FCC Consumer Complaints – 2014
Introduction
In 2014, 28862 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded in the Federal Communications Commission system. Reports were received from 56 states and territories, with California accounting for the largest number of submissions at 4008 complaints. Complaints relating to Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) were marginally higher than for other issue types.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 28862
- Months with complaint data
- 3
- Months with complaints
- 3
- Days with complaint data
- 62
- Days with complaints
- 62
- States & territories reporting
- 56
- Most common issue
- Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) (7583)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (4008)
Monthly complaint activity
Across the year, the FCC recorded an average of 9620.7 complaints per month. The highest monthly total was 21295 complaints in December 2014, while 1 month recorded more complaints than the yearly monthly average. The lowest monthly total was 212 complaints in October 2014, well below the yearly average.
Each bar represents one month of the year. Taller bars indicate more complaints.
Where the complaints came from
The 28862 complaints recorded in 2014 were submitted from 5852 cities across 56 states and territories. Complaint reports were spread across multiple states and territories, without any one location accounting for a large share. At the city level, a significant concentration was observed in District of Columbia, where Washington accounted for 113 of the 121 complaints recorded.
The table below summarises the number of complaints reported in each state and territory during the year, ordered by total reports.
| State/Territory | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| California | 4008 | 13.9% |
| Florida | 1955 | 6.8% |
| Texas | 1926 | 6.7% |
| New York | 1569 | 5.4% |
| Pennsylvania | 1171 | 4.1% |
| Georgia | 1098 | 3.8% |
| Illinois | 1098 | 3.8% |
| Virginia | 942 | 3.3% |
| Washington | 897 | 3.1% |
| Ohio | 867 | 3.0% |
| Other states and territories | 13314 | 46.1% |
Location highlight
Nearly all complaints reported in District of Columbia originated from Washington.
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded during the year fell into 7 different complaint categories. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 18181 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 18181 | 63.0% |
| Internet | 7147 | 24.8% |
| TV | 2945 | 10.2% |
| Radio | 433 | 1.5% |
| Accessibility | 93 | 0.3% |
| Emergency | 52 | 0.2% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 11 | 0.0% |
Phone complaints
18181 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 63.0% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) | 7583 | 41.7% |
| Robocalls | 4526 | 24.9% |
| Billing | 2001 | 11.0% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 949 | 5.2% |
| Privacy | 946 | 5.2% |
| Equipment | 878 | 4.8% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 558 | 3.1% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 380 | 2.1% |
| Junk Faxes | 205 | 1.1% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 108 | 0.6% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 38 | 0.2% |
Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) and Robocalls were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
Internet complaints
7147 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 24.8% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 3399 | 47.6% |
| Availability | 1803 | 25.2% |
| Speed | 1342 | 18.8% |
| Privacy | 315 | 4.4% |
| Equipment | 196 | 2.7% |
| Interference | 91 | 1.3% |
Billing and Availability were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
TV complaints
2945 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 10.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 829 | 28.1% |
| Loud Commercials | 584 | 19.8% |
| Indecency | 583 | 19.8% |
| Availability | 563 | 19.1% |
| Equipment | 298 | 10.1% |
| Interference | 72 | 2.4% |
| Privacy | 14 | 0.5% |
Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Billing, Loud Commercials and Indecency.
Radio complaints
433 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 1.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Indecency | 119 | 27.5% |
| Availability | 78 | 18.0% |
| Equipment | 78 | 18.0% |
| Pirate Radio | 69 | 15.9% |
| Interference | 57 | 13.2% |
| Billing | 25 | 5.8% |
Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Indecency, Availability and Equipment.
Accessibility complaints
93 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 0.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) | 45 | 48.4% |
| Closed Captioning on TV | 22 | 23.7% |
| Closed Captioning over the Internet | 10 | 10.8% |
| Video Description | 8 | 8.6% |
| Emergency Information on TV | 3 | 3.2% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireless Phones | 3 | 3.2% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireline Phones | 1 | 1.1% |
Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) and Closed Captioning on TV were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
Emergency complaints
52 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 0.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Other | 35 | 67.3% |
| Phone | 11 | 21.2% |
| Tower | 6 | 11.5% |
Other and Phone were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
The information presented on this page is based on consumer complaint data submitted to regulatory authorities. References to telephone numbers reflect reports made by consumers and do not confirm ownership, authenticity, or that the number was genuinely associated with the call. Caller ID information may be inaccurate or subject to spoofing.
Complaint categories, dates and complainant locations are based on the source records and may contain incomplete, approximate or user-entered information. Location details refer to the complainant’s reported location, not the location of the caller or telephone number. This content is provided for informational purposes only.