DISPATCHER GETS OK FROM CTR FOR FLT TO DEPART WITH ENCODER INOP. DEP CTLR NOT AWARE; LECTURES FLC.

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OUR ENCODING ALTIMETER WAS DEFERRED. OUR DISPATCHER ASSURED US THAT HE HAD CONTACTED ATC AND OBTAINED APPROVAL FOR OUR FLT WITH ENCODER OFF; PER OUR MEL. UPON INITIAL CONTACT WITH TPA DEP; THEY COMMENTED ABOUT OUR LACK OF ALT READOUT. WE TOLD DEP THAT OUR DISPATCHER HAD CLRED OUR ENCODER OFF FLT WITH MIAMI AND ZJX. SHORTLY LATER; DEP CAME BACK SAYING THAT NEITHER HIM NOR THE NEXT ZJX CTLR HAD BEEN NOTIFIED OF OUR CONDITION. WE WERE TREATED TO A LECTURE ON TCA OPS. WE DON'T THINK THAT A TFC CONFLICT EXISTED AT ANY TIME. REMAINDER OF OUR FLT WAS NORMAL EXCEPT FOR OCCASIONAL ALT CALLOUT REQUEST. POST-FLT DISCUSSION WITH DISPATCHER REVEALED THAT HE'D ACTUALLY SPOKEN TO MIA; JAX; AND IND CTRS WITH THEIR OK; WITH MIA CTR ORIGINALLY ASSURING DISPATCHER THAT HE'D PASS IT ALONG. HE DIDN'T RECALL EXACTLY WHO IN ATC HE SPOKE TO; BUT IT EVIDENTLY WAS NOT PASSED THROUGH THE CHAIN. ALTHOUGH I HAD ASSURANCE THAT OUR ENCODER OFF FLT WAS APPROVED BY ATC; I SHOULD HAVE CHKED WITH TPA BY RADIO OR LCL PHONE CALL THAT THEY HAD THE WORD PASSED ON TO THEM WITH NO 'SURPRISES.'