US calling compliance: TCPA, DNC & A2P 10DLC

US calling compliance (TCPA, DNC & A2P 10DLC)

Calling US phone numbers with an AI voice agent is legal but regulated — by the TCPA, Do-Not-Call (DNC) rules, STIR/SHAKEN caller ID, and (if you also send SMS) A2P 10DLC. This page explains what applies to a Telenow voice agent calling US numbers and the controls the platform gives you to stay compliant. It is a practical overview, not legal advice — confirm requirements for your program with your own counsel.

For the general, carrier-KYC side of buying numbers (India, and Twilio Regulatory Bundles for regulated markets), see Telephony compliance. For the mechanics of consent lists, see Do-Not-Call (DNC).

Do US numbers need paperwork to buy?

Usually no. US and Canadian local and toll-free numbers are available to buy immediately from a connected carrier — there is no KYC bundle gating the purchase the way there is for some markets. You search a US number, click Buy, and it is on your workspace right away (see Phone numbers). Regulatory paperwork in Telenow's Compliance wizard is for markets that require it (e.g. India on Plivo, and Twilio Regulatory Bundles for India and several EU/APAC countries) — not for standard US voice numbers.

The obligations for US calling are about how you call, not about buying the number.

TCPA — the core US rule for outbound calls

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) is the main federal law covering automated and pre-recorded calls (and texts) to US consumers. In practice, an outbound calling program should:

• Have prior consent appropriate to the call type. Marketing/telemarketing calls that use an automated system generally require prior express written consent; purely informational or transactional calls have a lower bar. Consent is yours to collect and record — Telenow stores your caller memory and call records, but it does not manufacture consent for you.
• Respect calling hours. TCPA restricts telemarketing calls to 8am–9pm in the called party's local time. Telenow lets you set a calling window (call-from / call-until) per outbound campaign, interpreted in a timezone you choose, so dialing pauses outside those hours. A single window applies one timezone to the whole campaign — segment your list by time zone so each recipient is dialed within their own local TCPA hours.
• Honor opt-outs and Do-Not-Call requests. Maintain an internal Do-Not-Call list and scrub against it before dialing. Telenow's org-wide Do-Not-Call (DNC) list is enforced at both upload time and dial time, so a suppressed number is dropped from campaigns and blocked on single (operator-initiated) dials. This internal list is separate from the federal National Do-Not-Call Registry, which you should also scrub telemarketing lists against.

Several US states add their own rules (stricter hours, registration, or consent) — notably Florida, Oklahoma, and Washington. Bake the strictest applicable window and consent standard into your program.

Caller ID authentication (STIR/SHAKEN)

US carriers sign outbound caller ID under the STIR/SHAKEN framework so that calls are less likely to be flagged as "Spam Likely." This happens at the carrier level — the carrier your number lives on (Twilio, Plivo, or your own via BYOC) attestation-signs your calls. To keep a healthy caller reputation: use a consistent caller ID, keep call volumes reasonable, and avoid patterns that trip spam analytics. For high-volume branded calling, ask your carrier about branded caller ID / call attestation programs.

A2P 10DLC (only if you also send SMS)

A2P 10DLC is a US carrier registration framework for application-to-person text messaging sent from standard 10-digit long-code numbers. It is a messaging requirement, not a requirement for voice calls — a voice-only Telenow agent calling US numbers does not need 10DLC registration.

If your program also sends SMS from a US 10-digit number, US carriers require you to register a Brand and one or more Campaigns for that traffic. That registration is done in your carrier's messaging console (e.g. Twilio or Plivo), tied to the account the number lives on — including when you bring your own carrier. Unregistered A2P traffic is heavily rate-limited or blocked. Toll-free numbers used for messaging have their own toll-free verification step, also handled with the carrier.

Call recording consent

Telenow records calls by default, and US recording-consent law is state-specific. Most states allow one-party consent (one participant — your agent — knowing is enough), but several are all-party ("two-party") consent states — including California, Florida, Washington, Pennsylvania, and Illinois — where every participant must consent to being recorded. The common practice is a spoken disclosure at the start of the call ("this call may be recorded").

You control this in Telenow: recording can be disabled per agent if you don't want to record, and where you do record you can add a recording disclosure to the agent's opener. See Calls, recordings & insights for the recording controls and Building agents for the opener.

What Telenow gives you

Checklist for a US calling program

• Collect and record the right level of consent for your call type.
• Configure calling windows on every outbound campaign.
• Load your suppression list into the DNC list and honor opt-outs captured on calls.
• Use a consistent, carrier-attested caller ID; monitor for "Spam Likely."
• If you send SMS, complete A2P 10DLC brand + campaign registration (or toll-free verification) in your carrier console.
• Check state-level rules for the states you dial into.

Related

• Telephony compliance — carrier KYC and Regulatory Bundles for regulated markets.
• Do-Not-Call (DNC) — building and enforcing suppression lists.
• Outbound campaigns — calling windows, retries and dialing controls.
• Data protection, GDPR & security — how call data is stored, exported and deleted.