SMS messaging has become the most effective way to reach voters, supporters, and donors—but only if your messages actually get delivered. Behind the scenes of every successful text campaign is a complex compliance framework called 10DLC (10-Digit Long Code) that determines whether your messages reach their intended recipients or get blocked by carriers. At Texting For Less, we’ve made 10DLC compliance our specialty, handling all the technical requirements so your campaign can focus on winning. Here’s everything you need to know about 10DLC compliance and how we ensure your messages are delivered every time.

What Is 10DLC and Why Does It Matter?

10DLC stands for 10-Digit Long Code—the standard phone numbers campaigns use to send text messages at scale. Unlike short codes (5-6 digit numbers) that are expensive and slow to provision, 10DLC numbers look like regular phone numbers, making them more trusted and familiar to recipients.

In 2021, major wireless carriers implemented 10DLC registration requirements to combat spam and protect consumers. Now, any organization sending application-to-person (A2P) text messages must register with The Campaign Registry, get approved by carriers, and maintain specific compliance standards. Campaigns that skip this process face severe consequences: blocked messages, massive deliverability failures, and potential fines.

For political campaigns and nonprofits, 10DLC compliance isn’t optional—it’s the difference between messages that reach voters and messages that disappear into the void. Texting For Less handles every aspect of this complex registration process, ensuring your campaign maintains the highest deliverability rates while staying fully compliant with all carrier requirements.

The 10DLC Registration Process: Complex for You, Simple with Us

The 10DLC registration process involves multiple steps, technical requirements, and carrier-specific approvals. Most campaigns trying to navigate this alone face weeks of delays, confusing requirements, and frequent rejections that derail their messaging timeline.

Here’s what the registration process actually involves:

  • Brand Registration: Your campaign or organization must register as a “brand” with The Campaign Registry. This includes providing detailed business information, tax identification numbers, and verification of your legal entity status. Political campaigns face unique challenges because they’re often temporary organizations without traditional business structures.
  • Campaign Use Case Registration: After brand approval, you must register each specific use case for your texting—voter contact, fundraising, volunteer coordination, event promotion. Each use case requires detailed descriptions, sample messages, and compliance attestations. Carriers review these registrations and assign trust scores that determine your message throughput and deliverability rates.
  • Number Association: Your 10-digit phone numbers must be properly associated with your registered brand and campaigns. Improper associations result in blocked messages and poor deliverability.
  • Ongoing Compliance Monitoring: Registration isn’t one-and-done. Carriers continuously monitor messaging patterns, complaint rates, and compliance adherence. Violations can result in immediate suspension or permanent bans.

This is where Texting For Less delivers enormous value. Our expert team handles your entire 10DLC registration at no additional cost. We navigate the complex requirements, ensure accurate submissions, and get your campaigns approved quickly. Political campaigns and nonprofits working with us get registered properly the first time, avoiding the costly delays and rejections that plague DIY attempts.

Trust Scores and Deliverability: The Hidden Factor in SMS Success

Not all 10DLC registrations are created equal. Carriers assign trust scores to registered campaigns based on multiple factors: brand reputation, campaign descriptions, message content patterns, and historical performance. These trust scores directly determine your message throughput (how many messages you can send per minute) and deliverability rates (what percentage actually reaches recipients).

Low trust scores mean throttled delivery—your time-sensitive GOTV messages might take hours to fully deliver instead of minutes. Worse, low scores increase the likelihood of messages being filtered as spam or blocked entirely.

Texting For Less maintains industry-leading trust scores through meticulous compliance practices:

  • Accurate Use Case Descriptions: We ensure your registered use cases precisely match your actual messaging patterns. Mismatches trigger carrier scrutiny and score reductions.
  • Message Content Best Practices: Our team guides you on message content that maintains high deliverability. We help you avoid spam triggers, maintain appropriate opt-out language, and follow carrier content guidelines.
  • Complaint Rate Management: We monitor and manage opt-out rates and spam complaints, keeping them within carrier thresholds that maintain high trust scores.
  • Historical Performance: Our established reputation with carriers and proven compliance track record benefits every campaign using our platform. You inherit the advantages of our excellent standing rather than starting from zero.

The result? Your messages deliver faster, more reliably, and to more recipients than campaigns using platforms with poor compliance practices or low trust scores.

TCPA Compliance: Protecting Your Campaign from Legal Risk

Beyond 10DLC requirements, text messaging must comply with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)—federal legislation with serious penalties for violations. TCPA violations can result in fines of $500-$1,500 per message. For campaigns sending thousands of texts, non-compliance can mean devastating financial and legal consequences.

TCPA requirements include:

  • Express Written Consent: You must have explicit permission to text someone. Opt-ins must be clear, specific to text messaging, and properly documented. Generic “sign up for updates” checkboxes don’t meet TCPA standards.
  • Clear Identification: Messages must clearly identify who is sending them. Recipients should never wonder which campaign or organization is texting them.
  • Opt-Out Mechanisms: Every message must include clear instructions for opting out, and opt-out requests must be honored immediately. “Reply STOP to unsubscribe” is the industry standard.
  • Timing Restrictions: Messages can only be sent during legal hours—generally 8 AM to 9 PM in the recipient’s local time zone.
  • Accurate Contact Information: Sending to wrong numbers or outdated lists creates compliance risks and wastes resources.

Texting For Less automates TCPA compliance across our platform:

  • Automatic Opt-Out Processing: When someone replies STOP, our system immediately removes them from your lists and suppresses future messages. No manual intervention required, no risk of accidentally texting someone who opted out.
  • Time Zone Management: Our platform automatically adjusts send times based on recipient time zones, ensuring you never violate timing restrictions.
  • Consent Tracking: We help you document and maintain proper consent records, providing legal protection if questions ever arise about your messaging practices.

This comprehensive compliance approach protects your campaign from legal risk while maintaining the professionalism that builds trust with recipients.

Real Results: How Compliance Drives Campaign Success

Compliance isn’t just about avoiding problems—it’s about achieving results. Proper 10DLC registration and TCPA compliance directly translate into better campaign performance.

  • Higher Deliverability Rates: Our clients consistently achieve 95%+ deliverability rates because we maintain excellent carrier relationships and high trust scores. Your messages reach real people, not spam folders or carrier blocks.
  • Faster Message Delivery: High trust scores mean higher throughput. When you need to reach thousands of supporters quickly—during GOTV pushes, breaking news responses, or urgent fundraising appeals—your messages deliver in minutes, not hours.
  • Better Engagement Rates: Messages that land in primary inboxes rather than spam folders get opened and acted upon. Our compliance-first approach means your 98% open rate advantage actually materializes instead of being undermined by poor deliverability.
  • Protected Sender Reputation: Campaigns using Texting For Less benefit from our established reputation and carrier relationships. You’re not starting from scratch or rebuilding after compliance failures—you’re launching with trusted infrastructure.

We’re ranked #31 nationwide in the Inc. 5000 and #1 in telecommunications because we deliver results. We won the 2025 Pollies Award because our compliance-first approach translates into SMS campaigns that actually work. When deliverability and compliance are handled properly, campaigns can focus on what matters: reaching voters, raising money, and winning elections.

Happy Customers: What Campaigns Say About Our Compliance Support

Our clients consistently highlight compliance support as one of the most valuable aspects of working with Texting For Less. Here’s what they experience:

  • “No Stress, Just Results”: Campaign managers tell us they sleep better knowing compliance is handled by experts. They don’t worry about carrier rejections, blocked messages, or TCPA violations because we’ve got it covered.
  • “Fast Approval Process”: Campaigns regularly express relief at how quickly we get them registered and approved. What takes weeks or months for DIY attempts takes 48 hours with Texting For Less managing the process.
  • “Messages Actually Deliver”: The most common feedback we hear is simple appreciation that messages actually reach their intended recipients. Many clients have switched to us after experiencing terrible deliverability with other platforms that didn’t prioritize compliance.
  • “Expert Guidance When Needed”: Our clients value having compliance experts available during campaign hours. When questions arise about message content, opt-in procedures, or any compliance concern, they get immediate answers from knowledgeable professionals.

As one congressional campaign manager told us: “I’ve used three different texting platforms. Texting For Less is the only one where I never worry about compliance. Messages deliver, opt-outs are handled automatically, and I can focus on winning instead of troubleshooting technical problems.”

The Hidden Costs of Poor Compliance

Many campaigns choose SMS platforms based solely on price, only to discover that cheap platforms create expensive problems. Poor compliance infrastructure leads to:

  • Blocked Messages During Critical Moments: Imagine launching your GOTV push on Election Day only to discover thousands of messages are blocked due to compliance issues. This nightmare scenario happens regularly with platforms that cut compliance corners.
  • Wasted Campaign Budget: Messages that don’t deliver represent completely wasted money. If you’re paying for 10,000 messages but only 6,000 actually reach recipients due to poor deliverability, you’re throwing away 40% of your texting budget.
  • Time Lost to Registration Problems: Campaigns attempting DIY 10DLC registration often spend weeks navigating rejections and resubmissions. This delays campaign launch, limits strategic flexibility, and wastes staff time that should be spent on voter contact.
  • Legal Risk Exposure: TCPA violations can devastate campaign finances. Platforms that don’t properly handle opt-outs or maintain consent documentation expose you to potentially massive liability.
  • Reputation Damage: Campaigns that get branded as spammers due to compliance violations damage their reputation with both carriers and voters. Rebuilding from that damage is difficult and time-consuming.

Texting For Less eliminates all these risks. Our transparent pricing includes full compliance support—no hidden costs, no surprise fees, no compliance-related disasters derailing your campaign. 

Compliance + Features: The Complete Package

10DLC compliance is our foundation, but we build a comprehensive texting platform on top of it. Our compliance infrastructure enables all the features campaigns need to succeed:

  • 2000-Character MMS Messages: Properly registered campaigns can send rich media messages with images, videos, and GIFs. Compliance enables creativity.
  • High-Volume Throughput: Our trust scores allow you to reach thousands of supporters quickly when time-sensitive situations demand immediate communication.
  • Two-Way Messaging: Compliant infrastructure supports genuine conversations with supporters. Free incoming messages let you engage without worrying about costs.
  • Real-Time Analytics: Live dashboards showing delivery rates, open rates, and engagement metrics are only valuable when compliance ensures accurate data.
  • API Integration: Connect Texting For Less with your other campaign tools, knowing that proper compliance makes these integrations reliable and effective.

Every feature we offer is built on our compliance-first foundation. You get cutting-edge SMS capabilities backed by rock-solid deliverability and legal protection.

Our Compliance Commitment

Texting For Less doesn’t treat compliance as a checkbox to tick or an inconvenient requirement to minimize. Compliance is central to our mission of helping campaigns succeed through effective SMS communication.

  • We Handle Registration: Our US-based team manages your entire 10DLC registration process at no additional cost. You get expert handling of complex requirements without paying extra.
  • We Monitor Continuously: Compliance isn’t static. We continuously monitor carrier requirements, regulation changes, and your campaign’s messaging patterns to ensure ongoing compliance.
  • We Provide Expert Guidance: Our team offers dedicated support during all legal texting hours. When you have compliance questions, you get answers from knowledgeable professionals who understand political campaigns.
  • We Update Proactively: When carriers change requirements or new regulations emerge, we update our systems and processes immediately. Your campaign stays compliant without needing to track regulatory changes.
  • We Maintain Infrastructure: Our carrier relationships, trust scores, and technical infrastructure are continuously maintained and improved. You benefit from enterprise-grade compliance support regardless of campaign size.

This commitment has made campaigns trust us because we deliver results built on uncompromising compliance standards.

The Bottom Line: Compliance Enables Success

10DLC compliance and TCPA adherence aren’t obstacles to overcome—they’re the foundation of successful SMS campaigns. Proper compliance means your messages deliver, your campaign stays protected from legal risk, and your supporters actually receive your communications.

Texting For Less has built our entire platform around compliance-first principles. We handle the complex registration, maintain industry-leading trust scores, automate TCPA requirements, and provide expert guidance—all included in our transparent, affordable pricing.

The campaigns that win are those that reach voters effectively and consistently. You can’t do that with blocked messages, poor deliverability, or compliance violations shutting down your SMS operations at critical moments.

Despite the complexity behind the scenes, getting started with Texting For Less is remarkably simple:

  1. Contact Us: Call 1-888-218-5287 or request a demo at textingforless.com
  2. Provide Basic Information: We’ll gather the details needed for 10DLC registration
  3. We Handle Registration: Our team manages the entire approval process
  4. Start Texting: Once approved, you’re ready to launch compliant, high-deliverability campaigns

Choose the platform that makes compliance simple, deliverability reliable, and SMS results consistently excellent. Choose Texting For Less.