FCC Consumer Complaints – August 2015
Introduction
A total of 30365 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded by the Federal Communications Commission in August 2015, complaint volume fell from 32075 complaints the previous month. Reports were received from 55 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 10978 complaints.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 30365
- Days with complaint data
- 31
- Days with complaints
- 31
- States & territories reporting
- 55
- Most common issue
- Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) (10978)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (3713)
Daily complaint activity
Daily complaint activity averaged 979.5 complaints per day during the month. The busiest day was 4 August 2015, when 1475 complaints were recorded, and 21 days were above the monthly daily average. The quietest day was 23 August 2015, with 309 complaints, noticeably below the monthly average.
Each bar represents one day of the month. Taller bars indicate more complaints.
Where the complaints came from
A total of 30365 complaints were recorded in August 2015, with reports originating from 6097 cities in 55 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 District of Columbia, where Washington accounted for 117 of the 128 complaints recorded in the state.
The table below summarises the number of complaints reported in each state and territory during the month, ordered by total reports.
| State/Territory | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| California | 3713 | 12.2% |
| Florida | 2535 | 8.3% |
| Texas | 2058 | 6.8% |
| New York | 1556 | 5.1% |
| Georgia | 1423 | 4.7% |
| Maryland | 1408 | 4.6% |
| Pennsylvania | 1289 | 4.2% |
| Illinois | 1072 | 3.5% |
| Virginia | 976 | 3.2% |
| New Jersey | 906 | 3.0% |
| Other states and territories | 13373 | 44.0% |
Location highlights
- Nearly all complaints reported in District of Columbia originated from Washington.
- Complaints in California were reported across 627 cities, the widest spread observed during the month.
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded during the month were spread across 7 complaint categories. Phone accounted for the largest share, with 21051 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 21051 | 69.3% |
| Internet | 5100 | 16.8% |
| TV | 3052 | 10.1% |
| Radio | 1010 | 3.3% |
| Emergency | 88 | 0.3% |
| Accessibility | 51 | 0.2% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 13 | 0.0% |
Phone complaints
21051 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 69.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) | 10978 | 52.1% |
| Robocalls | 4598 | 21.8% |
| Billing | 1847 | 8.8% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 796 | 3.8% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 661 | 3.1% |
| Equipment | 592 | 2.8% |
| Privacy | 553 | 2.6% |
| Junk Faxes | 366 | 1.7% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 329 | 1.6% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 164 | 0.8% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 111 | 0.5% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 35 | 0.2% |
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
5100 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 16.8% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 1407 | 27.6% |
| Availability | 1077 | 21.1% |
| Speed | 897 | 17.6% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 555 | 10.9% |
| Privacy | 521 | 10.2% |
| Interference | 326 | 6.4% |
| Equipment | 315 | 6.2% |
Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Billing, Availability and Speed.
TV complaints
3052 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 10.1% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 1222 | 40.0% |
| Availability | 587 | 19.2% |
| Loud Commercials | 418 | 13.7% |
| Equipment | 333 | 10.9% |
| Indecency | 277 | 9.1% |
| Interference | 136 | 4.5% |
| Privacy | 46 | 1.5% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 29 | 1.0% |
Billing represented the largest share of complaints recorded in this category, with lower volumes reported across the remaining issues.
Radio complaints
1010 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 3.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 791 | 78.3% |
| Indecency | 82 | 8.1% |
| Availability | 35 | 3.5% |
| Pirate Radio | 31 | 3.1% |
| Equipment | 28 | 2.8% |
| Commercials/Promotions | 24 | 2.4% |
| Billing | 18 | 1.8% |
Interference and Indecency were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
Emergency complaints
88 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Other | 45 | 51.1% |
| Phone | 24 | 27.3% |
| Interference | 13 | 14.8% |
| Tower | 6 | 6.8% |
Other and Phone were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
Accessibility complaints
51 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) | 22 | 43.1% |
| Closed Captioning on TV | 16 | 31.4% |
| Closed Captioning over the Internet | 8 | 15.7% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireless Phones | 2 | 3.9% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireline Phones | 1 | 2.0% |
| Video Description | 1 | 2.0% |
Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) and Closed Captioning on TV were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
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.