FCC Consumer Complaints – 27 February 2016
Introduction
A total of 764 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded by the Federal Communications Commission on Saturday, 27 February 2016, complaint volume fell from 1059 complaints the day before. The complaints came from 48 states and territories, with California reporting a modestly higher count than the other locations. Open Internet/Net Neutrality was reported slightly more frequently than other issues.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 764
- States & territories reporting
- 48
- Most common issue
- Open Internet/Net Neutrality (233)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (95)
Where the complaints came from
The 764 complaints recorded on 27 February 2016 originated from 558 cities across 48 states and territories. The distribution of complaints was relatively even, with no single state or territory 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 | 95 | 12.4% |
| Florida | 65 | 8.5% |
| Texas | 54 | 7.1% |
| New York | 40 | 5.2% |
| Virginia | 36 | 4.7% |
| Ohio | 35 | 4.6% |
| Washington | 30 | 3.9% |
| Georgia | 29 | 3.8% |
| Illinois | 29 | 3.8% |
| Michigan | 28 | 3.7% |
| Other states and territories | 323 | 42.3% |
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded on this date were spread across 4 complaint categories. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 377 reports. This was followed by Internet, which accounted for 322 complaints.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 377 | 49.3% |
| Internet | 322 | 42.1% |
| TV | 56 | 7.3% |
| Radio | 9 | 1.2% |
Phone complaints
377 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 49.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) | 169 | 44.8% |
| Robocalls | 121 | 32.1% |
| Billing | 37 | 9.8% |
| Privacy | 12 | 3.2% |
| Equipment | 8 | 2.1% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 7 | 1.9% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 6 | 1.6% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 5 | 1.3% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 5 | 1.3% |
| Junk Faxes | 3 | 0.8% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 3 | 0.8% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 1 | 0.3% |
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
322 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 42.1% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 230 | 71.4% |
| Billing | 37 | 11.5% |
| Availability | 17 | 5.3% |
| Speed | 17 | 5.3% |
| Privacy | 14 | 4.3% |
| Equipment | 4 | 1.2% |
| Interference | 3 | 0.9% |
Open Internet/Net Neutrality and Billing accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
TV complaints
56 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 7.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 23 | 41.1% |
| Availability | 11 | 19.6% |
| Loud Commercials | 11 | 19.6% |
| Equipment | 5 | 8.9% |
| Indecency | 4 | 7.1% |
| Interference | 2 | 3.6% |
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.