Why This Rejection Happens
The carrier's vetting process identified content in your campaign (samples or description) that falls under a specific "Special" use case category, but you registered it as a "Standard" campaign. Certain sensitive topics require specific registration paths to ensure compliance.
Common Triggers: Sending Charity (501c3), Political, Emergency, or K-12 Education content via a "Standard Marketing" or "Mixed" campaign type.
Root Cause Analysis
Primary Triggers
- Charity Misclassification: You are a 501c3 non-profit sending donation requests, but selected "Marketing" instead of the dedicated "Charity" use case.
- Political Content: Samples mention "vote," "election," or "candidate," but the campaign is not registered under the "Political" special use case.
- Gated Content: Your content involves age-gated topics (Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco) but you did not select the appropriate age-gated use case, or the carrier requires a specific declaration for these.
- Emergency Alerts: You are sending critical safety alerts but registered as "Standard." Emergency/Public Safety is a protected class requiring proof of authority.
Required Elements
| Content Type | Required Registration Type | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| 501c3 Non-Profit | Special - Charity | Grants lower carrier fees and higher trust. Standard campaigns are for for-profit entities. |
| Political / Election | Special - Political | Subject to intense vetting and "Campaign Verify" token requirements. |
| Emergency | Special - Emergency | Prioritized traffic that bypasses standard filters; requires government status. |
Step-by-Step Remediation
Analyze Your Content for "Special" Topics
Review your sample messages and description. Do they contain keywords related to the protected categories below?
- Charity: Donate, 501c3, Cause, Fundraiser.
- Political: Vote, Election, Candidate, PAC, Ballot.
- Education: School closure, K-12, Student alerts.
- Emergency: 911, Alert, Danger, Safety.
Determine the Correct Use Case
If your content matches a Special Use Case, you cannot use a Standard campaign. You must likely deactivate the current rejected campaign and start a new registration selecting the correct type.
✓ Correct Selection
Org: Local Food Bank (501c3)
Selection: Special - Charity
Outcome: Approved + Fee Waivers
✗ Incorrect Selection
Org: Local Food Bank (501c3)
Selection: Standard - Marketing
Outcome: Rejected (Code 2005)
Verify Qualifications
Charity: Ensure your Brand EIN matches the 501c3 database.
Political: Ensure you have a "Campaign Verify" token (if required by your CSP).
Carrier-Specific Requirements
T-Mobile
- Imposes significant fines for "Evasion" if you misclassify traffic to avoid fees (e.g., registering Political as Marketing).
- Strictly enforces the separation of Standard vs. Special use cases.
AT&T
- Requires specific use case codes for K-12 Education and Higher Education to apply proper filtering rules.
MyTCRPlus Tools That Can Help
Use Case Selector
Answer a few questions to determine if your content qualifies for (or requires) a Special Use Case.
Prohibited Content Analyzer
Scans your samples for keywords that might be triggering a Special Use Case flag (like "vote" or "donate").
Pre-Resubmission Checklist
- I have checked if my organization is a 501c3 (requires Charity use case).
- I have checked if my content is Political (requires Political use case).
- I have checked if my content is K-12 Education (requires K-12 use case).
- I have confirmed I am not "Standard Marketing" if any of the above apply.
- I have the necessary tokens or tax documents ready for the new registration.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
❌ Choosing "Standard" to Save Time
Special use cases often require extra vetting (e.g., Political tokens). Choosing "Standard" to skip this step will result in Rejection 2005 every time. There is no shortcut.
❌ "Mixed" Use Case for Everything
Registering a campaign as "Mixed" does not give you permission to send Charity or Political messages. Those categories are exclusive and cannot be mixed with standard commercial traffic.
Expected Timeline
Related Rejection Codes
This guidance provides general information about 10DLC compliance requirements. Misclassification of traffic (e.g., disguising Political or Charity traffic as Marketing) is a serious compliance violation that may result in fines or service termination. Organizations should strictly adhere to carrier use case definitions. MyTCRPlus does not provide legal advisory services or regulatory representation.