FCC Consumer Complaints – 29 January 2016
Introduction
The Federal Communications Commission recorded 1141 consumer complaints on Friday, 29 January 2016 relating to telecommunications services, this was lower than the 1272 complaints recorded the day before. Reports were received from 50 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. The largest number of complaints related to Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing), with 437 complaints.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 1141
- States & territories reporting
- 50
- Most common issue
- Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) (437)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (136)
Where the complaints came from
On 29 January 2016, the 1141 complaints recorded by the Federal Communications Commission were reported from 783 cities across 50 states and territories. Complaint activity was fairly evenly distributed, with no single state or territory accounting for a large share of reports. 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 | 136 | 11.9% |
| Florida | 91 | 8.0% |
| Texas | 84 | 7.4% |
| New York | 64 | 5.6% |
| Pennsylvania | 57 | 5.0% |
| Illinois | 52 | 4.6% |
| Virginia | 50 | 4.4% |
| Georgia | 48 | 4.2% |
| New Jersey | 42 | 3.7% |
| Washington | 38 | 3.3% |
| Other states and territories | 479 | 42.0% |
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded on this date were spread across 6 complaint categories. Phone accounted for the largest share, with 826 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 826 | 72.4% |
| Internet | 172 | 15.1% |
| TV | 126 | 11.0% |
| Radio | 13 | 1.1% |
| Accessibility | 3 | 0.3% |
| Emergency | 1 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
826 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 72.4% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) | 437 | 52.9% |
| Robocalls | 190 | 23.0% |
| Billing | 69 | 8.4% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 30 | 3.6% |
| Privacy | 29 | 3.5% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 20 | 2.4% |
| Equipment | 16 | 1.9% |
| Junk Faxes | 14 | 1.7% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 11 | 1.3% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 5 | 0.6% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 4 | 0.5% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 1 | 0.1% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) and Robocalls, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Internet complaints
172 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 15.1% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 63 | 36.6% |
| Availability | 37 | 21.5% |
| Speed | 21 | 12.2% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 18 | 10.5% |
| Privacy | 17 | 9.9% |
| Equipment | 8 | 4.7% |
| Interference | 8 | 4.7% |
Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Billing, Availability and Speed.
TV complaints
126 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 11.0% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 48 | 38.1% |
| Availability | 23 | 18.3% |
| Indecency | 20 | 15.9% |
| Loud Commercials | 14 | 11.1% |
| Equipment | 13 | 10.3% |
| Interference | 8 | 6.3% |
Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Billing, Availability and Indecency.
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.