FCC Consumer Complaints – 22 January 2016
Introduction
On Friday, 22 January 2016, the Federal Communications Commission recorded 1097 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services, this represented a decline from the 1148 complaints recorded the day before. Reports were received from 52 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. Complaints relating to Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) were marginally higher than for other issue types.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 1097
- States & territories reporting
- 52
- Most common issue
- Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) (407)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (152)
Where the complaints came from
On 22 January 2016, the 1097 complaints recorded by the Federal Communications Commission were reported from 746 cities across 52 states and territories. Activity was spread across states and territories, with no single location accounting for a substantial share of complaints. 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 | 152 | 13.9% |
| Florida | 112 | 10.2% |
| Texas | 73 | 6.7% |
| New York | 58 | 5.3% |
| Illinois | 54 | 4.9% |
| Pennsylvania | 48 | 4.4% |
| Michigan | 41 | 3.7% |
| Georgia | 34 | 3.1% |
| Arizona | 31 | 2.8% |
| New Jersey | 30 | 2.7% |
| Other states and territories | 463 | 42.2% |
Location highlight
California had the widest distribution of complaints, with reports originating from 97 different cities.
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded on this date were spread across 6 complaint categories. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 843 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 843 | 76.8% |
| Internet | 139 | 12.7% |
| TV | 104 | 9.5% |
| Radio | 9 | 0.8% |
| Emergency | 1 | 0.1% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 1 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
843 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 76.8% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) | 407 | 48.3% |
| Robocalls | 222 | 26.3% |
| Billing | 90 | 10.7% |
| Equipment | 29 | 3.4% |
| Privacy | 28 | 3.3% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 19 | 2.3% |
| Junk Faxes | 16 | 1.9% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 15 | 1.8% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 8 | 0.9% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 4 | 0.5% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 3 | 0.4% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 2 | 0.2% |
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
139 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 12.7% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 54 | 38.8% |
| Availability | 25 | 18.0% |
| Speed | 21 | 15.1% |
| Privacy | 17 | 12.2% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 15 | 10.8% |
| Interference | 6 | 4.3% |
| Equipment | 1 | 0.7% |
The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Availability and Speed.
TV complaints
104 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 9.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 48 | 46.2% |
| Availability | 24 | 23.1% |
| Loud Commercials | 14 | 13.5% |
| Indecency | 10 | 9.6% |
| Equipment | 4 | 3.8% |
| Interference | 3 | 2.9% |
| Privacy | 1 | 1.0% |
Billing and Availability accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
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.