What did the FCC change about TCPA opt-out rules?

TCPAWorld reports the FCC made changes to TCPA opt-out rules that it says positively affect every business in the nation, distinct from the previously anticipated 'nuclear' revocation ruling other firms had been discussing.

Are cell phones residential lines under the TCPA?

According to a new ruling out of the S.D. Fl., reported by TCPAWorld on September 14, 2026, cell phones are not residential lines under the TCPA.

The FCC robocall Scorecard grades only retail carriers, what does that miss?

Ron Kerbs, writing in Broadband Breakfast, says the Scorecard only grades retail carriers and misses the upstream providers where illegal robocall traffic actually enters the network.

Tuesday, September 15, 2026

FCC changes TCPA opt-out rules; court says cell phones aren't residential lines

TCPAWorld reports the FCC has made changes to TCPA opt-out rules that affect businesses nationwide, and a new ruling out of the S.D. Fl. addressed how cell phones are treated under the TCPA. Separately, a piece in Broadband Breakfast argues the FCC's robocall Scorecard should cover more of the call path.

1Lookup Signal Report

61.5% of numbers checked today came back mobile

Across 2,225 checks run on the 1Lookup platform on 2026-09-15, 61.5% came back mobile, down 15.9 points from the trailing seven-day average of 77.4%. Active phone status also fell, running at 78.0% versus an 88.9% baseline. Email deliverability dropped sharply, with deliverable results at 54.6% versus an 83.4% baseline, while unclassified results rose to 18.3% from 7.2%.

Phone line types

2,225 checks

mobile61.5%
landline15.8%
other line types22.7%

Phone number status

2,225 checks

active78%
other line types22%

Email deliverability

1,496 checks

deliverable54.6%
unclassified18.3%
undeliverable14%
other line types13%

Measured across every completed lookup on the 1Lookup platform for this UTC day. Aggregate only: no customer, organisation or lookup input is published, and any bucket too thin to be anonymous is withheld.

01
FCC makes changes to TCPA opt-out rules that TCPAWorld says positively affect every business
TCPAWorld and Troutman Amin, LLP report the FCC made changes to TCPA opt-out rules. The piece notes that while other firms had been discussing an anticipated 'nuclear' revocation ruling from the FCC, TCPAWorld had stayed quiet because it had information the rule was not what others expected.
Why it matters: Revocation and opt out handling is central to any outbound calling or texting operation. A change to the rules TCPAWorld frames as favorable to businesses means operators should review how they process these requests once the details of the change are confirmed.
- TCPAWorld
02
S.D. Fl. ruling reminds businesses that cell phones are not 'residential' lines under the TCPA
TCPAWorld reports a new ruling out of the S.D. Fl. holding that cell phones are not considered residential lines under the TCPA, a reminder that came the same day as the FCC's opt-out rule changes.
Why it matters: Whether a number counts as residential affects which TCPA protections and restrictions apply to it. Businesses that call or text cell numbers need to track how courts classify those lines when assessing compliance risk.
- TCPAWorld
03
Ron Kerbs argues the FCC's robocall Scorecard should grade the entire call path, not just retail carriers
Writing in Broadband Breakfast, Ron Kerbs says the FCC's robocall Scorecard grades only retail carriers and skips the upstream providers where illegal traffic actually enters the network.
Why it matters: If upstream providers are not graded, illegal robocall traffic can enter the network without being reflected in the Scorecard businesses and consumers rely on to judge carrier performance.
- Broadband Breakfast

Questions people asked today

What did the FCC change about TCPA opt-out rules?: TCPAWorld reports the FCC made changes to TCPA opt-out rules that it says positively affect every business in the nation, distinct from the previously anticipated 'nuclear' revocation ruling other firms had been discussing.
Are cell phones residential lines under the TCPA?: According to a new ruling out of the S.D. Fl., reported by TCPAWorld on September 14, 2026, cell phones are not residential lines under the TCPA.
The FCC robocall Scorecard grades only retail carriers, what does that miss?: Ron Kerbs, writing in Broadband Breakfast, says the Scorecard only grades retail carriers and misses the upstream providers where illegal robocall traffic actually enters the network.
What percentage of checked phone numbers came back mobile today?: Across 2,225 checks run on the 1Lookup platform on 2026-09-15, 61.5% came back mobile, down 15.9 points from the trailing seven-day average of 77.4%.

Check your own numbers against this

Why are my calls showing as spam likely? · What share of phone numbers are VOIP? · How many numbers are invalid or disconnected?

FCC changes TCPA opt-out rules; court says cell phones aren't residential lines

FCC makes changes to TCPA opt-out rules that TCPAWorld says positively affect every business

S.D. Fl. ruling reminds businesses that cell phones are not 'residential' lines under the TCPA

Ron Kerbs argues the FCC's robocall Scorecard should grade the entire call path, not just retail carriers

Questions people asked today

Check your own numbers against this