FCC Consumer Complaints – 18 December 2015

Introduction

A total of 961 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded by the Federal Communications Commission on Friday, 18 December 2015, this was lower than the 1114 complaints recorded 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 372 complaints.

Key statistics

Total complaints
961
States & territories reporting
50
Most common issue
Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) (372)
Most reported state/territory
California (96)

Where the complaints came from

The 961 complaints recorded on 18 December 2015 were submitted from 649 cities across 50 states and territories. The complaints were widely dispersed, with no single state or territory representing a notable proportion of the total. A similar pattern is observed at the city level, with complaints spread across locations rather than concentrated in a single area.

The table below shows the distribution of complaints by state and territory for this date, highlighting the locations with the highest number of reports.

State/Territory Complaints
California 96 10.0%
Florida 73 7.6%
New York 61 6.3%
Texas 54 5.6%
Georgia 50 5.2%
Pennsylvania 40 4.2%
Virginia 38 4.0%
Illinois 37 3.9%
Tennessee 30 3.1%
Michigan 27 2.8%
Other states and territories 454 47.2%

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 714 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Phone 714 74.3%
Internet 168 17.5%
TV 70 7.3%
Radio 9 0.9%

Phone complaints

714 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 74.3% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) 372 52.1%
Robocalls 172 24.1%
Billing 59 8.3%
Equipment 30 4.2%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 19 2.7%
Availability (including rural call completion) 16 2.2%
Privacy 16 2.2%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 12 1.7%
Junk Faxes 7 1.0%
Interference (including signal jammers) 6 0.8%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 2 0.3%
Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) 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

168 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 17.5% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 48 28.6%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 38 22.6%
Speed 26 15.5%
Availability 25 14.9%
Privacy 16 9.5%
Interference 9 5.4%
Equipment 6 3.6%

Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Billing, Open Internet/Net Neutrality and Speed.

TV complaints

70 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 7.3% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 34 48.6%
Availability 11 15.7%
Loud Commercials 10 14.3%
Equipment 5 7.1%
Interference 4 5.7%
Indecency 3 4.3%
Privacy 2 2.9%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 1 1.4%

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 18 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.