Checked on October 27, 2026
FCC 26-67 takes effect on November 25, 2026. The FCC published the final rule in the Federal Register on October 26, 2026. For a business that calls or texts customers, the central change is a new choice: designate one exclusive way to opt out and disclose it clearly in every affected call or text, or keep accepting requests made by any reasonable means. Those dates and options come from the FCC 26-67 final rule in the Federal Register.
Our earlier article offers a general explanation of the FCC consent revocation rule and was written before the Federal Register supplied the effective date. The date is now confirmed.
When does FCC 26-67 take effect?
The effective date is November 25, 2026. The final rule appeared in the Federal Register on October 26, 2026 as document 2026-21821, according to the published final rule.
This date replaces the earlier delay to January 31, 2027 for the relevant portion of the prior rule. The FCC says the revised amendments supersede that delayed effective date and apply from November 25, 2026. For an owner or office manager, November 25, 2026 is therefore the working deadline for checking scripts, text templates, routing, and records.
Can my business require customers to opt out one specific way?
Yes, choosing an exclusive method is now an option, not a requirement. The FCC rule text allows a caller to designate a voice or key-press mechanism on the call, a reply to a text using a standard stop word, or a website or telephone number named by the caller for opt-outs. The selected method must be disclosed clearly and conspicuously on every call or in every text. Only then may the business decline to process requests submitted by other means.
| Choice | What the customer must be told | What happens to other routes |
|---|---|---|
| Voice or key-press method | Clearly state the voice or key-press opt-out method on the call. | Once this is properly designated as exclusive, requests through other routes do not have to be processed. |
| Standard word by text | Include a clear instruction such as Reply STOP to opt out in every text. | The business must accept every standard word listed by the rule, but other routes need not be processed after proper exclusive designation. |
| Named website or telephone number | Give the exact website or telephone number for opt-out requests on every call or in every text. | Requests sent elsewhere do not have to be processed after proper exclusive designation. |
| No exclusive method | No exclusive route is announced. | The business must process requests made by any reasonable means. |
If you do not designate an exclusive method, the same final rule says you must continue to accept any reasonable form of revocation. A reasonable informal request cannot be discarded merely because it missed an internal form when no exclusive route was properly named.
Which words must I honor in a text reply?
The final rule lists seven standardized words: stop, quit, end, revoke, opt out, cancel, unsubscribe. If text reply is your designated method, a customer reply using any one of those words counts as an opt-out under the Federal Register rule text.
You do not have to squeeze all seven words into every outgoing text. The FCC says naming even one standardized word satisfies the disclosure requirement, so Reply STOP to opt out is enough. Your processing still has to recognize all seven. A practical test is to send each listed response through your normal workflow and verify that every one reaches the same opt-out record.
Does one STOP cancel all my texts or just one category?
It depends on what kind of message prompted the reply. For informational calls and texts with no advertising, the final rule allows the opt-out to apply only to the specific category involved. A person who opts out of payment reminders does not also have to lose fraud alerts or appointment reminders, according to the FCC final rule.
The FCC explains the difference with its prior reading: a customer who revoked consent in response to payment reminders previously had to be removed from all future robocalls, including unrelated fraud alerts. The revised category treatment is limited to informational communications. It is useful only if your records identify what category the person answered.
Advertising and telemarketing work differently. The final rule says an opt-out made in response to a promotional call or text revokes consent for every future advertising or telemarketing call and text from that caller. Do not apply the narrower informational-category approach to marketing.
How fast do I have to honor an opt-out?
The final rule text says a revocation request must be honored within a reasonable time, no more than ten business days after receipt. This limit applies whether the request arrives through a designated exclusive method or through a reasonable method when no exclusive route was selected, according to the Federal Register text.
The rule also allows one confirmation text after an opt-out. It must be brief and contain no marketing or promotional content. The FCC says a confirmation sent within five minutes of receiving the request is presumed to fall within the customer's prior express consent. Both limits come straight from the rule text.
Your checklist before November 25, 2026
- Decide whether to designate an exclusive opt-out method or continue accepting requests made in any reasonable way. Treat this as a business choice, not a mandatory selection.
- If you choose an exclusive method, select one of the methods the rule permits and place a clear instruction in every affected call script and text template.
- If text reply is the method, display at least one standard word in each text and test processing for stop, quit, end, revoke, opt out, cancel, and unsubscribe.
- Separate informational communications into useful categories, then make sure a category-specific opt-out is recorded only for the informational category involved.
- Route an advertising or telemarketing opt-out across all future marketing calls and texts from the business.
- Keep a record of when the request arrived, how it arrived, the message category, the action taken, and any confirmation sent. Set the workflow to meet the rule text's ten-business-day maximum.
- Review any confirmation text so it is brief, contains no promotion, and can be sent within five minutes if you use one.
The FCC says these revisions impose no new compliance obligation. A business may keep handling revocations as it did before or use the new options described in the final rule. The checklist above is practical editorial guidance for organizing that choice. It is general information, not legal advice.
Consent records are a neighboring issue, not a substitute for opt-out handling. PATech Labs has a separate checklist for keeping SMS consent records and a guide to when written consent is needed for customer calls and texts.
Keep a phone opt-out route answerable
If you offer a telephone route for opt-outs, the caller should reach a live answer or a clear message instead of silence. SkyAria Voice Assistant answers a business's incoming calls around the clock, understands the request, books appointments, and sends written context to the team while working with the business's existing number. Its role here is keeping incoming calls answered. Your business still owns the opt-out procedure and record.
What changed from the January 31, 2027 date?
January 31, 2027 was the earlier delayed effective date for the relevant portion of the previous opt-out rule. Document 2026-21821 says the revised amendments supersede that delayed date and become effective November 25, 2026. It is a replacement, not a second deadline.
That makes the immediate task simple: use November 25, 2026 as the date for finishing your review. You do not need to invent a new process if the one you already use accepts reasonable revocations and meets the timing stated in the final rule.
FAQ
Do I have to choose one official opt-out method?
No. The FCC calls exclusive designation an option and says the revision creates no new compliance obligation. If you do not designate one, the final rule requires you to process opt-outs submitted by any reasonable means.
Is writing Reply STOP to opt out enough?
Yes, that phrase is enough for the disclosure in a text because the FCC permits the sender to name one standardized word. The system must still honor all seven listed words: stop, quit, end, revoke, opt out, cancel, and unsubscribe.
Can an informational opt-out be limited to one category?
Yes. Under the final rule, a revocation responding to an informational call or text can apply only to that specific category. That treatment does not extend to advertising or telemarketing, where one opt-out ends all future marketing calls and texts from that caller.
Is the FCC considering more changes?
Yes, but they are proposals, not adopted rules. In a separate Federal Register proposal published October 26, 2026, the FCC asks for comment on a shorter period for honoring opt-outs, two-way texting, a one-step method to opt out of everything, and treatment of affiliated companies. Comments are due November 25, 2026, and reply comments are due December 28, 2026.
What should my business finish first?
Choose whether you want an exclusive route, make the instruction visible everywhere it must appear, and test the path from customer request to completed suppression record. The confirmed FCC 26-67 effective date is November 25, 2026, so build the review around that date.