FCC Consumer Complaints – 27 April 2016

Introduction

On 27 April 2016, the Federal Communications Commission recorded 1233 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services, complaint volume fell from 1374 complaints the day before. The complaints came from 50 states and territories, with California reporting a modestly higher count than the other locations. Complaints were most commonly associated with Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing), accounting for 420 complaints.

Key statistics

Total complaints
1233
States & territories reporting
50
Most common issue
Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) (420)
Most reported state/territory
California (147)

Where the complaints came from

Across 780 cities in 50 states and territories, a total of 1233 complaints were recorded on 27 April 2016. Activity was spread across states and territories, with no single location accounting for a substantial share of complaints. At the city level, complaints were similarly dispersed, with no single location accounting for a notable share of the total.

The table below shows the distribution of complaints by state and territory for this date, highlighting the locations with the highest number of reports.

State/Territory Complaints
California 147 11.9%
Florida 142 11.5%
Texas 124 10.1%
Pennsylvania 59 4.8%
Illinois 54 4.4%
New York 52 4.2%
Georgia 51 4.1%
North Carolina 36 2.9%
Virginia 35 2.8%
Maryland 33 2.7%
Other states and territories 499 40.5%

What the complaints were about

The complaints recorded on this date fell into 6 different complaint categories. Phone was the most reported category, with 889 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Phone 889 72.1%
Internet 186 15.1%
TV 139 11.3%
Radio 14 1.1%
Accessibility 3 0.2%
Emergency 2 0.2%

Phone complaints

889 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 72.1% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) 420 47.2%
Robocalls 175 19.7%
Billing 93 10.5%
Equipment 46 5.2%
Availability (including rural call completion) 42 4.7%
Junk Faxes 37 4.2%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 29 3.3%
Privacy 28 3.1%
Interference (including signal jammers) 11 1.2%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 4 0.4%
Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) 3 0.3%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 1 0.1%

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

Internet complaints

186 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 15.1% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 64 34.4%
Availability 51 27.4%
Speed 23 12.4%
Privacy 15 8.1%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 14 7.5%
Interference 10 5.4%
Equipment 9 4.8%

Billing and Availability were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.

TV complaints

139 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 11.3% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Availability 50 36.0%
Billing 48 34.5%
Equipment 18 12.9%
Interference 13 9.4%
Loud Commercials 5 3.6%
Indecency 4 2.9%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 1 0.7%

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 27 April 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.