FCC Consumer Complaints – 26 February 2016
Introduction
On Friday, 26 February 2016, 1059 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded in the Federal Communications Commission system, complaint volume fell from 1140 complaints the previous day. Complaints were reported across 48 states and territories, with California slightly ahead of the other locations. Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) recorded a slightly higher number of complaints than other issues.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 1059
- States & territories reporting
- 48
- Most common issue
- Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) (387)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (115)
Where the complaints came from
The 1059 complaints recorded on 26 February 2016 originated from 703 cities across 48 states and territories. Complaints were relatively evenly spread across states and territories, with no individual location contributing a dominant share. At the city level, complaints were similarly dispersed, with no single location accounting for a notable share of the total.
The distribution of complaints by state and territory is shown below, with locations ranked by the number of reports recorded.
| State/Territory | Complaints | |
|---|---|---|
| California | 115 | 10.9% |
| Florida | 90 | 8.5% |
| Texas | 72 | 6.8% |
| Georgia | 67 | 6.3% |
| New York | 55 | 5.2% |
| Ohio | 44 | 4.2% |
| Pennsylvania | 41 | 3.9% |
| Illinois | 37 | 3.5% |
| Tennessee | 32 | 3.0% |
| Virginia | 31 | 2.9% |
| Other states and territories | 475 | 44.9% |
What the complaints were about
Complaints recorded on this date related to 6 different complaint categories. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 786 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 786 | 74.2% |
| Internet | 164 | 15.5% |
| TV | 86 | 8.1% |
| Radio | 15 | 1.4% |
| Accessibility | 4 | 0.4% |
| Emergency | 4 | 0.4% |
Phone complaints
786 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 74.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) | 387 | 49.2% |
| Robocalls | 216 | 27.5% |
| Billing | 62 | 7.9% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 27 | 3.4% |
| Privacy | 22 | 2.8% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 18 | 2.3% |
| Equipment | 17 | 2.2% |
| Junk Faxes | 15 | 1.9% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 9 | 1.1% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 7 | 0.9% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 3 | 0.4% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 3 | 0.4% |
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
164 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 15.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 60 | 36.6% |
| Billing | 32 | 19.5% |
| Availability | 21 | 12.8% |
| Privacy | 19 | 11.6% |
| Speed | 13 | 7.9% |
| Interference | 12 | 7.3% |
| Equipment | 7 | 4.3% |
Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Open Internet/Net Neutrality, Billing and Availability.
TV complaints
86 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 8.1% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 37 | 43.0% |
| Availability | 14 | 16.3% |
| Equipment | 13 | 15.1% |
| Loud Commercials | 10 | 11.6% |
| Indecency | 8 | 9.3% |
| Interference | 4 | 4.7% |
Billing accounted for the largest share 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.