FCC Consumer Complaints – 12 August 2015

Introduction

On 12 August 2015, 1256 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded in the Federal Communications Commission system, this represented an increase from the 1196 complaints recorded the day before. Reports were received from 53 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 514 complaints.

Key statistics

Total complaints
1256
States & territories reporting
53
Most common issue
Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) (514)
Most reported state/territory
California (159)

Where the complaints came from

On 12 August 2015, the 1256 complaints recorded by the Federal Communications Commission were reported from 829 cities across 53 states and territories. Activity was spread across states and territories, with no single location accounting for a substantial share of complaints. This pattern continues at the city level, where complaints were distributed across multiple locations without a single city standing out.

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

State/Territory Complaints
California 159 12.7%
Florida 115 9.2%
Texas 105 8.4%
New Jersey 52 4.1%
New York 52 4.1%
Pennsylvania 49 3.9%
Georgia 46 3.7%
Maryland 44 3.5%
Illinois 42 3.3%
Ohio 42 3.3%
Other states and territories 548 43.6%

What the complaints were about

The complaints recorded on this date fell into 6 different complaint categories. Phone was the most reported category, with 912 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Phone 912 72.6%
Internet 191 15.2%
TV 115 9.2%
Radio 29 2.3%
Emergency 7 0.6%
Accessibility 2 0.2%

Phone complaints

912 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 72.6% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) 514 56.4%
Robocalls 203 22.3%
Billing 67 7.3%
Availability (including rural call completion) 31 3.4%
Privacy 27 3.0%
Equipment 19 2.1%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 14 1.5%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 13 1.4%
Junk Faxes 7 0.8%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 7 0.8%
Interference (including signal jammers) 6 0.7%
Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) 3 0.3%

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

191 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 15.2% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 50 26.2%
Speed 50 26.2%
Availability 38 19.9%
Privacy 20 10.5%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 13 6.8%
Equipment 12 6.3%
Interference 8 4.2%

A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Billing, Speed and Availability among the most common.

TV complaints

115 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 9.2% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 58 50.4%
Availability 19 16.5%
Equipment 12 10.4%
Indecency 10 8.7%
Loud Commercials 9 7.8%
Interference 3 2.6%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 2 1.7%
Privacy 1 0.9%

Billing and Availability were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.

Page last updated: 10 December 2018 with FCC complaints data from 12 August 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.