FCC Consumer Complaints – September 2015
Introduction
The Federal Communications Commission recorded 29764 consumer complaints in September 2015 relating to telecommunications services, complaint volume fell from 30365 complaints the previous month. Reports were received from 55 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. The most common issue reported was Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing), accounting for 10380 complaints.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 29764
- Days with complaint data
- 30
- Days with complaints
- 30
- States & territories reporting
- 55
- Most common issue
- Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) (10380)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (3385)
Daily complaint activity
Across the month, the FCC recorded an average of 992.1 complaints per day. The highest daily total was 1514 complaints on 2 September 2015, while 21 days recorded more complaints than the monthly daily average. The lowest daily total was 323 complaints on 27 September 2015, well 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 29764 complaints were recorded in September 2015, with reports originating from 5849 cities in 55 states and territories. The distribution of complaints was relatively even, with no single state or territory 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 129 of the 143 complaints recorded in the state.
The monthly distribution of complaints by state and territory is shown below, with locations ranked by the number of reports recorded.
| State/Territory | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| California | 3385 | 11.4% |
| Florida | 2797 | 9.4% |
| Texas | 1954 | 6.6% |
| New York | 1554 | 5.2% |
| Maryland | 1441 | 4.8% |
| Georgia | 1372 | 4.6% |
| Pennsylvania | 1303 | 4.4% |
| Illinois | 1100 | 3.7% |
| Virginia | 1006 | 3.4% |
| New Jersey | 907 | 3.0% |
| Other states and territories | 12905 | 43.4% |
Location highlight
Nearly all complaints reported in District of Columbia originated from Washington.
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded during the month were spread across 7 complaint categories. Phone accounted for the largest share, with 20165 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 20165 | 67.7% |
| Internet | 5436 | 18.3% |
| TV | 2931 | 9.8% |
| Radio | 1039 | 3.5% |
| Emergency | 111 | 0.4% |
| Accessibility | 74 | 0.2% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 8 | 0.0% |
Phone complaints
20165 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 67.7% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) | 10380 | 51.5% |
| Robocalls | 4641 | 23.0% |
| Billing | 1639 | 8.1% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 715 | 3.5% |
| Equipment | 644 | 3.2% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 603 | 3.0% |
| Privacy | 521 | 2.6% |
| Junk Faxes | 433 | 2.1% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 308 | 1.5% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 151 | 0.7% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 97 | 0.5% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 33 | 0.2% |
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
5436 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 18.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 1711 | 31.5% |
| Availability | 1007 | 18.5% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 765 | 14.1% |
| Speed | 755 | 13.9% |
| Privacy | 534 | 9.8% |
| Interference | 384 | 7.1% |
| Equipment | 278 | 5.1% |
A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Billing, Availability and Open Internet/Net Neutrality among the most common.
TV complaints
2931 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 9.8% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 1184 | 40.4% |
| Availability | 500 | 17.1% |
| Equipment | 358 | 12.2% |
| Loud Commercials | 355 | 12.1% |
| Indecency | 301 | 10.3% |
| Interference | 161 | 5.5% |
| Privacy | 52 | 1.8% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 20 | 0.7% |
Billing represented the largest share of complaints recorded in this category, with lower volumes reported across the remaining issues.
Radio complaints
1039 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 3.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 837 | 80.6% |
| Indecency | 73 | 7.0% |
| Pirate Radio | 50 | 4.8% |
| Availability | 30 | 2.9% |
| Commercials/Promotions | 24 | 2.3% |
| Equipment | 19 | 1.8% |
| Billing | 5 | 0.5% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Interference and Indecency, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Emergency complaints
111 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.4% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Other | 62 | 55.9% |
| Interference | 25 | 22.5% |
| Phone | 17 | 15.3% |
| Tower | 6 | 5.4% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Other and Interference, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Accessibility complaints
74 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Closed Captioning on TV | 40 | 54.1% |
| Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) | 15 | 20.3% |
| Closed Captioning over the Internet | 12 | 16.2% |
| Video Description | 3 | 4.1% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireline Phones | 2 | 2.7% |
| Emergency Information on TV | 1 | 1.4% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Closed Captioning on TV and Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS), 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.