FCC Consumer Complaints – 28 February 2016

Introduction

The Federal Communications Commission recorded 483 consumer complaints on 28 February 2016 relating to telecommunications services, this represented a decline from the 764 complaints recorded the day before. Reports were received from 48 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. Open Internet/Net Neutrality was the most frequently reported issue, with 183 complaints recorded.

Key statistics

Total complaints
483
States & territories reporting
48
Most common issue
Open Internet/Net Neutrality (183)
Most reported state/territory
California (58)

Where the complaints came from

The 483 complaints recorded on 28 February 2016 were submitted from 381 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 58 12.0%
New York 33 6.8%
Florida 31 6.4%
Texas 27 5.6%
Virginia 20 4.1%
Washington 20 4.1%
Georgia 18 3.7%
Illinois 17 3.5%
Colorado 15 3.1%
New Jersey 15 3.1%
Other states and territories 229 47.4%

What the complaints were about

A total of 6 complaint categories were represented in the complaints recorded on this date. The largest number of complaints fell within Internet, which accounted for 262 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Internet 262 54.2%
Phone 165 34.2%
TV 45 9.3%
Radio 9 1.9%
Accessibility 1 0.2%
Emergency 1 0.2%

Internet complaints

262 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 54.2% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 183 69.8%
Billing 28 10.7%
Availability 17 6.5%
Interference 10 3.8%
Speed 10 3.8%
Privacy 9 3.4%
Equipment 5 1.9%

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

Phone complaints

165 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 34.2% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) 58 35.2%
Robocalls 49 29.7%
Billing 27 16.4%
Privacy 9 5.5%
Equipment 8 4.8%
Availability (including rural call completion) 4 2.4%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 4 2.4%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 4 2.4%
Interference (including signal jammers) 2 1.2%

Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) and Robocalls were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.

TV complaints

45 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 9.3% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Availability 16 35.6%
Billing 14 31.1%
Loud Commercials 6 13.3%
Indecency 4 8.9%
Equipment 3 6.7%
Interference 1 2.2%
Privacy 1 2.2%

Availability and Billing 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 28 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.