FCC Consumer Complaints – 24 August 2015

Introduction

A total of 1154 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded by the Federal Communications Commission on 24 August 2015, this was higher than the 309 complaints recorded the day before. Complaints were reported across 48 states and territories, with California slightly ahead of the other locations. The largest number of complaints related to Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing), with 418 complaints.

Key statistics

Total complaints
1154
States & territories reporting
48
Most common issue
Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) (418)
Most reported state/territory
California (153)

Where the complaints came from

On 24 August 2015, the 1154 complaints recorded by the Federal Communications Commission were reported from 745 cities across 48 states and territories. Complaint activity was fairly evenly distributed, with no single state or territory accounting for a large share of reports. 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 13.3%
Florida 97 8.4%
Texas 73 6.3%
Maryland 71 6.2%
Pennsylvania 53 4.6%
Georgia 52 4.5%
New York 52 4.5%
Michigan 42 3.6%
Illinois 36 3.1%
Virginia 36 3.1%
Other states and territories 488 42.3%

What the complaints were about

The complaints recorded on this date fell into 7 different complaint categories. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 810 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Phone 810 70.2%
Internet 188 16.3%
TV 98 8.5%
Radio 55 4.8%
Accessibility 1 0.1%
Emergency 1 0.1%
Request for Dispute Assistance 1 0.1%

Phone complaints

810 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 70.2% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) 418 51.6%
Robocalls 155 19.1%
Billing 69 8.5%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 55 6.8%
Privacy 26 3.2%
Availability (including rural call completion) 21 2.6%
Equipment 18 2.2%
Junk Faxes 18 2.2%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 12 1.5%
Interference (including signal jammers) 10 1.2%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 5 0.6%
Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) 2 0.2%

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

188 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 16.3% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 61 32.4%
Availability 41 21.8%
Speed 28 14.9%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 25 13.3%
Privacy 16 8.5%
Interference 11 5.9%
Equipment 6 3.2%

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

TV complaints

98 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 8.5% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 45 45.9%
Availability 15 15.3%
Equipment 11 11.2%
Loud Commercials 11 11.2%
Interference 8 8.2%
Indecency 7 7.1%
Privacy 1 1.0%

Billing and Availability accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.

Radio complaints

55 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 4.8% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Interference 44 80.0%
Indecency 4 7.3%
Availability 2 3.6%
Equipment 2 3.6%
Pirate Radio 2 3.6%
Billing 1 1.8%

Interference and Indecency 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 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.