog article are for general informational purposes only. We recommend that you seek counsel from your legal team for more in-depth information regarding any of the rules and regulations outlined in this blog article.
