FCC Consumer Complaints – 14 August 2015
Introduction
On 14 August 2015, 1124 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded in the Federal Communications Commission system, this represented a decline from the 1285 complaints recorded the day before. The complaints came from 52 states and territories, with California reporting a modestly higher count than the other locations. Complaints were most commonly associated with Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing), accounting for 434 complaints.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 1124
- States & territories reporting
- 52
- Most common issue
- Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) (434)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (153)
Where the complaints came from
On 14 August 2015, the 1124 complaints recorded by the Federal Communications Commission were reported from 763 cities across 52 states and territories. Overall, complaint activity was broadly distributed, with no single state or territory representing a significant proportion of the total. 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 | 153 | 13.6% |
| Florida | 101 | 9.0% |
| Texas | 81 | 7.2% |
| New York | 58 | 5.2% |
| Georgia | 50 | 4.4% |
| Illinois | 43 | 3.8% |
| North Carolina | 40 | 3.6% |
| Pennsylvania | 39 | 3.5% |
| Michigan | 34 | 3.0% |
| Virginia | 30 | 2.7% |
| Other states and territories | 492 | 43.8% |
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded on this date were spread across 6 complaint categories. Phone was the most reported category, with 841 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 841 | 74.8% |
| Internet | 142 | 12.6% |
| TV | 111 | 9.9% |
| Radio | 26 | 2.3% |
| Accessibility | 3 | 0.3% |
| Emergency | 1 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
841 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 74.8% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) | 434 | 51.6% |
| Robocalls | 206 | 24.5% |
| Billing | 74 | 8.8% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 28 | 3.3% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 24 | 2.9% |
| Equipment | 21 | 2.5% |
| Privacy | 20 | 2.4% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 16 | 1.9% |
| Junk Faxes | 9 | 1.1% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 5 | 0.6% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 3 | 0.4% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 1 | 0.1% |
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.
Internet complaints
142 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 12.6% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 48 | 33.8% |
| Availability | 26 | 18.3% |
| Privacy | 21 | 14.8% |
| Speed | 20 | 14.1% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 10 | 7.0% |
| Interference | 9 | 6.3% |
| Equipment | 8 | 5.6% |
A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Billing, Availability and Privacy among the most common.
TV complaints
111 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 9.9% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 53 | 47.7% |
| Availability | 21 | 18.9% |
| Indecency | 11 | 9.9% |
| Equipment | 10 | 9.0% |
| Loud Commercials | 7 | 6.3% |
| Interference | 4 | 3.6% |
| Privacy | 3 | 2.7% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 1 | 0.9% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Billing and Availability, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
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.