FCC Consumer Complaints – February 2016
Introduction
In February 2016, the Federal Communications Commission recorded 28105 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services, complaint volume increased from 25639 complaints the month before. Complaints were reported across 55 states and territories, with California slightly ahead of the other locations. Complaints relating to Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) were marginally higher than for other issue types.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 28105
- Days with complaint data
- 29
- Days with complaints
- 29
- States & territories reporting
- 55
- Most common issue
- Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) (9464)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (3238)
Daily complaint activity
The month averaged 969.1 complaints per day. The highest daily count was 1652 complaints on 12 February 2016, with 20 days recording more complaints than the monthly daily average. The quietest day was 14 February 2016, with 285 complaints, noticeably below the monthly average.
Each bar represents one day of the month. Taller bars indicate more complaints.
Where the complaints came from
Across 5911 cities in 55 states and territories, a total of 28105 complaints were recorded in February 2016. Complaints were relatively evenly spread across states and territories, with no individual location contributing a dominant share. Despite the overall distribution, a notable concentration at the city level was observed in District of Columbia, where Washington accounted for 128 of the 140 complaints recorded in the state.
The table below shows the distribution of complaints by state and territory for this month, highlighting the locations with the highest number of reports.
| State/Territory | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| California | 3238 | 11.5% |
| Florida | 2269 | 8.1% |
| Texas | 1865 | 6.6% |
| New York | 1707 | 6.1% |
| Georgia | 1310 | 4.7% |
| Pennsylvania | 1225 | 4.4% |
| Illinois | 1030 | 3.7% |
| Virginia | 1012 | 3.6% |
| New Jersey | 842 | 3.0% |
| Ohio | 839 | 3.0% |
| Other states and territories | 12736 | 45.3% |
Location highlight
Complaint activity in District of Columbia was almost entirely concentrated in Washington.
What the complaints were about
Complaints recorded during the month related to 7 different complaint categories. Phone accounted for the largest share, with 19626 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 19626 | 69.8% |
| Internet | 5077 | 18.1% |
| TV | 2879 | 10.2% |
| Radio | 401 | 1.4% |
| Accessibility | 64 | 0.2% |
| Emergency | 49 | 0.2% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 9 | 0.0% |
Phone complaints
19626 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 69.8% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) | 9464 | 48.2% |
| Robocalls | 5074 | 25.9% |
| Billing | 1915 | 9.8% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 599 | 3.1% |
| Privacy | 578 | 2.9% |
| Equipment | 550 | 2.8% |
| Junk Faxes | 483 | 2.5% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 482 | 2.5% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 242 | 1.2% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 135 | 0.7% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 52 | 0.3% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 48 | 0.2% |
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
5077 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 18.1% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 1445 | 28.5% |
| Billing | 1285 | 25.3% |
| Availability | 756 | 14.9% |
| Speed | 628 | 12.4% |
| Privacy | 474 | 9.3% |
| Interference | 271 | 5.3% |
| Equipment | 218 | 4.3% |
The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Open Internet/Net Neutrality, Billing and Availability.
TV complaints
2879 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 10.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 1195 | 41.5% |
| Availability | 635 | 22.1% |
| Equipment | 312 | 10.8% |
| Loud Commercials | 270 | 9.4% |
| Indecency | 257 | 8.9% |
| Interference | 135 | 4.7% |
| Privacy | 56 | 1.9% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 19 | 0.7% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Billing and Availability, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Radio complaints
401 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 1.4% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 188 | 46.9% |
| Indecency | 87 | 21.7% |
| Pirate Radio | 37 | 9.2% |
| Commercials/Promotions | 35 | 8.7% |
| Equipment | 23 | 5.7% |
| Billing | 16 | 4.0% |
| Availability | 15 | 3.7% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Interference and Indecency, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Accessibility complaints
64 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) | 24 | 37.5% |
| Closed Captioning on TV | 21 | 32.8% |
| Closed Captioning over the Internet | 13 | 20.3% |
| Video Description | 3 | 4.7% |
| Emergency Information on TV | 1 | 1.6% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireline Phones | 1 | 1.6% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) and Closed Captioning on TV, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Emergency complaints
49 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Other | 18 | 36.7% |
| Interference | 13 | 26.5% |
| Phone | 12 | 24.5% |
| Tower | 6 | 12.2% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Other and Interference, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
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.