FCC Consumer Complaints – 25 November 2015
Introduction
A total of 969 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded by the Federal Communications Commission on 25 November 2015, complaint volume fell from 1158 complaints the day before. Reports were received from 50 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. Complaints were most commonly associated with Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing), accounting for 400 complaints.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 969
- States & territories reporting
- 50
- Most common issue
- Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) (400)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (143)
Where the complaints came from
The 969 complaints recorded on 25 November 2015 were submitted from 688 cities across 50 states and territories. Overall, complaint activity was broadly distributed, with no single state or territory representing a significant proportion of the total. 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 | 143 | 14.8% |
| Florida | 78 | 8.0% |
| New York | 52 | 5.4% |
| Texas | 44 | 4.5% |
| Georgia | 42 | 4.3% |
| Massachusetts | 41 | 4.2% |
| Maryland | 37 | 3.8% |
| Illinois | 36 | 3.7% |
| Pennsylvania | 36 | 3.7% |
| New Jersey | 34 | 3.5% |
| Other states and territories | 426 | 44.0% |
Location highlight
California had the widest distribution of complaints, with reports originating from 101 different cities.
What the complaints were about
Complaints recorded on this date related to 6 different complaint categories. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 749 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 749 | 77.3% |
| Internet | 123 | 12.7% |
| TV | 78 | 8.0% |
| Radio | 16 | 1.7% |
| Emergency | 2 | 0.2% |
| Accessibility | 1 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
749 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 77.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) | 400 | 53.4% |
| Robocalls | 160 | 21.4% |
| Billing | 67 | 8.9% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 36 | 4.8% |
| Equipment | 23 | 3.1% |
| Privacy | 22 | 2.9% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 18 | 2.4% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 8 | 1.1% |
| Junk Faxes | 6 | 0.8% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 4 | 0.5% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 3 | 0.4% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 2 | 0.3% |
Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) and Robocalls were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
Internet complaints
123 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 12.7% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 37 | 30.1% |
| Availability | 20 | 16.3% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 18 | 14.6% |
| Privacy | 15 | 12.2% |
| Speed | 14 | 11.4% |
| Interference | 10 | 8.1% |
| Equipment | 9 | 7.3% |
The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Availability and Open Internet/Net Neutrality.
TV complaints
78 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 8.0% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 29 | 37.2% |
| Availability | 14 | 17.9% |
| Loud Commercials | 11 | 14.1% |
| Equipment | 9 | 11.5% |
| Indecency | 9 | 11.5% |
| Interference | 3 | 3.8% |
| Privacy | 2 | 2.6% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 1 | 1.3% |
The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Availability and Loud Commercials.
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.