The TCPA is the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, a US law passed in 1991 to cut down on unwanted telemarketing. It restricts automated calls, prerecorded and artificial voice messages, automated texts, and unsolicited faxes. The Federal Communications Commission writes the rules that carry it out, and people can sue for violations. This page is general information, not legal advice; a business should confirm its own obligations with counsel.
What the law covers
- Automated calls and text messages sent without the person's consent.
- Prerecorded and artificial voice messages.
- Marketing calls outside the allowed hours, which the FCC sets as 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the called person's time zone.
- Ignoring an opt-out request, including a reply such as STOP.
- Calling numbers on the national Do Not Call list without a valid reason.
The 2024 AI voice ruling
In a declaratory ruling released on 8 February 2024, the FCC answered a question the law had left open: whether an AI-generated voice counts as an "artificial" voice under the TCPA. It does. The ruling says the TCPA's restrictions on artificial or prerecorded voice encompass AI technologies that generate human voices, so calls using them need the prior express consent of the person called. Voice cloning is covered too, because the person is not the one speaking.
The FCC ruled that AI-generated human voices are "artificial" under the TCPA and that calls using them require prior express consent. Adopted 2 February 2024, released 8 February 2024 (FCC 24-17, CG Docket No. 23-362).
Source: Federal Communications Commission, FCC 24-17 Declaratory Ruling.
Verified 2026-10-04What it means for AI follow-up
Automated outreach, whether a person sends it or software does, has to respect the same rules. In practice that means a business gets consent before it texts or calls a lead, honors an opt-out the moment it arrives, keeps to quiet hours, and keeps a record of all of it. Consent belongs to the business that owns the lead; software cannot give it for them. An AI agent should make those rules easier to keep, not easier to skip.
How Nadia handles it
Nadia is an AI ISA for teams on Follow Up Boss. Quiet hours, opt-out, and Do Not Call checks are built into the send path, so a stop request stops the messages and the CRM record shows why. Voice follows the same consent rules after the 2024 FCC ruling. Read how Nadia enforces compliance, what an AI ISA is, and AI for Follow Up Boss for how the desk runs. See pricing for seats and usage; start free to look, and nothing sends until you pick a plan.
TCPA FAQ
What does TCPA stand for?
Does the TCPA cover AI voice calls?
Does the TCPA apply to text messages?
Methodology and sources
This page is general information about a US federal law, not legal advice. The ruling below is the primary source for the statement about AI voices; the general description of the law follows the Federal Communications Commission's own materials. No claim appears here that could not be traced to a source we can name.
- Federal Communications Commission, Declaratory Ruling, FCC 24-17 (CG Docket No. 23-362), adopted 2 February 2024, released 8 February 2024. https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-24-17A1.pdf
- Federal Communications Commission, consumer and business guidance on the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and robocalls. https://www.fcc.gov/general/telemarketing-and-robocalls