USE CASE VIOLATION

Fix TCR Code 601 Prohibited Content

Campaign use case category restricted or prohibited for business type. Change to permitted use case or cease prohibited content to regain approval within 5-10 business days.

Change Use Case
85-95% Approval Rate
5-10 Day Resolution
10,000+ Campaigns Fixed

What TCR Error 601 Means

TCR error code 601 occurs when campaign use case categories involve content restricted or prohibited by federal law or carrier policies. Cannabis/CBD products, alcohol, vaping/tobacco, high-risk financial services, and debt relief messaging trigger automatic rejection across carrier networks.

Rejection Reason:
Campaign Use Case Prohibited
Affected Carriers:
Carrier-specific enforcement
Impact:
Blocked network-wide

Why This Error Occurs

Federal regulations and carrier policies prohibit or restrict certain business verticals from using SMS marketing channels. Cannabis remains federally illegal under Controlled Substances Act. Alcohol requires age verification. Vaping faces FDA enforcement. High-risk financial services create consumer protection concerns.

Cannabis/CBD Products

Federal prohibition under Controlled Substances Act. All U.S. carriers block cannabis, CBD, hemp derivative messaging.

Age-Gated Content

Alcohol, vaping, tobacco require age verification processes. AT&T enforces stricter age-gating controls than other carriers.

High-Risk Financial

Payday lending, debt relief, high-interest loans face consumer protection restrictions and heightened carrier scrutiny.

How to Fix TCR Error 601

Remediation requires 4-step use case correction protocol. Campaign resubmission with compliant use case selection achieves 85-95% approval rates within 5-10 business days, accounting for extended manual review.

  1. 1

    Identify Prohibited Content

    Review campaign messaging for federally prohibited content (cannabis), age-gated products (alcohol, vaping), or high-risk financial services (payday lending, debt consolidation). Document specific violations triggering error 601.

    Technical Detail: Carriers employ keyword scanning detecting cannabis terms ("CBD," "hemp," "THC"), alcohol brand names, vaping products ("e-cigarette," "vape"), and predatory lending indicators ("payday," "cash advance").
  2. 2

    Select Compliant Use Case

    Change campaign use case from prohibited category to permitted alternative. Marketing campaigns with age-gated content should select "Mixed" use case with age verification documentation. Cannabis businesses must cease messaging entirely or pivot to compliant product lines.

    Use Case Selector: MyTCRPlus Use Case Selector identifies optimal compliant categories based on business model. "Mixed" accommodates multiple messaging types requiring different compliance controls.
  3. 3

    Remove Restricted Content

    Eliminate all prohibited content references from sample messages, campaign descriptions, and website URLs submitted to TCR. For age-gated content, implement age verification workflow and document process in campaign registration.

    Technical Detail: Age verification requires documented process capturing date of birth, government ID verification, or third-party age validation service integration. AT&T validates age-gating controls during manual review.
  4. 4

    Resubmit Campaign

    Submit updated campaign through CSP portal with corrected use case category and compliant sample messages. Use case changes trigger manual carrier review adding 5-10 business days to approval timeline.

    Technical Detail: Brand reregistration may be required if original brand vertical indicated prohibited industry. Contact CSP support to determine if brand-level changes are necessary before campaign resubmission.

Navigate Prohibited Use Cases

MyTCRPlus Use Case Selector identifies compliant alternatives for restricted industries and automates age-gating documentation requirements.

Select Compliant Use Case

Technical Requirements

TCR error 601 violations trigger under federal regulations (Controlled Substances Act for cannabis) and carrier-specific content policies. Enforcement varies significantly across T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon networks.

Prohibited Content Categories

Federally Prohibited Content

  • Cannabis/CBD/Hemp: All marijuana derivatives, CBD products, hemp-based supplements blocked across all carriers under federal Controlled Substances Act

Age-Gated Content (Carrier-Specific)

  • Alcohol: AT&T requires age verification process documentation. T-Mobile/Verizon allow with "Mixed" use case and age-gating controls
  • Vaping/Tobacco: All carriers restrict. Age verification mandatory. Some carriers block outright despite verification

High-Risk Financial Services

  • Payday Lending: Short-term high-interest loans face heightened scrutiny. Manual review required for approval
  • Debt Relief/Consolidation: Consumer protection concerns trigger extended verification. FTC compliance documentation required
  • Cryptocurrency: T-Mobile blocks crypto promotion. AT&T/Verizon allow with educational content restrictions

Carrier Enforcement Variations

T-Mobile: Strictest content policies. Blocks cannabis, crypto, most age-gated content regardless of verification. AT&T: Age-gating allowed with documented verification process. Requires manual review for high-risk financial. Verizon: More permissive age-gated content policies. Still blocks cannabis federally.

Age Verification Requirements

Organizations messaging age-gated content must implement documented age verification capturing date of birth, government ID validation, or third-party age verification service integration. Process documentation submitted during campaign registration for carrier validation.

Prevention Strategy

Organizations avoiding TCR error 601 implement 3 proactive content compliance controls:

Pre-Launch Content Audit

Validate business vertical against prohibited categories before TCR registration. Use MyTCRPlus Use Case Selector for compliance verification.

Identifies prohibited content before campaign submission avoiding error 601 delays.

Age-Gating Documentation

Implement age verification workflow before campaign launch. Document process with screenshots for carrier submission.

AT&T requires detailed age-gating process documentation during manual review.

Carrier Policy Monitoring

Subscribe to carrier policy updates tracking evolving content restrictions across T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon networks.

MyTCRPlus alerts notify prohibited content policy changes affecting existing campaigns.

Frequently Asked Questions

What content triggers TCR error 601?
Cannabis/CBD products, alcohol (age-gated), vaping/tobacco, high-risk financial services (payday lending, debt relief), cryptocurrency promotion, and other federally prohibited or carrier-restricted content trigger error 601.
Can I still message about alcohol if I have age verification?
AT&T allows age-gated alcohol messaging with documented age verification process. T-Mobile enforces stricter restrictions. Change use case to "Mixed" and submit age-gating documentation. Manual review extends approval timeline 5-10 days.
Are CBD products permanently banned from SMS?
Yes. Cannabis, CBD, and hemp derivatives remain federally prohibited under Controlled Substances Act. All U.S. carriers block cannabis-related messaging regardless of state legalization. No remediation pathway exists for cannabis content.
Do I need to reregister my brand for use case changes?
Campaign-level use case changes typically do not require brand reregistration. However, if original brand vertical indicated prohibited industry, brand-level updates may be necessary. Contact CSP support before resubmission to determine requirements.
Why does error 601 take longer to fix than other errors?
Use case changes trigger extended manual carrier review. Carriers verify content compliance, age-gating controls, and industry documentation before approval. Automated reprocessing applies only to documentation errors, not prohibited content violations. Expect 5-10 business day review.

Related Resources

TCR Use Case Selector

Identify compliant use case alternatives for prohibited industries with automated compliance validation.

Select Use Case

Message Validator

Real-time content scanning identifying prohibited keywords and age-gated content violations.

Validate Content

Carrier Policy Updates

T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon content policy changes affecting prohibited use cases.

View Policies

Legal Disclaimer: This content provides general information about TCR error code 601 remediation and does not constitute legal advice. Prohibited content categories vary based on federal regulations, state laws, and carrier enforcement policies. Organizations should consult qualified legal counsel for guidance specific to their business vertical and messaging programs. MyTCRPlus does not provide legal advisory services or guarantee specific carrier approval outcomes.

Fix Now