Complete carrier registration so your agency can send SMS messages and make calls through eCourtDate. Register your brand, create messaging campaigns, and assign phone numbers to approved campaigns to ensure reliable message delivery.

### Overview

Carrier registration is a mandatory step for any government agency that plans to send text messages or make voice calls through eCourtDate. U.S. telecom carriers require all organizations sending application-to-person (A2P) messages to register their brand and messaging campaigns under the 10DLC (10-Digit Long Code) framework. Without registration, your messages may be filtered, throttled, or blocked by carriers entirely.

- Register your agency brand with telecom carriers using your Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Create SMS campaigns that describe your messaging use case, content type, and sample messages
- Assign your agency's phone numbers to registered campaigns so carriers approve outbound traffic
- Track registration status, verification progress, and campaign approval in real time
- Maintain compliance with telecom regulations to avoid message filtering or penalties

This process is typically handled by agency administrators or IT staff. Once registration is complete, your agency benefits from higher message throughput, better delivery rates, and reduced spam filtering across all major U.S. carriers.

### Prerequisites

Before beginning the carrier registration process, make sure you have:

- An active eCourtDate agency account with Admin role access
- Your agency's **EIN** (Employer Identification Number)
- Your agency's official legal entity name, physical address, and website URL
- A primary contact name, email address, and phone number for the registration
- At least one agency phone number configured in eCourtDate (or plan to add one after registration)
- Sample message content that represents the types of SMS your agency will send (for example, court reminders, payment alerts, or check-in notifications)

### How-To Steps

#### Step 1: Navigate to the Carriers Page

1. Sign in to your eCourtDate agency.
2. Scroll to the bottom of the **Dashboard** and click **Agency Setup**.
3. Click the **Carriers** tab at the top of the Agency Setup page.

You will see the carrier registration form and any existing registration details for your agency.

#### Step 2: Register Your Brand

Your brand represents your agency's identity with telecom carriers. This is a one-time registration.

1. Complete the **Carrier Registration** form with the following information:
   - **Entity Name**: Your agency's official legal name as it appears on government records.
   - **EIN Number**: Your agency's Employer Identification Number.
   - **Website**: Your agency's official website URL.
   - **Entity Address**: The physical street address of your agency, including city, state, and ZIP code.
   - **Primary Contact Name**: The name of the person responsible for messaging operations.
   - **Primary Contact Email**: A monitored email address for carrier communications.
   - **Primary Contact Phone**: A direct phone number for the primary contact.
2. Click **Register Brand** to submit your registration.

After submitting, you will see confirmation fields appear:

| Field | Description |
|-------|-------------|
| **Brand ID** | A unique identifier assigned to your agency by the carrier registry |
| **Verification Status** | Current status of your brand verification (Pending, Verified, or Vetted Verified) |
| **Government Entity** | Confirms your registration is classified as a government entity |

Brand verification typically completes within one hour. Government entities generally receive **Verified** or **Vetted Verified** status, which provides the highest message throughput and delivery priority.

#### Step 3: Create a Messaging Campaign

Once your brand is verified, register a campaign that describes how your agency uses SMS messaging.

1. On the **Carriers** page, click **Create a Campaign**.
2. Click **Choose Use Case** for the campaign type that matches your messaging purpose. Common use cases for government agencies include:
   - **Account Notification**: Court hearing reminders, payment alerts, status updates.
   - **Public Service Announcement**: Community safety alerts, jury duty notices.
   - **Customer Care**: Inbound support responses, case status inquiries.
3. Complete the **Register Campaign** form:
   - **Campaign Description**: A plain-language summary of what messages your agency sends and why.
   - **Sample Messages**: Two to five example messages that represent your typical outbound content. Include merge tags if applicable (for example, "Your hearing for case {{case_number}} is scheduled for {{event_date}}").
   - **Message Flow**: Describe how clients opt in to receive messages (such as through a web portal, in-person enrollment, or court order).
   - **Opt-In Keywords**: The keyword clients text to opt in (typically "START" or "YES").
   - **Opt-Out Keywords**: The keyword clients text to opt out (typically "STOP").
   - **Help Keywords**: The keyword clients text for help (typically "HELP").
4. Click **Auto Fill** to pre-populate the form with your agency's existing settings and sample content. Review and adjust as needed.
5. Click **Register Campaign** to submit.

Campaign registration is reviewed by carriers and typically takes 5 to 15 business days. The eCourtDate support team monitors your registration and notifies you of any updates or issues.

#### Step 4: Assign Phone Numbers to Your Campaign

After your campaign is approved, link your agency's phone numbers to the registered campaign.

1. Navigate to **Admin** > **Settings** in the top navigation bar.
2. Click the **Agency Phones** tab.
3. Click **Edit** on the phone number you want to assign.
4. In the **Campaign** dropdown, select the approved campaign.
5. Click **Save** to assign the phone number.

Repeat this process for each phone number your agency uses. A phone number must be assigned to an approved campaign before it can send SMS messages through carrier networks.

Phone number assignment typically processes within 1 business day.

#### Step 5: Verify Registration Status

1. Return to the **Carriers** page by navigating to **Agency Setup** > **Carriers**.
2. Review the following status indicators:
   - **Brand Status**: Should show **Verified** or **Vetted Verified**.
   - **Campaign Status**: Should show **Approved** once carrier review is complete.
   - **Phone Number Status**: Should show **Active** for each assigned number.
3. If any status shows **Pending** or **Rejected**, refer to the Troubleshooting section below.

### What to Expect

After completing carrier registration, your agency's SMS messages are delivered with full carrier approval. This means higher delivery rates, faster message throughput, and reduced spam filtering. Messages sent from registered phone numbers carry your agency's verified brand identity, which improves trust with carriers and recipients.

Brand verification typically completes within one hour. Campaign approval takes 5 to 15 business days. Phone number assignment takes up to 1 business day. The eCourtDate support team will notify you at each stage and assist with any issues that arise during the process.

### Best Practices

- **Register your brand as soon as your agency account is set up.** Brand verification is a prerequisite for everything else, and starting early avoids delays when you are ready to send messages.
- **Use accurate, complete information** in the registration form. Mismatches between your EIN, entity name, and public records can cause verification failures or delays.
- **Write realistic sample messages** for your campaign registration. Carriers review these samples to ensure your use case matches the campaign type. Include merge tags and actual content your agency would send.
- **Register separate campaigns for distinct use cases** if your agency sends significantly different types of messages (for example, one campaign for court reminders and another for community alerts). This improves deliverability and keeps your messaging compliant.
- **Monitor your campaign status monthly** to ensure continued compliance. Carriers can revoke approval if spam complaint rates exceed thresholds.

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: What is 10DLC and why does my agency need to register?**
A: 10DLC (10-Digit Long Code) is the industry standard for application-to-person messaging in the United States. All organizations, including government agencies, must register with carriers to send SMS. Without registration, your messages may be blocked or heavily filtered.

**Q: How long does the entire registration process take from start to finish?**
A: Brand verification typically completes within one hour. Campaign approval takes 5 to 15 business days. Phone number assignment takes up to 1 business day. In total, expect the process to take approximately 1 to 3 weeks.

**Q: Can I send SMS messages while my campaign registration is pending?**
A: Messages sent from unregistered campaigns may be subject to carrier filtering and lower throughput limits. It is strongly recommended to wait for campaign approval before launching any large-scale messaging campaigns.

**Q: Can multiple phone numbers share the same campaign?**
A: Yes. You can assign multiple phone numbers to a single campaign as long as all numbers send the same type of content aligned with the approved use case. This is common for agencies that use different numbers for different departments or regions.

**Q: What happens if my brand verification fails?**
A: Verification failures are usually caused by mismatches between the submitted information and public records. Double-check your EIN, entity name, and address. If the issue persists, contact eCourtDate support for assistance.

**Q: Does my agency need to re-register if we change phone numbers?**
A: No. Your brand and campaign registrations remain valid. You only need to assign the new phone number to an existing approved campaign, which takes up to 1 business day.

### Troubleshooting

**Issue:** Brand verification is stuck in "Pending" status for more than 24 hours.
**Symptoms:** The **Verification Status** field shows **Pending** and has not updated after submitting the registration form.
**Solution:**

1. Verify that all required fields in the registration form are complete and accurate.
2. Confirm your EIN matches the legal entity name exactly as it appears in IRS records.
3. Check that the website URL is active and publicly accessible.
4. If verification has not completed within 48 hours, create a support ticket in eCourtDate for the team to escalate with the carrier registry.

**Issue:** Campaign registration was rejected by carriers.
**Symptoms:** The campaign status shows **Rejected** with a reason code.
**Solution:**

1. Review the rejection reason provided on the **Carriers** page.
2. Common rejection reasons include:
   - Sample messages do not match the selected use case.
   - Opt-in flow description is missing or unclear.
   - Campaign description is too vague.
3. Update the campaign details to address the rejection reason and resubmit.
4. If you are unsure how to correct the issue, contact eCourtDate support for guidance.

> **Important:** If you continue to experience issues after following these troubleshooting steps, sign in to eCourtDate and create a ticket by clicking the ticket button in the bottom right corner of the screen.

### Related Articles

- [How to Manage Agency Phone Numbers](/how-to-manage-agency-phone-numbers)
- [How to Complete Carrier Registration](/how-to-complete-carrier-registration)
- [How to Configure Opt-In and Opt-Out Compliance](/how-to-configure-opt-in-and-opt-out-compliance)
- [How to Configure Inbound Voice and Text Settings](/how-to-configure-inbound-voice-and-text-settings)
- [How to Send a One-Off Message](/how-to-send-a-one-off-message)