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POLITIFAST

SMS State Rules

Per-state quiet-hours, frequency caps, and other regulatory rules.

Last updated 05/24/26

What this surface does

SMS State Rules is the per-US-state rules engine (migration 159) that enforces quiet-hours (no sends before 8am or after 9pm local), per-recipient frequency caps, and state-specific political-messaging constraints. Each rule has a state code, rule type, value, and active flag.

When to use it

  • A state passes new political-SMS legislation — codify the rule here so dispatch enforces it.
  • Investigating "why was my send paused" — match the dispatch wave timestamp against state rules.
  • Quarterly review — verify rules align with current law.

Key gotchas

  • Rules are enforced at dispatch time by the wave model. A rule added mid-wave does not retroactively pause already-dispatched messages.
  • Quiet-hours use the recipient's state-of-record, not the sender's timezone.
  • Rules with `active=false` are kept for history; the engine ignores them.

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