FCC Consumer Complaints – 11 February 2016
Introduction
A total of 1123 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded by the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday, 11 February 2016, this was lower than the 1218 complaints recorded the day before. The complaints came from 52 states and territories, with California reporting a modestly higher count than the other locations. The largest number of complaints related to Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing), with 445 complaints.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 1123
- States & territories reporting
- 52
- Most common issue
- Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) (445)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (135)
Where the complaints came from
A total of 1123 complaints were recorded on 11 February 2016, with reports originating from 726 cities in 52 states and territories. Complaint reports were spread across multiple states and territories, without any one location accounting for a large share. 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 | 135 | 12.0% |
| Florida | 99 | 8.8% |
| Texas | 91 | 8.1% |
| New York | 64 | 5.7% |
| Virginia | 64 | 5.7% |
| Washington | 48 | 4.3% |
| North Carolina | 45 | 4.0% |
| Georgia | 42 | 3.7% |
| Pennsylvania | 39 | 3.5% |
| Illinois | 35 | 3.1% |
| Other states and territories | 461 | 41.1% |
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded on this date fell into 7 different complaint categories. Phone accounted for the largest share, with 863 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 863 | 76.8% |
| Internet | 155 | 13.8% |
| TV | 86 | 7.7% |
| Radio | 12 | 1.1% |
| Accessibility | 4 | 0.4% |
| Emergency | 2 | 0.2% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 1 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
863 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 76.8% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) | 445 | 51.6% |
| Robocalls | 221 | 25.6% |
| Billing | 64 | 7.4% |
| Equipment | 27 | 3.1% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 23 | 2.7% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 22 | 2.5% |
| Junk Faxes | 21 | 2.4% |
| Privacy | 21 | 2.4% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 9 | 1.0% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 7 | 0.8% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 3 | 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
155 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 13.8% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 40 | 25.8% |
| Availability | 36 | 23.2% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 22 | 14.2% |
| Speed | 21 | 13.5% |
| Privacy | 14 | 9.0% |
| Equipment | 12 | 7.7% |
| Interference | 10 | 6.5% |
The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Availability and Open Internet/Net Neutrality.
TV complaints
86 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 7.7% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 42 | 48.8% |
| Availability | 10 | 11.6% |
| Equipment | 10 | 11.6% |
| Loud Commercials | 10 | 11.6% |
| Indecency | 8 | 9.3% |
| Interference | 3 | 3.5% |
| Privacy | 2 | 2.3% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 1 | 1.2% |
Billing and Availability were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
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.