FCC Consumer Complaints – 5 December 2015

Introduction

A total of 517 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded by the Federal Communications Commission on Saturday, 5 December 2015, this represented a decline from the 1087 complaints recorded the previous day. Reports were received from 47 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) was reported slightly more frequently than other issues.

Key statistics

Total complaints
517
States & territories reporting
47
Most common issue
Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) (179)
Most reported state/territory
California (82)

Where the complaints came from

The 517 complaints recorded on 5 December 2015 were submitted from 398 cities across 47 states and territories. Activity was spread across states and territories, with no single location accounting for a substantial share of complaints. At the city level, complaints were similarly dispersed, with no single location accounting for a notable share of the total.

The distribution of complaints by state and territory is shown below, with locations ranked by the number of reports recorded.

State/Territory Complaints
California 82 15.9%
Florida 52 10.1%
Pennsylvania 32 6.2%
Texas 29 5.6%
Virginia 26 5.0%
Washington 24 4.6%
New York 21 4.1%
Illinois 18 3.5%
Georgia 16 3.1%
Tennessee 15 2.9%
Other states and territories 201 38.9%

What the complaints were about

Complaints recorded on this date related to 5 different complaint categories. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 352 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Phone 352 68.1%
Internet 95 18.4%
TV 56 10.8%
Radio 12 2.3%
Emergency 2 0.4%

Phone complaints

352 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 68.1% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) 179 50.9%
Robocalls 103 29.3%
Billing 25 7.1%
Availability (including rural call completion) 11 3.1%
Equipment 11 3.1%
Privacy 11 3.1%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 5 1.4%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 5 1.4%
Interference (including signal jammers) 2 0.6%

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

95 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 18.4% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 32 33.7%
Availability 19 20.0%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 15 15.8%
Speed 11 11.6%
Equipment 7 7.4%
Privacy 6 6.3%
Interference 5 5.3%

The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Availability and Open Internet/Net Neutrality.

TV complaints

56 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 10.8% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 25 44.6%
Availability 10 17.9%
Loud Commercials 9 16.1%
Indecency 7 12.5%
Equipment 4 7.1%
Privacy 1 1.8%

Billing and Availability were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.

Page last updated: 10 December 2018 with FCC complaints data from 5 December 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.