The Campaign Registry FAQ

What is The Campaign Registry (TCR)?

In an effort to protect the SMS communication channel, the U.S. mobile carriers are requiring all 10 digit long-code (10DLC) phone numbers to be vetted and registered in The Campaign Registry (TCR) in order to send SMS messages at scale. TCR is a third-party organization that works directly with the carriers and text messaging providers like Community to register businesses with phone numbers. This registry enables carriers to block bad actors on a business entity level instead of a phone number level. This helps reduce spam texts and helps individuals build more trust in the SMS medium. Carriers will also be able to restrict or increase the rate of SMS activity (throughput) based on trust of the business entity.

Background

Before TCR, when spammers and other malicious SMS actors were discovered by mobile carriers, the carriers would block or take other actions against the login associated with that phone number. However, the bad actors may simply acquire a new phone number and continue sending a new spammy blast campaign to their number list. To fight this practice, carriers built a registration system for SMS senders called The Campaign Registry (TCR). The system links businesses with phone numbers, making it easier for carriers to keep track of bad actors and take action against them as necessary. The system also throttles low-trust businesses and enables more messaging volume for more reputable businesses.

Is registration required?

Yes. Basic business information is required from all Community customers. Additionally, any business that needs scalable texting (see information about throughput and daily limits below), registration of your business EIN is required. Our platform may block certain bulk texting features, such as the sending of multiple texts at the same time (i.e., Campaigns). Fees may increase on April 1, 2022, so we highly recommend registering as soon as possible.

Registration Process

Community helps manage your registration on the TCR on your behalf. Most customers will either see a prompt to enter this information in the product or will receive a message from their account manager. For customers seeking a very high message limit or throughput in the U.S., please work with your account manager. If you’re a sole proprietorship that requires a minimum amount of messaging, you’ll just need some basic information, such as your contact information. Any other business will also need to have some basic information about the business entity, including the Employer Identification Number (EIN) and business address. If you’re a public company, your ticker symbol will also be required. We will only use this submitted information for TCR purposes only. Inaccurate information may result in delays, denials of increased throughput, or additional fees.

Registering with an EIN

Registering with a tax EIN that is associated with your business ensures you will receive optimum performance and message throughput for your Community number. The Campaign Registry uses the EIN as a pre-vetting for businesses and individuals wanting to send SMS traffic over 10DLC. If you’re a small business that needs high throughput but you do not have an EIN, please contact accountservices@community.com. If you are registering on behalf of a business, you should generally register the EIN of the business that Community Members are intending to text with. If you have multiple EINs or businesses relating to your phone number, the best strategy for your registrations will depend on balancing your expected Trust Scores and managing the risk of violations being associated with your EIN.

Registration Fees

The following fees apply to register for the TCR. These fees are determined by TCR and will automatically be passed onto you on your invoice. Community does not add its own TCR charges on top of these fees.

Sole Proprietorship (No EIN): $0

Business (EIN required): $94 one-time fee + $10/month

Special Business Review (to request high throughput or unlimited messages): $5000 (this fee may be waived for a limited time by the carriers)

These fees apply per phone number. Additional fees may apply to enable multiple use cases for a phone number. If you switch SMS providers, you may need to repay these registration fees. Fees are set by TCR and subject to change.

Maximum Throughput

Your registration type will determine the rate at which you can send texts (“throughput”). Throughput is measured by the industry in segments, which are roughly equal to one simple SMS message (160 GSM-7 encoded characters). Emojis, links, and media count as multiple segments, depending on the length of the raw characters required to encode them. By default, a business will be allowed to send roughly 2 segments per second between all carriers. Once your registration is processed, the Trust Score and campaign type will determine an increased rate, which will be disclosed to you in our product. AT&T may take a week after registration to initially approve your throughput. If you exceed your maximum throughput, your messages will still be sent but the messages will be sent more slowly because of the rate limits. For more information on throughput, please read here.

Daily message limits

Additionally, there may be limits on the maximum number of messages you can send per  day. Specifically, messages sent via T-Mobile will be restricted as follows (for more information, see here):

• If you register as a sole proprietorship (aka, a Starter), you will be able to send up to 1000 segments per day.
• If you register as a standard business with your EIN, your business will be reviewed and assigned a Trust Score. If approved, you will be assigned an increased daily segments limit based on your Trust Score and Use Case (“Campaign”) type. If denied, you will receive the basic Starter limit of 1000 segments per day.
• If you appeal for high throughput under a Special Business Review, your business will be reviewed and assessed for the volume of messaging you’re permitted. Appeals cost additional money and take additional time for review over a standard business. Once approved, you’ll receive a maximum daily message limit, which could potentially be unlimited.
  

If a campaign exceeds the thresholds for daily message limits, the messages exceeding the threshold may be dropped. Other carriers may add similar daily message limits in the future. For more information on daily message limits, please read here.

Violations

This new TCR system is intended for carriers to better enforce blocks and bans. This means that bad behavior will be flagged at the EIN/business level, not just the phone number. If you attempt to get a new 10DLC phone number on Community or another platform, the existing record associated with your EIN may affect your throughput. As part of the shift to a more trusted SMS environment, carriers may also impose additional fees and penalties for bad behavior. This may include large fines for snowshoeing or for multiple violations of carrier content guidelines. To avoid receiving fines or bans, we recommend avoiding any attempts to bypass TCR throughput limitations and to pay close attention to carrier acceptable use policies.  

Questions

If you have any questions, please reach out to us at accountservices@community.com.