FCC Consumer Complaints – April 2016
Introduction
A total of 28534 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded by the Federal Communications Commission in April 2016, this was higher than the 23970 complaints recorded the month before. Reports were received from 55 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
- 28534
- Days with complaint data
- 30
- Days with complaints
- 30
- States & territories reporting
- 55
- Most common issue
- Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) (8698)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (4133)
Daily complaint activity
The month averaged 951.1 complaints per day. The highest daily count was 1432 complaints on 13 April 2016, with 21 days recording more complaints than the monthly daily average. The lowest daily total was 284 complaints on 3 April 2016, well below the monthly average.
Each bar represents one day of the month. Taller bars indicate more complaints.
Where the complaints came from
In April 2016, the 28534 complaints recorded by the Federal Communications Commission were reported from 5729 cities across 55 states and territories. Complaint reports were spread across multiple states and territories, without any one location accounting for a large share. A notable concentration at the city level was observed in District of Columbia, where Washington accounted for 119 of the 126 complaints recorded in the state.
The monthly distribution of complaints by state and territory is shown below, with locations ranked by the number of reports recorded.
| State/Territory | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| California | 4133 | 14.5% |
| Florida | 3047 | 10.7% |
| Texas | 2622 | 9.2% |
| New York | 1470 | 5.2% |
| Maryland | 1337 | 4.7% |
| Georgia | 1057 | 3.7% |
| Illinois | 975 | 3.4% |
| Pennsylvania | 975 | 3.4% |
| Ohio | 807 | 2.8% |
| New Jersey | 795 | 2.8% |
| Other states and territories | 11282 | 39.5% |
Location highlight
Nearly all complaints reported in District of Columbia originated from Washington.
What the complaints were about
Complaints recorded during the month related to 7 different complaint categories. Phone accounted for the largest share, with 19082 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 19082 | 66.9% |
| Internet | 4945 | 17.3% |
| TV | 3340 | 11.7% |
| Radio | 1035 | 3.6% |
| Emergency | 72 | 0.3% |
| Accessibility | 49 | 0.2% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 11 | 0.0% |
Phone complaints
19082 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 66.9% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) | 8698 | 45.6% |
| Robocalls | 4376 | 22.9% |
| Billing | 2073 | 10.9% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 913 | 4.8% |
| Equipment | 819 | 4.3% |
| Privacy | 622 | 3.3% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 603 | 3.2% |
| Junk Faxes | 519 | 2.7% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 197 | 1.0% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 164 | 0.9% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 60 | 0.3% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 31 | 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
4945 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 17.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | 1470 | 29.7% |
| Billing | 1362 | 27.5% |
| Speed | 671 | 13.6% |
| Privacy | 387 | 7.8% |
| Interference | 378 | 7.6% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 360 | 7.3% |
| Equipment | 315 | 6.4% |
The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Availability, Billing and Speed.
TV complaints
3340 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 11.7% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 1235 | 37.0% |
| Availability | 1117 | 33.4% |
| Equipment | 385 | 11.5% |
| Loud Commercials | 212 | 6.3% |
| Interference | 168 | 5.0% |
| Indecency | 160 | 4.8% |
| Privacy | 39 | 1.2% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 23 | 0.7% |
Billing and Availability accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
Radio complaints
1035 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 3.6% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 816 | 78.8% |
| Indecency | 90 | 8.7% |
| Pirate Radio | 36 | 3.5% |
| Availability | 33 | 3.2% |
| Commercials/Promotions | 27 | 2.6% |
| Equipment | 22 | 2.1% |
| Billing | 11 | 1.1% |
Interference and Indecency accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
Emergency complaints
72 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Other | 29 | 40.3% |
| Interference | 27 | 37.5% |
| Phone | 15 | 20.8% |
| Tower | 1 | 1.4% |
Other and Interference accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
Accessibility complaints
49 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) | 19 | 38.8% |
| Closed Captioning on TV | 18 | 36.7% |
| Closed Captioning over the Internet | 9 | 18.4% |
| Emergency Information on TV | 1 | 2.0% |
| Video Description | 1 | 2.0% |
Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) and Closed Captioning on TV 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.