Primary sources

Research Resources

Our research guides point you to the official text of the law and help you find your way around it. They are meant for researchers, journalists, lawyers and anyone else who wants to work from the primary sources instead of relying on a summary.

Research guides

FCC & rulemaking

The TCPA Statute: Research Guide

A guide to 47 U.S.C. § 227, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) as codified in the U.S. Code.

Why primary sources matter

Summaries can become outdated, and small differences in wording can matter. When an official source and a summary differ, the official source controls. We link to government and court websites wherever we can.

  • Case law for summaries of leading court decisions, with links to the opinions.
  • Glossary for definitions of common terms.
  • TCPA guides for plain-English explanations of the rules.

Sources