On September 30, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to adopt new TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act) rules, revising user opt-out requirements for automated calls and robotexts and allowing businesses to designate exclusive channels through which consumers can withdraw marketing consent.
The previous rules, in place since 2015, required businesses to accept opt-out requests submitted through any reasonable means, including requests made verbally to customer service or sent by regular mail. Businesses reported that this standard imposed high compliance costs and exposed them to litigation. The new rules provide three categories of compliant exclusive opt-out methods: interactive push-button opt-out during a call, use of any of the following standardized terms (“stop,” “quit,” “end,” “revoke,” “opt out,” “cancel,” “unsubscribe”), or a website or contact phone number designated by the business. As long as a business clearly and conspicuously states the opt-out method in every call and text message, it is not required to process opt-out requests sent through other channels. If a business does not designate an exclusive channel, the prior “any reasonable means” standard continues to apply.
The new rules also distinguish between message types: opting out of marketing messages means opting out of all marketing channels, while for notification messages such as billing reminders, an opt-out applies only to that message category and will not block other notifications such as fraud risk alerts. Opt-out requests must still be processed within 10 business days. The rules take effect 30 days after publication in the Federal Register and repeal the “one-click universal opt-out” requirement originally scheduled to take effect in January 2027.
