FCC Consumer Complaints – 16 November 2015
Introduction
On Monday, 16 November 2015, the Federal Communications Commission recorded 997 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services, this was higher than the 320 complaints recorded the day before. Complaints were reported across 51 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 362 complaints.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 997
- States & territories reporting
- 51
- Most common issue
- Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) (362)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (106)
Where the complaints came from
The 997 complaints recorded on 16 November 2015 originated from 661 cities across 51 states and territories. Complaints were relatively evenly spread across states and territories, with no individual location contributing a dominant 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 | 106 | 10.6% |
| Florida | 92 | 9.2% |
| Pennsylvania | 72 | 7.2% |
| Texas | 69 | 6.9% |
| New York | 61 | 6.1% |
| Virginia | 42 | 4.2% |
| Maryland | 41 | 4.1% |
| Washington | 41 | 4.1% |
| Georgia | 38 | 3.8% |
| Illinois | 31 | 3.1% |
| Other states and territories | 401 | 40.2% |
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded on this date fell into 7 different complaint categories. Phone accounted for the largest share, with 731 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 731 | 73.3% |
| Internet | 147 | 14.7% |
| TV | 85 | 8.5% |
| Radio | 27 | 2.7% |
| Emergency | 5 | 0.5% |
| Accessibility | 1 | 0.1% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 1 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
731 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 73.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) | 362 | 49.5% |
| Robocalls | 159 | 21.8% |
| Billing | 79 | 10.8% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 35 | 4.8% |
| Privacy | 26 | 3.6% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 24 | 3.3% |
| Junk Faxes | 19 | 2.6% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 12 | 1.6% |
| Equipment | 12 | 1.6% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 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
147 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 14.7% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 49 | 33.3% |
| Availability | 32 | 21.8% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 16 | 10.9% |
| Privacy | 14 | 9.5% |
| Speed | 14 | 9.5% |
| Interference | 12 | 8.2% |
| Equipment | 10 | 6.8% |
The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Availability and Open Internet/Net Neutrality.
TV complaints
85 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 8.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 30 | 35.3% |
| Loud Commercials | 16 | 18.8% |
| Availability | 14 | 16.5% |
| Indecency | 11 | 12.9% |
| Equipment | 10 | 11.8% |
| Interference | 4 | 4.7% |
The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Loud Commercials and Availability.
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.