# POL-171 — The terms must describe the programme

> The SMS terms must carry a description of the programme — what the messages are about.

- **Rule ID:** POL-171
- **Layer:** Policy pages (`POLICY_PAGE`)
- **Checks:** `SMS terms body`
- **Severity:** BLOCKING — Breaking this rule gets the submission rejected outright.
- **When it bites:** Gates approval — get this wrong and registration is refused
- **How it is detected:** AI judgement over the crawled website or policy page
- **Fix type:** Fix the privacy policy or SMS terms
- **Required by:** CTIA, Telnyx, Sinch, AWS, TCR, Bandwidth, Aerialink
- **Applies:** Applies to every 10DLC registration.
- **Canonical URL:** https://ekas.io/rules/10dlc/policy-page/pol-171/

## Why this rule exists

Every other element in the terms is a parameter of a programme the reader has to already understand, so without the description the frequency, the rates and the keywords are attached to nothing. It is the single element most consistently required across providers, and the easiest to leave out because the author knows what the programme is.

## How to fix it

Open the terms with a sentence or two naming the programme and saying what it sends and to whom. Done when a stranger reading only the first paragraph knows what they would receive.

## Example of a compliant value

```text
Acme Coffee Rewards is a text messaging programme for Acme Coffee customers. We send promotional offers, seasonal sale notifications and rewards balance updates.
```

## Provider rejection codes

| Provider | Code | Resubmission allowed |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Twilio (gen1) | `30886` | yes |

## Notes

The research's own validator uses a floor of roughly fifteen words for the description, which is a useful sanity check rather than a published threshold.