The FCC has announced changes to how consumers in the U.S. can revoke consent for marketing communications, with some key updates taking effect immediately. While a major part of the new rules has been delayed until April 2026, businesses must still act now to comply with the current changes and protect their customer relationships. MEF CEO Dario Betti shares an update.
The FCC has postponed an important update on the way consent can be revoked by users in the United States. The postponed rules give more time to adapt for players that terminate marketing and information messages in the country. The TCPA order rules about how customers can say they don’t want to receive your automated calls and texts.
While one big part of these rules has been pushed back a year (until April 2026), other important changes are happening right now. If your business operates in the U.S. mobile space, you need to pay attention to these immediate updates to stay compliant and keep your customers happy. This summary breaks down what’s changing and what you need to do.
What’s Happening? New Rules for “Stop” Requests
Think about when someone replies “STOP” to a text message. The USA regulator, the Federal Communication Commision (FCC) has been working on making it easier for customers to tell businesses they don’t want to be contacted anymore via automated calls and texts. They came up with some new rules in early 2024 to simplify this “opting out” process. One key rule said that customers should be able to opt out using pretty much any reasonable method. It also listed some ways that would definitely count as a clear opt-out.
This also happened after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit had rejected the implementation of the FCC’s “one-to-one consent requirement” – a separate but related TCPA rule that would have significantly altered how companies obtain consent for calls or text messages.
These changes, even without the immediate “stop means stop everything” rule, have a real impact on how you communicate with customers via mobile. ”
The Good News (Delayed): “Stop” Means Stop Everything (For Now)
One part of the new rules said that if a customer opted out in response to one type of message from your business, it should count as them opting out of all future automated calls and texts from you, even if they were about different things.
This “one stop for all” rule has been delayed until April 11, 2026. The FCC realized businesses needed more time to make this work across all their different communication systems. The waiver request came specifically from “several associations of banks and financial institutions” who formally petitioned the FCC for the one-year extension.
The Important News (Happening Now ) What You MUST Do
Even though the “stop means stop everything” part is delayed, several other crucial parts of the new rules are still going into effect in 2025. You need to make sure your business is ready for these:
- Easy Ways to Say “Stop”: You must recognize these common ways for customers to opt out:
- During a Call: If a customer presses a button or uses their voice to say they want to stop during an automated call, you have to honor it.
- Texting “STOP” (and similar words): If someone replies to a text with words like “stop,” “quit,” “end,” “revoke,” “opt out,” “cancel,” or “unsubscribe,” that’s a clear opt-out.
- Website or Phone Opt-Out: If you have a website or phone number specifically for opt-out requests, you need to make sure it works.
- Clear Info for Texts That Can’t Be Replied To: If your texting system doesn’t allow customers to reply (it’s a one-way blast), you have to clearly tell them this in each text message. You also need to provide them with other easy ways to opt out, like a website or phone number.
- Act Fast on “Stop” Requests: When someone asks to opt out, you have a maximum of 10 business days to stop sending them those types of messages.
- No Secret “Stop” Buttons: You can’t force customers to only use one specific method to opt out. They should be able to use any reasonable way.
Other Changes You Need to Know About (Effective Now):
Besides the above, here are a couple of other changes that are also effective now:
- “They Said Stop” – You Need Proof Otherwise: If a customer says they tried to opt out, and they have some proof they did (like a screenshot), the regulators will likely believe them unless you have strong evidence to the contrary. It’s on you to prove they didn’t opt out.
- Faster “Do Not Call” List Updates: If a customer asks to be put on your internal “do not call” list, you now have to do it within 10 business days instead of the old 30-day window.
What This Means for Your Mobile Business:
These changes, even without the immediate “stop means stop everything” rule, have a real impact on how you communicate with customers via mobile. This applies differently to marketing versus informational messages – specifically that marketing opt-outs apply only to marketing, while informational opt-outs (once the postponed rule takes effect) would apply to all communications.
You need to:
- Update Your Systems Now: Make sure your technology can handle all the “easy opt-out” methods (in-call, text replies, website/phone).
- Review Your Texting Practices: If you send one-way texts, you must include clear opt-out instructions
- Speed Up Your Opt-Out Processing: Ten business days is the new limit – make sure your team can handle requests quickly.
- Keep Good Records: Documenting consent and opt-out requests is more important than ever.
- Train Your Teams: Make sure your customer service and marketing teams understand these new rules.
Looking Ahead:
While the “stop means stop everything” rule is delayed, it looks like it is still coming. Use this extra time to plan how you’ll manage opt-outs across all your communication channels.
Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this article is accurate, neither its author(s) nor MEF accept responsibility for any errors or omissions. The content of this article is for general information only and is not intended to constitute or be relied upon as legal advice.
