Non-compliance Fees

U.S. telecommunications providers may assess fees for non-compliant A2P traffic, and CallTrackingMetrics will pass these fees onto you. To date, T-Mobile is the first U.S. telecommunications provider to announce non-compliance fees for violations of T-Mobile’s Code of Conduct. If other mobile carriers begin to apply non-compliance fees for messaging traffic, this article will be updated with these guidelines accordingly if/when additional U.S. telecommunications providers announce non-compliance fees.

On February 15, 2024, T-Mobile implemented a new A2P 10DLC non-compliance fine system. 

These fines will help combat messages that contain prohibited content i.e. phishing, illegal content, and commercial messaging/SMS violations. 

Any number found sending messages (including SMS/MMS, short code, toll-free, and 10DLC)  that violate the tiers below will be subject to a Sev-0 violation, non-compliance fines, and message blocking. 

(Sev-0 indicates the most severe consumer violation, in addition to infringement on our Acceptable Use Policy.)

The following tiers provide a guideline for messaging violations but do not include all possible violations and/or penalties.

Tier 1: $2,000

• Phishing or smishing
  • Posing as a reputable company in an attempt to obtain personal information, such as passwords or credit card numbers, from private individuals.
• Social engineering
  • Manipulating someone into sharing private information, such as credit card numbers, passwords, etc.

Tier 2: $1,000

• Illegal content 
  • Message content must be legal federally and in all 50 states

Tier 3: $500

• Commercial messaging that contains SHAFT (sex, hate, alcohol, firearms, and tobacco) and/or does not follow federal and state law and regulations (e.g. age-gate)

In the event that messaging violations are excessive and/or persist, we reserve the right to permanently suspend any brands, campaigns, and network access necessary.

If your company is found in violation of one of the above tiers, you will receive a Sev-0 violation notice and be charged the respective fine amount. 

Prohibited content

Messages containing certain content create a high volume of consumer complaints, causing different use cases to be banned and leading to the removal of blocked traffic for US A2P messaging, regardless of opt-in status.

Having any of the below use cases in your outbound messages can lead to that number being blocked and/or your account suspended, as well as costly non-compliance fees. 

High-Risk Financial Services	• Payday Loans  • Short Term- High-Interest Loans • Auto Loans  • Mortgage Loans  • Student Loans  • Debt Collection  • Gambling/Sweepstakes • Stock Alerts  • Cryptocurrency
Get Rich Quick Schemes	• Deceptive Work from Home Programs  • Risk Investment Opportunities  • Multi-Level Marketing
Job Postings	Exceptions are permitted if the message sender is the one doing the hiring.
Debt Forgiveness	• Debt Consolidation  • Debt Reduction  • Credit Repair Programs
Controlled Substances	• Cannabis, CBD & Hemp Products - Any mention of Cannabis or Marijuana is strictly prohibited • All Schedule 1 & 2 drugs  • Tobacco and Vape Other disallowed use cases
Other	• Phishing • Pornography  • Profanity or Hate Speech  • Fraud or Scam  • Deceptive Marketing  • Lead Generation (All Affiliate Marketing must be carrier approved)  • Referral or Reseller Campaigns
SHAFT	Sex, Hate, Alcohol, Firearms, or Tobacco related content