What every business needs to know about TCPA and DNC
The laws are real, the penalties are steep, and enforcement is accelerating.
What is the TCPA
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act is a federal law that regulates how businesses contact consumers by phone and text. Violations carry penalties of $500 to $$1,500 per call with no cap on total damages. It is one of the most litigated consumer protection statutes in American history.
$$1,500
per violation
up to $$1,500 for willful violations — no cap on total damages
What is the Do Not Call Registry
The National Do Not Call Registry is maintained by the FTC and contains numbers of consumers who have opted out of telemarketing calls. Businesses must scrub their contact lists against it at least every 31 days. Violations carry fines of up to $43,792 per call.
$43,792
maximum fine per DNC violation
Who this applies to
Any business that contacts consumers by phone or text for sales or marketing purposes is subject to TCPA and DNC requirements. This includes mortgage brokers, insurance agencies, real estate firms, solar companies, debt collectors, and any organization that dials at volume. The law does not distinguish by industry.
What are serial litigators
Serial litigators are professional plaintiffs who intentionally place their numbers into lead databases and wait to receive calls so they can sue. Between 31 and 41 percent of all TCPA lawsuits are filed by a small group of repeat plaintiffs. Their numbers are in your lead list right now.
31-41%
of all TCPA lawsuits filed by repeat plaintiffs
What changed in 2025
As of April 2025, consumers can revoke consent to be contacted by any reasonable means. Businesses must honor revocations within 10 business days. Class action filings increased 95 percent year over year in the first half of 2025.
95%
increase in TCPA class action filings in H1 2025
How to stay protected
Scrub your contact list against the DNC registry and a TCPA litigator database before every dial session. These checks must be run regularly because new numbers are added every week. Ventra Compliance automates this entirely by connecting to your CRM and running scrubs on a set schedule.
Scrub against DNC registry every 31 days
Check against TCPA litigator database weekly
Connect your CRM for fully automated protection
Ready to protect your business?