FCC Consumer Complaints – March 2016
Introduction
In March 2016, the Federal Communications Commission recorded 23970 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services, this represented a decline from the 28105 complaints recorded the previous month. Reports were received from 54 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) recorded a slightly higher number of complaints than other issues.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 23970
- Days with complaint data
- 31
- Days with complaints
- 31
- States & territories reporting
- 54
- Most common issue
- Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) (8476)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (3065)
Daily complaint activity
Across the month, the FCC recorded an average of 773.2 complaints per day. The highest daily total was 1228 complaints on 8 March 2016, while 18 days recorded more complaints than the monthly daily average. The quietest day was 13 March 2016, with 131 complaints, noticeably below the monthly average.
Each bar represents one day of the month. Taller bars indicate more complaints.
Where the complaints came from
The 23970 complaints recorded in March 2016 originated from 5452 cities across 54 states and territories. Complaints were relatively evenly spread across states and territories, with no individual location contributing a dominant share. A notable concentration at the city level was observed in District of Columbia, where Washington accounted for 126 of the 138 complaints recorded in the state.
The table below summarises the number of complaints reported in each state and territory during the month, ordered by total reports.
| State/Territory | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| California | 3065 | 12.8% |
| Florida | 1742 | 7.3% |
| Texas | 1698 | 7.1% |
| New York | 1381 | 5.8% |
| Illinois | 948 | 4.0% |
| Pennsylvania | 948 | 4.0% |
| Georgia | 908 | 3.8% |
| Virginia | 799 | 3.3% |
| Maryland | 768 | 3.2% |
| Ohio | 739 | 3.1% |
| Other states and territories | 10910 | 45.5% |
Location highlight
Washington accounted for nearly all complaints recorded in District of Columbia.
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded during the month were spread across 7 complaint categories. Phone was the most reported category, with 17793 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 17793 | 74.2% |
| Internet | 3314 | 13.8% |
| TV | 2284 | 9.5% |
| Radio | 472 | 2.0% |
| Emergency | 57 | 0.2% |
| Accessibility | 39 | 0.2% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 11 | 0.0% |
Phone complaints
17793 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 74.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) | 8476 | 47.6% |
| Robocalls | 4459 | 25.1% |
| Billing | 1833 | 10.3% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 608 | 3.4% |
| Privacy | 527 | 3.0% |
| Equipment | 513 | 2.9% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 487 | 2.7% |
| Junk Faxes | 479 | 2.7% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 196 | 1.1% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 125 | 0.7% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 53 | 0.3% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 34 | 0.2% |
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
3314 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 13.8% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 1131 | 34.1% |
| Availability | 589 | 17.8% |
| Speed | 461 | 13.9% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 342 | 10.3% |
| Privacy | 325 | 9.8% |
| Interference | 259 | 7.8% |
| Equipment | 207 | 6.2% |
A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Billing, Availability and Speed among the most common.
TV complaints
2284 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 9.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 1013 | 44.4% |
| Availability | 426 | 18.7% |
| Equipment | 234 | 10.2% |
| Loud Commercials | 214 | 9.4% |
| Indecency | 203 | 8.9% |
| Interference | 123 | 5.4% |
| Privacy | 52 | 2.3% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 17 | 0.7% |
Billing and Availability accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
Radio complaints
472 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 2.0% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 198 | 41.9% |
| Indecency | 95 | 20.1% |
| Availability | 75 | 15.9% |
| Pirate Radio | 52 | 11.0% |
| Equipment | 25 | 5.3% |
| Commercials/Promotions | 18 | 3.8% |
| Billing | 8 | 1.7% |
Interference and Indecency accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
Emergency complaints
57 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Other | 25 | 43.9% |
| Interference | 16 | 28.1% |
| Phone | 11 | 19.3% |
| Tower | 5 | 8.8% |
Other and Interference accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
Accessibility complaints
39 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Closed Captioning on TV | 15 | 38.5% |
| Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) | 14 | 35.9% |
| Closed Captioning over the Internet | 9 | 23.1% |
Closed Captioning on TV and Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) 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.