What the TCPA is
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act is a federal law that regulates specific telephone practices. Different parts of the law address different conduct, including automatic telephone dialing systems, artificial or prerecorded voice messages, telephone solicitations, and certain fax advertising.
Different rules answer different questions
Automated / prerecorded rules
Federal restrictions can apply to certain calls made with regulated dialing technology or artificial or prerecorded voice messages.
Do Not Call rules
Separate federal rules govern many telephone solicitations to numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry and company-specific do-not-call requests.
These are not the same legal theory. A contact can implicate one rule without implicating another.
Private-action framework
For qualifying violations covered by 47 U.S.C. § 227(b)(3), the statute provides for actual monetary loss or $500 in statutory damages, whichever is greater. A court may increase the amount for a willful or knowing violation.
Consent and exemptions matter
Some federal restrictions depend on whether consent existed, what kind of contact occurred, what technology was used, and who was contacted. Federal regulations also contain exemptions and definitions that can change the analysis.
State law may add separate protections or remedies. SpamPath keeps those state rules in a separate directory so they are not blended into one nationwide rule.
Official source
Federal statute governing telephone-equipment and telephone-solicitation restrictions.
Read the U.S. Code