FCC rules prohibit sending unsolicited advertisements to any fax machine - both businesses and residences - without the recipient's prior express invitation or permission. Fax advertisements may be sent to recipients with whom the sender has an established business relationship (EBR), as long as the fax number was provided voluntarily by the recipient. A fax advertisement may be sent to an EBR customer if the sender also:
If the sender had an EBR with the recipient and possessed the recipient's fax number before July 9, 2005 (the date the Junk Fax Prevention Act became law), the sender may send the fax advertisements without demonstrating how the number was obtained.