FCC Consumer Complaints – 2015
Introduction
The Federal Communications Commission recorded 329558 consumer complaints in 2015 relating to telecommunications services. Reports were received from 56 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. The largest number of complaints related to Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing), with 119478 complaints.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 329558
- Months with complaint data
- 12
- Months with complaints
- 12
- Days with complaint data
- 365
- Days with complaints
- 365
- States & territories reporting
- 56
- Most common issue
- Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) (119478)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (40440)
Monthly complaint activity
Monthly complaint activity averaged 27463.2 complaints per month during the year. The busiest month was July 2015, when 32075 complaints were recorded, and 6 months were above the yearly monthly average.
Each bar represents one month of the year. Taller bars indicate more complaints.
Where the complaints came from
The 329558 complaints recorded in 2015 were submitted from 16472 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 1425 of the 1558 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 | 40440 | 12.3% |
| Florida | 26954 | 8.2% |
| Texas | 22333 | 6.8% |
| New York | 18166 | 5.5% |
| Pennsylvania | 14391 | 4.4% |
| Georgia | 13713 | 4.2% |
| Illinois | 12640 | 3.8% |
| Maryland | 12126 | 3.7% |
| Virginia | 10464 | 3.2% |
| New Jersey | 10254 | 3.1% |
| Other states and territories | 147426 | 44.7% |
Location highlight
Complaint activity in District of Columbia was almost entirely concentrated in 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 234612 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 234612 | 71.2% |
| Internet | 53028 | 16.1% |
| TV | 31795 | 9.6% |
| Radio | 8274 | 2.5% |
| Accessibility | 858 | 0.3% |
| Emergency | 858 | 0.3% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 133 | 0.0% |
Phone complaints
234612 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 71.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) | 119478 | 50.9% |
| Robocalls | 52094 | 22.2% |
| Billing | 22196 | 9.5% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 7940 | 3.4% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 7227 | 3.1% |
| Equipment | 7049 | 3.0% |
| Privacy | 6114 | 2.6% |
| Junk Faxes | 4513 | 1.9% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 4040 | 1.7% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 2285 | 1.0% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 1020 | 0.4% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 414 | 0.2% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) and Robocalls, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Internet complaints
53028 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 16.1% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 16048 | 30.3% |
| Availability | 9454 | 17.8% |
| Speed | 8203 | 15.5% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 6529 | 12.3% |
| Privacy | 6279 | 11.8% |
| Interference | 3908 | 7.4% |
| Equipment | 2560 | 4.8% |
The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Availability and Speed.
TV complaints
31795 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 9.6% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 11994 | 37.7% |
| Availability | 5229 | 16.4% |
| Indecency | 4433 | 13.9% |
| Loud Commercials | 4401 | 13.8% |
| Equipment | 3320 | 10.4% |
| Interference | 1613 | 5.1% |
| Privacy | 553 | 1.7% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 183 | 0.6% |
The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Availability and Indecency.
Radio complaints
8274 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 2.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 5572 | 67.3% |
| Indecency | 1121 | 13.5% |
| Pirate Radio | 548 | 6.6% |
| Availability | 389 | 4.7% |
| Equipment | 289 | 3.5% |
| Commercials/Promotions | 186 | 2.2% |
| Billing | 157 | 1.9% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Interference and Indecency, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Accessibility complaints
858 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 0.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Closed Captioning on TV | 309 | 36.0% |
| Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) | 302 | 35.2% |
| Closed Captioning over the Internet | 112 | 13.1% |
| Video Description | 40 | 4.7% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireline Phones | 31 | 3.6% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireless Phones | 25 | 2.9% |
| Emergency Information on TV | 22 | 2.6% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Closed Captioning on TV and Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS), with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Emergency complaints
858 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 0.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Other | 430 | 50.1% |
| Phone | 246 | 28.7% |
| Interference | 124 | 14.5% |
| Tower | 56 | 6.5% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Other and Phone, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Request for Dispute Assistance complaints
133 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 0.0% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|
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.