FCC Consumer Complaints – 12 September 2015

Introduction

A total of 548 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded by the Federal Communications Commission on 12 September 2015, this represented a decline from the 1119 complaints recorded the previous day. The complaints came from 47 states and territories, with California reporting a modestly higher count than the other locations. The most common issue reported was Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing), accounting for 176 complaints.

Key statistics

Total complaints
548
States & territories reporting
47
Most common issue
Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) (176)
Most reported state/territory
California (57)

Where the complaints came from

A total of 548 complaints were recorded on 12 September 2015, with reports originating from 408 cities in 47 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 57 10.4%
Florida 52 9.5%
New York 34 6.2%
Georgia 30 5.5%
Pennsylvania 30 5.5%
Illinois 20 3.6%
Maryland 20 3.6%
Ohio 19 3.5%
Connecticut 18 3.3%
North Carolina 17 3.1%
Other states and territories 251 45.8%

What the complaints were about

The complaints recorded on this date were spread across 4 complaint categories. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 329 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Phone 329 60.0%
Internet 147 26.8%
TV 58 10.6%
Radio 14 2.6%

Phone complaints

329 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 60.0% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) 176 53.5%
Robocalls 81 24.6%
Equipment 16 4.9%
Billing 15 4.6%
Availability (including rural call completion) 12 3.6%
Privacy 11 3.3%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 10 3.0%
Interference (including signal jammers) 3 0.9%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 3 0.9%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 2 0.6%

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

147 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 26.8% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 42 28.6%
Availability 37 25.2%
Speed 23 15.6%
Privacy 18 12.2%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 14 9.5%
Interference 7 4.8%
Equipment 6 4.1%

The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Availability and Speed.

TV complaints

58 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 10.6% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 25 43.1%
Availability 10 17.2%
Equipment 10 17.2%
Indecency 6 10.3%
Loud Commercials 6 10.3%
Interference 1 1.7%

Billing and Availability 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 12 September 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.