FCC Consumer Complaints – 20 January 2015

Introduction

On 20 January 2015, 942 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded in the Federal Communications Commission system, this was higher than the 665 complaints recorded the day before. Reports were received from 50 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. Complaints were most commonly associated with Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing), accounting for 382 complaints.

Key statistics

Total complaints
942
States & territories reporting
50
Most common issue
Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) (382)
Most reported state/territory
California (111)

Where the complaints came from

Across 657 cities in 50 states and territories, a total of 942 complaints were recorded on 20 January 2015. Complaints were distributed across states and territories in a broadly even manner, with no individual location standing out significantly. At the city level, complaints were similarly dispersed, with no single location accounting for a notable share of the total.

The distribution of complaints by state and territory is shown below, with locations ranked by the number of reports recorded.

State/Territory Complaints
California 111 11.8%
Texas 62 6.6%
Florida 60 6.4%
New York 55 5.8%
Illinois 45 4.8%
Pennsylvania 39 4.1%
New Jersey 37 3.9%
Colorado 36 3.8%
Ohio 35 3.7%
Georgia 33 3.5%
Other states and territories 429 45.5%

What the complaints were about

The complaints recorded on this date were spread across 6 complaint categories. Phone accounted for the largest share, with 727 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Phone 727 77.2%
Internet 113 12.0%
TV 80 8.5%
Radio 18 1.9%
Accessibility 2 0.2%
Emergency 2 0.2%

Phone complaints

727 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 77.2% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) 382 52.5%
Robocalls 156 21.5%
Billing 59 8.1%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 27 3.7%
Equipment 21 2.9%
Privacy 20 2.8%
Availability (including rural call completion) 19 2.6%
Junk Faxes 18 2.5%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 15 2.1%
Interference (including signal jammers) 8 1.1%
Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) 1 0.1%

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

113 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 12.0% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Availability 28 24.8%
Privacy 25 22.1%
Speed 24 21.2%
Billing 21 18.6%
Interference 10 8.8%
Equipment 5 4.4%

The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Availability, Privacy and Speed.

TV complaints

80 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 8.5% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 32 40.0%
Indecency 15 18.8%
Loud Commercials 15 18.8%
Availability 10 12.5%
Equipment 5 6.3%
Interference 2 2.5%

Billing accounted for the largest share of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.

Page last updated: 10 December 2018 with FCC complaints data from 20 January 2015.

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.