FCC Consumer Complaints – 19 February 2016
Introduction
A total of 1110 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded by the Federal Communications Commission on Friday, 19 February 2016, complaint volume fell from 1226 complaints the previous day. The complaints came from 51 states and territories, with California reporting a modestly higher count than 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
- 1110
- States & territories reporting
- 51
- Most common issue
- Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) (421)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (125)
Where the complaints came from
A total of 1110 complaints were recorded on 19 February 2016, with reports originating from 743 cities in 51 states and territories. The distribution of complaints was relatively even, with no single state or territory contributing a dominant share. This pattern continues at the city level, where complaints were distributed across multiple locations without a single city standing out.
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 | 125 | 11.3% |
| Texas | 80 | 7.2% |
| Florida | 74 | 6.7% |
| New York | 72 | 6.5% |
| Georgia | 49 | 4.4% |
| Pennsylvania | 49 | 4.4% |
| Washington | 49 | 4.4% |
| Illinois | 44 | 4.0% |
| Virginia | 42 | 3.8% |
| Michigan | 36 | 3.2% |
| Other states and territories | 488 | 44.0% |
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded on this date were spread across 6 complaint categories. Phone accounted for the largest share, with 831 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 831 | 74.9% |
| Internet | 159 | 14.3% |
| TV | 104 | 9.4% |
| Radio | 14 | 1.3% |
| Emergency | 1 | 0.1% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 1 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
831 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 74.9% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) | 421 | 50.7% |
| Robocalls | 224 | 27.0% |
| Billing | 52 | 6.3% |
| Equipment | 30 | 3.6% |
| Privacy | 30 | 3.6% |
| Junk Faxes | 21 | 2.5% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 20 | 2.4% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 14 | 1.7% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 9 | 1.1% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 8 | 1.0% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 1 | 0.1% |
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
159 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 14.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 50 | 31.4% |
| Availability | 31 | 19.5% |
| Speed | 27 | 17.0% |
| Privacy | 21 | 13.2% |
| Interference | 14 | 8.8% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 9 | 5.7% |
| Equipment | 7 | 4.4% |
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 9.4% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 62 | 59.6% |
| Availability | 14 | 13.5% |
| Equipment | 10 | 9.6% |
| Indecency | 7 | 6.7% |
| Privacy | 5 | 4.8% |
| Interference | 4 | 3.8% |
| Loud Commercials | 2 | 1.9% |
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.