FCC Consumer Complaints – 12 February 2016

Introduction

The Federal Communications Commission recorded 1652 consumer complaints on 12 February 2016 relating to telecommunications services, complaint volume increased from 1123 complaints the day before. Complaints were reported across 51 states and territories, with California slightly ahead of the other locations. Complaints relating to Open Internet/Net Neutrality were marginally higher than for other issue types.

Key statistics

Total complaints
1652
States & territories reporting
51
Most common issue
Open Internet/Net Neutrality (527)
Most reported state/territory
California (229)

Where the complaints came from

On 12 February 2016, the 1652 complaints recorded by the Federal Communications Commission were reported from 992 cities across 51 states and territories. Complaints were relatively evenly spread across states and territories, with no individual location contributing a dominant share. 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 229 13.9%
Texas 128 7.7%
Florida 91 5.5%
New York 86 5.2%
Pennsylvania 78 4.7%
Washington 77 4.7%
Illinois 66 4.0%
Ohio 61 3.7%
Georgia 60 3.6%
Michigan 57 3.5%
Other states and territories 718 43.5%

What the complaints were about

The complaints recorded on this date were spread across 6 complaint categories. Phone was the most reported category, with 873 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Phone 873 52.8%
Internet 665 40.3%
TV 96 5.8%
Radio 16 1.0%
Accessibility 1 0.1%
Emergency 1 0.1%

Phone complaints

873 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 52.8% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) 472 54.1%
Robocalls 231 26.5%
Billing 61 7.0%
Privacy 29 3.3%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 21 2.4%
Equipment 18 2.1%
Junk Faxes 15 1.7%
Availability (including rural call completion) 12 1.4%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 8 0.9%
Interference (including signal jammers) 3 0.3%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 1 0.1%
Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) 1 0.1%

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

665 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 40.3% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 526 79.1%
Billing 55 8.3%
Availability 31 4.7%
Speed 18 2.7%
Equipment 12 1.8%
Privacy 12 1.8%
Interference 11 1.7%

Open Internet/Net Neutrality and Billing were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.

TV complaints

96 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 5.8% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 42 43.8%
Equipment 18 18.8%
Availability 14 14.6%
Loud Commercials 14 14.6%
Indecency 6 6.3%
Interference 2 2.1%

Billing and Equipment 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 12 February 2016.

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.