On November 25, "STOP" changes meaning. Is your business ready?

Most SMB texting setups were built for the old "revoke-all" world — or worse, honor STOP in one tool and ignore it in another.

The trap is the mixed message: a reminder with "20% off this week!" stapled to it is legally telemarketing, and scoping its opt-out is a violation.

Vendors sell sending software, not revocation readiness. Nobody has checked whether your seven keywords work, whether every template discloses your designated method, or whether you could prove you honored an opt-out.

I audit business texting setups, so here is the insider truth nobody at your messaging vendor mentions: that reminder — “your appointment is Tuesday, and here is 20 percent off this week” — is legally telemarketing, because it mixes an informational message with a promotional one. And under the FCC’s new revocation rules, FCC 26-67, effective November 25, 2026, scoping an opt-out wrong on a mixed message is a violation. Most small-business setups were built for the old revoke-all world — or worse, they honor STOP inside one tool and ignore it in another.

The math is why this is not a paperwork nicety. TCPA exposure runs $500 to $1,500 per message. One 300-customer reminder blast sent after an opt-out is a five-figure problem, and the per-message math does not care that you barely text. Vendors sell sending software. Nobody has checked whether your seven standard opt-out words actually work everywhere, whether every template discloses your one designated revocation method, or whether you could prove — with a log — that you honored an opt-out inside the deadline.

Here is the check, in order. One: a 15-minute inventory — every reminder, recall, promo and call script you send. Templates, not customer data. Two: the 8-point StopScope check against FCC 26-67 — classification, revoke-all handling, scoping disclosure, designated method, the seven keywords, the honor deadline, the confirmation message, the evidence log. Three: the Audit lands as a scored report with the fix list in priority order for $149. The Fix Pack, $449, rewrites every failing template’s disclosure copy, sets up your designated method, hands your vendor the exact questions and settings, and installs the revocation evidence log. Sentinel is $79 a month for template re-checks and a re-audit whenever the FCC moves again.

The honest beat, in both directions. First: the rule is public — you can read FCC 26-67 yourself, free, and if you have the hours, you can run this check yourself; what I sell is that it actually gets done, template by template. Second: where the FCC has only proposed a tighter standard — the 7-day honor window — I set your workflow to 7 days anyway, stricter than the current 10-business-day requirement, so a future change is a non-event for you. And plainly: this is readiness work, not legal advice.

You started your business to serve customers, not to become a TCPA revocation specialist. Classifying messages and proving opt-outs got honored is a small, flat-priced job — mine. Start with the Audit before November 25, and know which of your templates is a liability while fixing it still costs $149.