FCC Consumer Complaints – 12 March 2016
Introduction
The Federal Communications Commission recorded 213 consumer complaints on Saturday, 12 March 2016 relating to telecommunications services, complaint volume fell from 678 complaints the previous day. Submissions were made from 38 states and territories, with California accounting for the highest number of complaints at 39. Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) recorded a slightly higher number of complaints than other issues.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 213
- States & territories reporting
- 38
- Most common issue
- Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) (59)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (39)
Where the complaints came from
Reports recorded on 12 March 2016 show 213 complaints originating from 184 cities across 38 states and territories. Compared with most days, complaint activity was more concentrated, with California contributing the largest share of complaints. No single city accounted for a significant proportion of the complaints recorded on this date.
The distribution of complaints by state and territory is shown below, with locations ranked by the number of reports recorded.
| State/Territory | Complaints | |
|---|---|---|
| California | 39 | 18.3% |
| Texas | 17 | 8.0% |
| Florida | 13 | 6.1% |
| Pennsylvania | 12 | 5.6% |
| Georgia | 10 | 4.7% |
| New York | 10 | 4.7% |
| Maryland | 9 | 4.2% |
| North Carolina | 8 | 3.8% |
| Virginia | 8 | 3.8% |
| Illinois | 7 | 3.3% |
| Other states and territories | 80 | 37.6% |
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded on this date fell into 5 different complaint categories. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 130 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 130 | 61.0% |
| Internet | 39 | 18.3% |
| TV | 33 | 15.5% |
| Radio | 9 | 4.2% |
| Emergency | 2 | 0.9% |
Phone complaints
130 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 61.0% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) | 59 | 45.4% |
| Robocalls | 41 | 31.5% |
| Billing | 10 | 7.7% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 5 | 3.8% |
| Privacy | 4 | 3.1% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 3 | 2.3% |
| Equipment | 3 | 2.3% |
| Junk Faxes | 2 | 1.5% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 2 | 1.5% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 1 | 0.8% |
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
39 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 18.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 11 | 28.2% |
| Speed | 8 | 20.5% |
| Availability | 6 | 15.4% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 5 | 12.8% |
| Equipment | 4 | 10.3% |
| Interference | 3 | 7.7% |
| Privacy | 2 | 5.1% |
A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Billing, Speed and Availability among the most common.
TV complaints
33 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 15.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 15 | 45.5% |
| Availability | 7 | 21.2% |
| Equipment | 5 | 15.2% |
| Indecency | 3 | 9.1% |
| Loud Commercials | 2 | 6.1% |
| Privacy | 1 | 3.0% |
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.