Reference

TCPA & Phone Data Glossary

· Founder, NumberBroom

What do TCPA and phone data terms mean?

Short answer

This glossary defines the terms that decide whether an outbound call is lawful and whether it will connect — from prior express written consent and TCPA litigators to line type, the Do Not Call Registry and the Telemarketing Sales Rule. Each entry answers one question directly, with sources.

On this page

Outbound calling has a vocabulary problem: the terms that carry the most legal weight are the ones used most loosely. "Scrubbing", "consent", "robocall" and "litigator" all mean something specific, and the gap between the casual and the legal meaning is where expensive mistakes live.

Each entry below answers one question directly and cites its sources. Start with the TCPA compliance guide if you want the whole picture in one read.

How these terms fit together

The vocabulary splits along a line that is easy to miss, and most of the expensive confusion comes from treating one side as if it covered the other.

Legal terms describe what you are permitted to do. Consent, revocation, the Do Not Call Registry, the Telemarketing Sales Rule and the penalty schedule all answer the question may I place this call? They are obligations you satisfy with records and process, and no external data file can satisfy them on your behalf.

Data terms describe what is actually on the other end of the line. Line type, carrier, VoIP status, E.164 formatting and reassignment answer a different question: will this call connect, and is the person answering still the person who consented? These are facts about a number that you have to look up, because they change without telling you.

The two interlock at exactly one point, and it is the point that catches teams out. A number can be fully compliant on paper -- signed consent on file, absent from every registry -- and still be the wrong number to dial, because it was disconnected and reassigned to a stranger, or because it belongs to someone who collects these calls for a living. Conversely, a number that is technically perfect (a live mobile, correctly formatted, carrier confirmed) tells you nothing at all about whether you have permission to call it.

If you read only two entries, read prior express written consent for the legal half and line type for the data half. Between them they cover most of what goes wrong.

Terms

DNC SANThe account number you need to access the Do Not Call Registry. Do Not Call RegistryWhat the national registry covers, who must scrub it, and what it never protects you from. E.164 FormatThe international number format every phone API expects, and why lists break without it. Express Written ConsentThe four things a TCPA consent form has to say. Line TypeMobile, landline, VoIP -- and why the area code can't tell you. Reassigned Numbers DatabaseThe FCC database, its safe harbour, and its two blind spots. RobocallWhat legally counts as a robocall -- and what doesn't. TCPA LitigatorWho serial filers are, and why technical checks never catch them. TCPA Violations & FinesWhat a violation costs, and who can collect it. Telemarketing Sales RuleThe FTC rule that sits alongside the TCPA -- and differs from it. VoIP NumbersWhy internet-based numbers are cheap, disposable, and a quality signal on a lead list.

Longer guides

TCPA Compliance in 2026Consent, revocation, penalties and a working checklist. What Is Phone Number Scrubbing?The five checks, what each removes, and what it costs.
Not legal advice. These definitions summarise publicly available federal rules for general information. TCPA and state telemarketing law change frequently and apply differently depending on your business and consent records. Consult qualified counsel before relying on any of it.
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Cameron Hoffman

Founder, NumberBroom · 10 years in telecommunications and marketing

Cameron Hoffman is the founder of NumberBroom and has spent 10 years working in telecommunications and marketing. He built NumberBroom after repeatedly watching outbound teams dial purchased lists that were full of dead numbers, landlines and TCPA litigators.