FCC Consumer Complaints – 2 March 2015
Introduction
On 2 March 2015, 803 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded in the Federal Communications Commission system, this represented an increase from the 284 complaints recorded the day before. Reports were received from 48 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 318 complaints.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 803
- States & territories reporting
- 48
- Most common issue
- Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) (318)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (83)
Where the complaints came from
A total of 803 complaints were recorded on 2 March 2015, with reports originating from 584 cities in 48 states and territories. Overall, complaint activity was broadly distributed, with no single state or territory representing a significant proportion of the total. A similar pattern is observed at the city level, with complaints spread across locations rather than concentrated in a single area.
The distribution of complaints by state and territory is shown below, with locations ranked by the number of reports recorded.
| State/Territory | Complaints | |
|---|---|---|
| California | 83 | 10.3% |
| Texas | 69 | 8.6% |
| Florida | 56 | 7.0% |
| New York | 49 | 6.1% |
| Illinois | 38 | 4.7% |
| Georgia | 36 | 4.5% |
| Ohio | 36 | 4.5% |
| Michigan | 27 | 3.4% |
| Pennsylvania | 27 | 3.4% |
| Washington | 26 | 3.2% |
| Other states and territories | 355 | 44.2% |
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded on this date were spread across 5 complaint categories. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 590 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 590 | 73.5% |
| Internet | 108 | 13.4% |
| TV | 89 | 11.1% |
| Radio | 15 | 1.9% |
| Accessibility | 1 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
590 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 73.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) | 318 | 53.9% |
| Robocalls | 114 | 19.3% |
| Billing | 64 | 10.8% |
| Privacy | 20 | 3.4% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 17 | 2.9% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 14 | 2.4% |
| Junk Faxes | 11 | 1.9% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 11 | 1.9% |
| Equipment | 10 | 1.7% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 10 | 1.7% |
Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) and Robocalls accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
Internet complaints
108 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 13.4% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 37 | 34.3% |
| Privacy | 22 | 20.4% |
| Availability | 20 | 18.5% |
| Speed | 12 | 11.1% |
| Interference | 10 | 9.3% |
| Equipment | 6 | 5.6% |
A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Billing, Privacy and Availability among the most common.
TV complaints
89 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 11.1% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Indecency | 37 | 41.6% |
| Billing | 21 | 23.6% |
| Loud Commercials | 15 | 16.9% |
| Availability | 10 | 11.2% |
| Equipment | 4 | 4.5% |
| Interference | 1 | 1.1% |
Indecency and Billing accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
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.