10DLC Secondary Vetting Problems

If your once-approved 10DLC campaigns are suddenly getting rejected, you’re not alone. The secondary vetting process has become a major pain point for businesses, causing confusion, delays, and unexpected costs. Even more frustrating, there’s little clarity on why campaigns fail or what steps to take to fix them.

The consequences are serious: businesses are losing time, spending money on repeated vetting fees, and struggling to maintain customer relationships. Even SMS providers—who aren’t responsible for the rejections—are being blamed for the bottleneck.

So, what’s causing these sudden rejections? How can businesses adapt to this new challenge? Let’s break it down.

What Is 10DLC Secondary Vetting?

10DLC (10-digit long code) messaging was designed to regulate business text messaging and prevent spam while maintaining a high throughput for legitimate use cases. To send SMS through 10DLC, businesses must register their brand and campaigns with The Campaign Registry (TCR) and carriers.

However, secondary vetting adds another layer of scrutiny on top of the initial registration. It’s conducted by third-party vetting companies, which assess campaigns based on vague and inconsistent criteria. While the intent is to ensure compliance, the process is causing mass confusion and disruptions for businesses trying to communicate with their customers.

The Biggest Problems With 10DLC Secondary Vetting

The vetting process is supposed to protect consumers and ensure only legitimate businesses send messages via 10DLC. However, the current system is riddled with problems that make it difficult for businesses to operate efficiently.

1. Random Rejections Without Explanation

One of the most frustrating aspects of secondary vetting is the lack of transparency. Many businesses submit campaigns that meet all compliance requirements—only to receive a rejection notice without a clear explanation.

Even worse, campaigns that were previously approved and running smoothly are suddenly flagged and denied. Businesses are left wondering: What changed? What rule did I break? How do I fix this?

Without concrete reasons for rejection, companies must resubmit blindly—leading to wasted time and additional vetting fees.

2. Vetting Fees Are Piling Up

Every time a campaign is submitted for vetting, there’s a fee. If a campaign gets rejected, businesses must pay again to reapply. Given that many rejections occur without any actionable feedback, businesses often find themselves trapped in a cycle of repeated submissions and escalating costs.

For companies running multiple SMS campaigns, these fees quickly add up, cutting into marketing budgets and reducing ROI. The financial burden is especially severe for small businesses, which may not have the resources to keep paying for unnecessary vetting.

3. No Clear Fixes or Guidelines

When a campaign fails secondary vetting, businesses expect clear instructions on how to resolve the issue. Instead, they receive generic rejection notices with little or no guidance.

This leaves companies guessing what went wrong and blindly making changes to their content, hoping for approval on the next attempt. Some businesses report submitting the same campaign multiple times without any edits—only to have it approved on the fourth or fifth try.

The lack of consistency in rejections and approvals further fuels frustration. Without defined standards, businesses are at the mercy of an opaque and unpredictable vetting process.

4. Customers Are Blaming Providers

End-users and customers don’t understand the complexities of 10DLC compliance. When a campaign gets rejected or messages fail to send, they assume the problem lies with their SMS provider.

This creates trust issues between businesses and SMS platforms. Customers become frustrated when they can’t get a straight answer about why their campaigns aren’t going through. Many blame their providers, even though these platforms aren’t the ones making the vetting decisions.

For SMS providers, this situation is damaging their reputation and customer relationships, despite having little control over the secondary vetting process.

5. Delays That Hurt Business Operations

With each rejection, businesses face longer approval times. What was once a straightforward process now requires multiple rounds of vetting, resulting in weeks of delays before a campaign can launch.

For businesses that rely on SMS for:

• Marketing promotions
• Time-sensitive alerts
• Customer service updates

These delays can be devastating. Missed campaign deadlines can lead to lost revenue, lower engagement rates, and frustrated customers.

The unpredictability of the vetting process makes it even harder to plan campaigns effectively. Businesses can no longer rely on a quick approval process and must factor in delays when scheduling their SMS outreach.

What Can You Do About It?

Despite these challenges, there are ways to minimize the impact of secondary vetting and improve your chances of campaign approval.

1. Double-Check Your Content and Use Cases

Even if your campaign was previously approved, review your messaging content and ensure it meets current compliance standards. Avoid:

• Excessive capital letters
• Trigger words that resemble spam
• Ambiguous or misleading language

Make sure your campaign aligns with the declared use case submitted to TCR. Some rejections happen because the message content doesn’t match the registered campaign purpose.

2. Work With a Knowledgeable SMS Provider

Not all SMS providers handle secondary vetting the same way. Some offer stronger guidance and can help businesses navigate the complex approval process.

Look for a provider that:

• Has direct carrier relationships
• Offers support for campaign registration
• Provides detailed insights if a campaign is rejected

3. Push for More Transparency

Businesses must demand better clarity and consistency from carriers and vetting companies. If enough companies push back, the industry may be forced to implement clearer guidelines and standardized vetting criteria.

4. Budget for Extra Vetting Costs

Since vetting is unpredictable, businesses should plan for additional fees in their SMS marketing budget. While this isn’t an ideal solution, it can prevent unexpected financial strain if a campaign needs multiple submissions.

5. Document Everything

Keep detailed records of all submitted campaigns, including:

• The exact message content
• The declared use case
• Any rejection reasons received

This documentation can help:

• Identify patterns in rejected campaigns
• Dispute unfair rejections
• Streamline future approvals

Future of 10DLC Vetting & Potential Solutions

The 10DLC secondary vetting process has faced criticism for its lack of transparency, inconsistent policies, and long approval times. As businesses continue to rely on SMS for marketing and customer engagement, the industry is pushing for improvements to make the system more efficient, fair, and predictable.

Possible Improvements in the Vetting Process

1. Faster Approval Timelines
   • Carriers and The Campaign Registry (TCR) may streamline the review process to reduce delays.
   • Automation and AI-driven vetting could help speed up approvals while maintaining compliance.
2. Clearer Guidelines for Scoring & Approval
   • Businesses often receive low trust scores or campaign rejections without clear explanations.
   • Standardized criteria for evaluating businesses and campaigns can reduce confusion and increase predictability.
3. Standardized Carrier Policies
   • Different carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon) currently apply different rules for 10DLC vetting.
   • A unified approach would help businesses comply more easily without navigating multiple sets of regulations.
4. Better Communication & Support
   • Many businesses struggle to get clear answers from carriers and TCR when their campaigns face issues.
   • Improved support channels and proactive communication can help businesses resolve problems faster.

Industry Push for More Transparency and Standardization

1. Increased Collaboration Between Carriers & Businesses
   • Industry groups and businesses are advocating for more transparency in the vetting and scoring process.
   • Regular feedback sessions between businesses, SMS providers, and carriers could lead to policy refinements.
2. Stronger Industry Regulations & Oversight
   • Regulatory bodies like the CTIA (Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association) may implement clearer guidelines for carriers.
   • Stricter regulations could ensure fair and consistent vetting across all businesses.
3. Enhanced Reporting & Appeal Processes
   • Businesses should have access to detailed reports on why they receive certain trust scores.
   • A structured appeal process would allow companies to challenge unfair assessments and provide additional proof of compliance.
4. Adoption of AI & Machine Learning for Vetting
   • AI-driven analysis could help reduce human bias and inconsistencies in the approval process.
   • Machine learning models could identify compliant businesses faster while flagging potential risks more accurately.

Final Thoughts

10DLC secondary vetting was meant to improve compliance, but instead, it’s creating confusion, delays, and unnecessary costs for businesses.

With random rejections, rising fees, and no clear resolution process, businesses are left frustrated and scrambling to find workarounds. Meanwhile, SMS providers are taking the blame for issues outside of their control.

Until the vetting system becomes more transparent and standardized, the best approach is to:

• Stay proactive
• Work with a reliable provider
• Document and learn from past rejections
• Advocate for industry-wide improvements

Have you faced challenges with 10DLC secondary vetting? Share your experience in the comments!