FCC Consumer Complaints – December 2015
Introduction
The Federal Communications Commission recorded 25252 consumer complaints in December 2015 relating to telecommunications services, complaint volume fell from 29357 complaints the month before. Complaints were reported across 56 states and territories, with California slightly ahead of the other locations. Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) was reported slightly more frequently than other issues.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 25252
- Days with complaint data
- 31
- Days with complaints
- 31
- States & territories reporting
- 56
- Most common issue
- Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) (8310)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (3165)
Daily complaint activity
The month averaged 814.6 complaints per day. The highest daily count was 1390 complaints on 16 December 2015, with 18 days recording more complaints than the monthly daily average. The quietest day was 25 December 2015, with 166 complaints, noticeably below the monthly average.
Each bar represents one day of the month. Taller bars indicate more complaints.
Where the complaints came from
The 25252 complaints recorded in December 2015 were submitted from 5524 cities across 56 states and territories. Complaint activity was fairly evenly distributed, with no single state or territory accounting for a large share of reports. At the city level, a significant concentration was observed in District of Columbia, where Washington accounted for 140 of the 151 complaints recorded.
The table below summarises the number of complaints reported in each state and territory during the month, ordered by total reports.
| State/Territory | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| California | 3165 | 12.5% |
| Florida | 2160 | 8.6% |
| Texas | 1667 | 6.6% |
| New York | 1378 | 5.5% |
| Pennsylvania | 1277 | 5.1% |
| Georgia | 1126 | 4.5% |
| Illinois | 972 | 3.8% |
| Virginia | 816 | 3.2% |
| Washington | 762 | 3.0% |
| Tennessee | 721 | 2.9% |
| Other states and territories | 11144 | 44.1% |
Location highlight
Washington accounted for nearly all complaints recorded in District of Columbia.
What the complaints were about
A total of 7 complaint categories were represented in the complaints recorded during the month. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 17484 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 17484 | 69.2% |
| Internet | 4761 | 18.9% |
| TV | 2503 | 9.9% |
| Radio | 379 | 1.5% |
| Emergency | 64 | 0.3% |
| Accessibility | 51 | 0.2% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 10 | 0.0% |
Phone complaints
17484 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 69.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) | 8310 | 47.5% |
| Robocalls | 4094 | 23.4% |
| Billing | 2015 | 11.5% |
| Equipment | 593 | 3.4% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 580 | 3.3% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 508 | 2.9% |
| Privacy | 459 | 2.6% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 387 | 2.2% |
| Junk Faxes | 275 | 1.6% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 156 | 0.9% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 61 | 0.3% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 29 | 0.2% |
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
4761 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 18.9% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 1618 | 34.0% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 822 | 17.3% |
| Availability | 761 | 16.0% |
| Speed | 609 | 12.8% |
| Privacy | 473 | 9.9% |
| Interference | 266 | 5.6% |
| Equipment | 211 | 4.4% |
The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Open Internet/Net Neutrality and Availability.
TV complaints
2503 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 9.9% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 992 | 39.6% |
| Loud Commercials | 426 | 17.0% |
| Availability | 394 | 15.7% |
| Indecency | 246 | 9.8% |
| Equipment | 239 | 9.5% |
| Interference | 137 | 5.5% |
| Privacy | 40 | 1.6% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 27 | 1.1% |
The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Loud Commercials and Availability.
Radio complaints
379 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 1.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 189 | 49.9% |
| Indecency | 63 | 16.6% |
| Pirate Radio | 41 | 10.8% |
| Availability | 40 | 10.6% |
| Commercials/Promotions | 17 | 4.5% |
| Equipment | 17 | 4.5% |
| Billing | 12 | 3.2% |
Interference and Indecency were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
Emergency complaints
64 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 28 | 43.8% |
| Other | 20 | 31.3% |
| Interference | 13 | 20.3% |
| Tower | 3 | 4.7% |
Phone and Other were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
Accessibility complaints
51 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Closed Captioning on TV | 18 | 35.3% |
| Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) | 13 | 25.5% |
| Closed Captioning over the Internet | 11 | 21.6% |
| Emergency Information on TV | 4 | 7.8% |
| Video Description | 2 | 3.9% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireless Phones | 1 | 2.0% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireline Phones | 1 | 2.0% |
Closed Captioning on TV and Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
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.