FCC Consumer Complaints – 3 April 2016
Introduction
The Federal Communications Commission recorded 284 consumer complaints on Sunday, 3 April 2016 relating to telecommunications services, this represented a decline from the 445 complaints recorded the previous day. The complaints came from 42 states and territories, with California reporting a modestly higher count than the other locations. Billing recorded a slightly higher number of complaints than other issues.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 284
- States & territories reporting
- 42
- Most common issue
- Billing (59)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (46)
Where the complaints came from
Reports recorded on 3 April 2016 show 284 complaints originating from 224 cities across 42 states and territories. Overall, complaint activity was broadly distributed, with no single state or territory representing a significant proportion of the total. 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 | 46 | 16.2% |
| Texas | 35 | 12.3% |
| Florida | 31 | 10.9% |
| New York | 17 | 6.0% |
| Pennsylvania | 11 | 3.9% |
| Michigan | 10 | 3.5% |
| Arizona | 9 | 3.2% |
| Georgia | 8 | 2.8% |
| Massachusetts | 8 | 2.8% |
| Minnesota | 8 | 2.8% |
| Other states and territories | 101 | 35.6% |
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 Phone, which accounted for 118 reports. This was followed by Internet, which accounted for 81 complaints.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 118 | 41.5% |
| Internet | 81 | 28.5% |
| TV | 72 | 25.4% |
| Radio | 9 | 3.2% |
| Accessibility | 3 | 1.1% |
| Emergency | 1 | 0.4% |
Phone complaints
118 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 41.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) | 46 | 39.0% |
| Robocalls | 23 | 19.5% |
| Billing | 18 | 15.3% |
| Privacy | 9 | 7.6% |
| Equipment | 6 | 5.1% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 5 | 4.2% |
| Junk Faxes | 4 | 3.4% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 3 | 2.5% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 2 | 1.7% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 1 | 0.8% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 1 | 0.8% |
The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing), Robocalls and Billing.
Internet complaints
81 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 28.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 21 | 25.9% |
| Availability | 19 | 23.5% |
| Speed | 15 | 18.5% |
| Interference | 7 | 8.6% |
| Privacy | 7 | 8.6% |
| Equipment | 6 | 7.4% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 6 | 7.4% |
The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Availability and Speed.
TV complaints
72 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 25.4% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | 20 | 27.8% |
| Billing | 19 | 26.4% |
| Loud Commercials | 14 | 19.4% |
| Equipment | 10 | 13.9% |
| Indecency | 4 | 5.6% |
| Interference | 3 | 4.2% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 2 | 2.8% |
The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Availability, Billing and Loud Commercials.
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.