# BRD-064 — A government brand must carry the government attribute to get its class

> A GOVERNMENT brand must have the governmentEntity attribute set before the top carrier class can be assumed.

- **Rule ID:** BRD-064
- **Layer:** Brand (`BRAND`)
- **Checks:** `brand.optional_attributes.government_entity`
- **Severity:** HIGH — Rejected by at least one carrier or provider, and a common cause of failure at the rest.
- **When it bites:** Gates approval — get this wrong and registration is refused
- **How it is detected:** Deterministic (settled in code from the submitted values)
- **Fix type:** Fix the field — a better value in the form clears it
- **Required by:** TCR, AT&T, T-Mobile
- **Applies:** Applies when the brand is a government.
- **Canonical URL:** https://ekas.io/rules/10dlc/brand/brd-064/

## Why this rule exists

The entity type and the attribute are separate: registering as GOVERNMENT selects the classification, but the throughput comes from an optional attribute that verification sets — and when it does not, the brand sits at the bottom carrier class with no error anywhere. Agencies plan capacity on the class they expected and find out on the day of a mass notification, which is the worst possible moment for a government sender.

## How to fix it

Check the brand record for the governmentEntity attribute after verification completes. If it is missing, file an appeal in the "Verify Government status" category with the authorising statute or the agency's .gov domain as evidence rather than re-registering. Done when the attribute reads true on the brand.

## Example of a compliant value

```text
entity_type: GOVERNMENT · government_entity: true — both, not just the entity type
```

## Common mistakes

- The attribute is what carriers read, not the entity type, so a GOVERNMENT brand without it is treated as an ordinary standard brand however it was registered.

## Notes

BRD-263 is the appeal route when this attribute is missing on an otherwise VERIFIED brand; this rule is the detection.