FCC Consumer Complaints – 21 April 2015
Introduction
On Tuesday, 21 April 2015, the Federal Communications Commission recorded 1433 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services, complaint volume increased from 968 complaints the day before. Reports were received from 51 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. Complaints relating to Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) were marginally higher than for other issue types.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 1433
- States & territories reporting
- 51
- Most common issue
- Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) (477)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (185)
Where the complaints came from
Across 897 cities in 51 states and territories, a total of 1433 complaints were recorded on 21 April 2015. Complaints were relatively evenly spread across states and territories, with no individual location contributing a dominant share. 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 | 185 | 12.9% |
| Texas | 121 | 8.4% |
| New York | 119 | 8.3% |
| Florida | 115 | 8.0% |
| Illinois | 59 | 4.1% |
| Michigan | 57 | 4.0% |
| Pennsylvania | 54 | 3.8% |
| New Jersey | 50 | 3.5% |
| Georgia | 49 | 3.4% |
| Ohio | 49 | 3.4% |
| Other states and territories | 567 | 39.6% |
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded on this date were spread across 6 complaint categories. Phone accounted for the largest share, with 1111 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 1111 | 77.5% |
| TV | 158 | 11.0% |
| Internet | 137 | 9.6% |
| Radio | 23 | 1.6% |
| Accessibility | 3 | 0.2% |
| Emergency | 1 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
1111 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 77.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) | 477 | 42.9% |
| Robocalls | 212 | 19.1% |
| Billing | 211 | 19.0% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 50 | 4.5% |
| Equipment | 39 | 3.5% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 35 | 3.2% |
| Junk Faxes | 31 | 2.8% |
| Privacy | 21 | 1.9% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 13 | 1.2% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 13 | 1.2% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 3 | 0.3% |
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.
TV complaints
158 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 11.0% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 71 | 44.9% |
| Availability | 29 | 18.4% |
| Equipment | 16 | 10.1% |
| Indecency | 13 | 8.2% |
| Interference | 10 | 6.3% |
| Loud Commercials | 10 | 6.3% |
| Privacy | 3 | 1.9% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Billing and Availability, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Internet complaints
137 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 9.6% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | 37 | 27.0% |
| Billing | 35 | 25.5% |
| Speed | 21 | 15.3% |
| Privacy | 20 | 14.6% |
| Interference | 12 | 8.8% |
| Equipment | 11 | 8.0% |
The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Availability, Billing and Speed.
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.