FCC Consumer Complaints – 24 July 2015

Introduction

A total of 1147 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded by the Federal Communications Commission on 24 July 2015, this represented a decline from the 1251 complaints recorded the previous day. The complaints came from 52 states and territories, with California reporting a modestly higher count than the other locations. The largest number of complaints related to Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing), with 458 complaints.

Key statistics

Total complaints
1147
States & territories reporting
52
Most common issue
Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) (458)
Most reported state/territory
California (163)

Where the complaints came from

The 1147 complaints recorded on 24 July 2015 originated from 748 cities across 52 states and territories. Complaints were relatively evenly spread across states and territories, with no individual location contributing a dominant share. Despite the overall distribution, a notable concentration at the city level was observed in Maryland, where Frederick accounted for 30 of the 50 complaints recorded in the state.

The table below shows the distribution of complaints by state and territory for this date, highlighting the locations with the highest number of reports.

State/Territory Complaints
California 163 14.2%
Florida 88 7.7%
New York 73 6.4%
Texas 58 5.1%
Illinois 56 4.9%
Maryland 50 4.4%
Georgia 48 4.2%
New Jersey 45 3.9%
Pennsylvania 42 3.7%
Virginia 39 3.4%
Other states and territories 481 41.9%

Location highlight

Complaints in Maryland were heavily concentrated in Frederick, which accounted for the majority of reports within the state.

What the complaints were about

The complaints recorded on this date fell into 7 different complaint categories. Phone was the most reported category, with 857 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Phone 857 74.7%
Internet 156 13.6%
TV 82 7.1%
Radio 38 3.3%
Emergency 8 0.7%
Accessibility 5 0.4%
Request for Dispute Assistance 1 0.1%

Phone complaints

857 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 74.7% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) 458 53.4%
Robocalls 189 22.1%
Billing 63 7.4%
Availability (including rural call completion) 32 3.7%
Equipment 27 3.2%
Junk Faxes 25 2.9%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 20 2.3%
Privacy 19 2.2%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 7 0.8%
Interference (including signal jammers) 7 0.8%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 6 0.7%
Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) 1 0.1%

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

156 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 13.6% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 46 29.5%
Speed 30 19.2%
Availability 27 17.3%
Privacy 20 12.8%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 18 11.5%
Equipment 8 5.1%
Interference 7 4.5%

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

TV complaints

82 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 7.1% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 28 34.1%
Equipment 15 18.3%
Availability 14 17.1%
Loud Commercials 12 14.6%
Indecency 6 7.3%
Interference 3 3.7%
Privacy 3 3.7%

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

Radio complaints

38 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 3.3% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Interference 32 84.2%
Pirate Radio 3 7.9%
Commercials/Promotions 1 2.6%
Equipment 1 2.6%
Indecency 1 2.6%

Interference and Pirate Radio accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.

Page last updated: 10 December 2018 with FCC complaints data from 24 July 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.