FCC Consumer Complaints – 21 August 2015
Introduction
A total of 1094 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded by the Federal Communications Commission on Friday, 21 August 2015, this was lower than the 1233 complaints recorded the previous day. The complaints came from 51 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 429 complaints.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 1094
- States & territories reporting
- 51
- Most common issue
- Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) (429)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (138)
Where the complaints came from
On 21 August 2015, the 1094 complaints recorded by the Federal Communications Commission were reported from 752 cities across 51 states and territories. Complaint reports were spread across multiple states and territories, without any one location accounting for a large 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 | 138 | 12.6% |
| Florida | 81 | 7.4% |
| Texas | 66 | 6.0% |
| New York | 53 | 4.8% |
| Pennsylvania | 53 | 4.8% |
| Maryland | 51 | 4.7% |
| New Jersey | 47 | 4.3% |
| Georgia | 43 | 3.9% |
| Virginia | 38 | 3.5% |
| Colorado | 35 | 3.2% |
| Other states and territories | 486 | 44.4% |
Location highlight
Complaints in California were reported across 90 cities, the widest spread observed on this date.
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded on this date fell into 5 different complaint categories. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 783 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 783 | 71.6% |
| Internet | 158 | 14.4% |
| TV | 113 | 10.3% |
| Radio | 38 | 3.5% |
| Emergency | 2 | 0.2% |
Phone complaints
783 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 71.6% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) | 429 | 54.8% |
| Robocalls | 163 | 20.8% |
| Billing | 58 | 7.4% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 35 | 4.5% |
| Equipment | 25 | 3.2% |
| Privacy | 23 | 2.9% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 19 | 2.4% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 16 | 2.0% |
| Junk Faxes | 5 | 0.6% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 4 | 0.5% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 3 | 0.4% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 3 | 0.4% |
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
158 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 14.4% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 55 | 34.8% |
| Availability | 33 | 20.9% |
| Privacy | 17 | 10.8% |
| Speed | 15 | 9.5% |
| Interference | 14 | 8.9% |
| Equipment | 13 | 8.2% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 11 | 7.0% |
Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Billing, Availability and Privacy.
TV complaints
113 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 10.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 48 | 42.5% |
| Equipment | 19 | 16.8% |
| Availability | 18 | 15.9% |
| Loud Commercials | 14 | 12.4% |
| Interference | 6 | 5.3% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 3 | 2.7% |
| Privacy | 3 | 2.7% |
| Indecency | 2 | 1.8% |
Billing accounted for the largest share of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
Radio complaints
38 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 3.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 33 | 86.8% |
| Availability | 2 | 5.3% |
| Equipment | 1 | 2.6% |
| Indecency | 1 | 2.6% |
| Pirate Radio | 1 | 2.6% |
Interference and Availability accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
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.