10 DLC Non-Compliance Fines 10 DLC Non-Compliance Fines

10 DLC Non-Compliance Fines

Ezra Lizama

As part of the requirements from carriers, fines are being enforced for non-compliance. The impact of non-compliance could lead to significant fines and loss of service. Vonage will endeavor to contact users before enforcing fines and suspending services.

 

Note: Fines are per incident (ie. per message). A single account can incur multiple fines.

Non-Compliance Description Enforcement Deadline T-Mobile Fine (Per Incident)

T-Mobile - Non-Use obligation fine

T-Mobile requires deactivation of any 10DLC campaign that does not have at least one long virtual number (LVN) associated with that campaign in the Campaign Registry (TCR).

T-Mobile began charging Non-Use Fees for all 10DLC campaigns without a linked number. This fine will be applied on a monthly basis until a number is linked or the campaign is canceled if not needed. Please refer to 10DLC - Update - T-Mobile Non-Use Obligation Fine (December 1st, 2022) for additional details. 

 Feb 1st, 2023 $250

T-Mobile traffic violation fines

Starting from January 1st 2024, T-Mobile started applying the following fines for traffic violations based on three (3) tiers, as defined below:

Tier 1: Phishing, smishing and social engineering

Tier 2: Illegal content

(content must be legal in all 50 states as well as federally)

Tier 3: All other violations (including, but not limited to SHAFT)

 

Please check this article for more details

 January 1st, 2024

Tier 1: $2000

 

Tier 2: $1000

 

Tier 3: $500

T-Mobile Content Violation

For each of the third and any subsequent notification of a Content Violation involving the same Content Provider. Sending Messages that:

  • (a) Violate the rules governing program content as detailed in the [T-Mobile Code of Conduct], or

  • (b) Meet the threshold of a Severity 0 violation per page 20-22 of the most recent CTIA Short Code Monitoring Handbook. 

  • SHAFT definition: sex, hate, alcohol, firearm related, tobacco (Marijuana and Vaping products included)

 Oct. 1st, 2021 $10,000

Shared Short Code

A single Short Code that is utilized for the delivery of messages through a short code to or from multiple content providers specifically applies to reseller model use of Vonage.

 TBD $10,000

T-Mobile Program Evasion

  • Provisioning new numbers to evade compliance: Attempting to use new 10DLC numbers to continue to send SPAM messages if another number is suspended or deactivated

  • Snowshoeing: An account may not utilize any technique to spread messages across many source 10-Digit Long Code Numbers, specifically to dilute reputation metrics and evade spam filters

  • Approved Content evasion: An account may not send message content, using a 10-Digit Long Code Number and campaign ID, that differs from the information provided for an approved campaign service during registration.

 Oct. 1st, 2021 $1,000

Grey Route Non-Compliance fee

If P2P routes are used to send A2P traffic

 TBD $10 per message



Messaging Partner Non-Compliance Fines

Violation Type Description Fees
Severity-0 (Sev-0) Indicates the highest-priority compliance violations that require immediate remediation. It includes phishing, smishing, social engineering, brand impersonation, illegal or prohibited content, and SHAFT-related violations. 1st and 2nd incidents: $1000 per incident

3rd and subsequent incidents: $2000 per incident
Proactive Alert Provides a warning when a potential compliance issue is detected before it escalates to a more serious violation. Customers are strongly encouraged to address these alerts promptly to avoid further enforcement and additional fees. $250 per alert
Opt-in Consent Audit Is triggered by mobile carriers or our messaging partners when there is evidence that a 10DLC campaign may be sending messages to subscribers who did not explicitly consent to receive them. There is no fee for the audit itself; however, failure to provide valid proof of opt-in consent upon request may result in immediate campaign suspension or escalation to higher non-compliance fee tiers. Audit Only: $0
Sole Proprietor Violation The sole proprietor 10DLC registration process is intended for individuals who conduct business messaging activity but cannot provide a Tax ID (EIN) or official business registration number, such as freelancers, contractors, and independent service providers. A violation occurs when an individual who has a Tax ID or EIN registers as a sole proprietor to avoid the standard 10DLC business registration process. $250 per violation

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