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Short answer: Under the FCC’s new robocall opt-out rule, a company that sends autodialed or prerecorded calls and texts can now name the specific way you must say stop, as long as it tells you clearly on each call or text. If it names a method, use that one. If it names none, any reasonable way of opting out still counts. Companies must honor an opt-out within ten business days, and the order was adopted on September 30 with a start date 30 days after Federal Register publication, according to a DLA Piper summary and the FCC’s order.
| Point | What the order says | Source (checked Oct. 28) |
|---|---|---|
| Who picks the opt-out method | Callers may designate one or more exclusive methods | FCC order |
| Allowed methods | Automated voice or key-press opt-out, reply text with listed words, or a designated website or phone number | FCC order |
| Deadline to honor an opt-out | Within a reasonable time, not to exceed ten business days | FCC order |
| Start date | 30 days after Federal Register publication | FCC order |
| “Revoke all” requirement | Not adopted; the FCC is asking for comment | FCC order |
What the robocall opt-out rule changes
Before this order, the standard let you revoke consent by any reasonable means, and a company could not insist on one channel. Under the new robocall opt-out rule, a caller may designate its own channel. The order lists three: an automated voice or key-press opt-out during the call, a reply text using standardized words such as “stop” or “unsubscribe,” or a designated website or phone number. The caller must “clearly and conspicuously disclose the designated method” on the call or in the text itself, according to the FCC. Burying it in online terms is not enough.
A company that designates a method does not have to process opt-outs made another way, according to DLA Piper’s reading of the order. If a caller designates nothing, the older “any reasonable means” standard still applies.
What the robocall opt-out rule does not change
The ten-business-day limit stays. The order also narrows the scope of an opt-out in one case: if you opt out in response to an informational message, such as a payment reminder, that revocation can apply only to that category, so you could still get fraud alerts. Opting out of marketing, by contrast, stops future marketing robocalls from that caller, per DLA Piper.
The bigger rule from 2024, which would have let one opt-out stop every type of robocall and robotext from a sender, is not what the FCC adopted. The order supersedes the earlier requirement, whose start date had been pushed to January 31, 2027. The FCC is instead asking for public comment on a “revoke all” option, on shortening the ten-day deadline (a joint letter it references proposes seven business days) and on requiring two-way texting. None of those is in effect.
How to make an opt-out stick
Practical steps follow from the order, though none of this is legal advice:
- Look for the stated method first. A text or call that names a reply word, a key press or a website is telling you how that company will accept an opt-out. Use it.
- Keep a record. Screenshot the text or note the date, number and time of the call. If the messages continue past ten business days, that record is what you would show a regulator or lawyer.
- Be specific about scope. If you want all messages to stop, not just one category, say so in your reply.
- Do not reply to messages you do not recognize. A “STOP” reply to a scam text can confirm your number is active. Our guides to spotting a scam text and fake delivery texts explain what to do instead.
Why the robocall opt-out rule matters in court
Under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, DLA Piper notes, a consumer can sue for $500 per violation, or up to $1,500 per violation if it was willful or knowing. Whether continued messages after a valid opt-out count as violations depends on whether you used a method the caller accepted, which is the reason the designated-method question now matters. How courts apply that will take time.
What to watch
Two dates are worth tracking: the Federal Register publication date, which sets the start of the new rules, and the comment deadlines on the FCC’s proposals. Law-firm summaries differ on the exact start date, so confirm it on the FCC’s site before relying on one. The robocall opt-out rule does not reach scammers, who ignore any rule, so it is a tool for legitimate callers you have dealt with, not for fraud.
Editor’s take
Do this first: the next time a legitimate company texts you, read the last line of the message. If it names a way to stop, use exactly that and save a screenshot. The robocall opt-out rule makes the company’s stated method the safest route, and the evidence is what protects you if messages keep coming.
