FCC Consumer Complaints – 30 April 2016

Introduction

A total of 586 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded by the Federal Communications Commission on 30 April 2016, this was lower than the 1202 complaints recorded the day before. Complaints were reported across 46 states and territories, with California slightly ahead of the other locations. Complaints relating to Billing were marginally higher than for other issue types.

Key statistics

Total complaints
586
States & territories reporting
46
Most common issue
Billing (141)
Most reported state/territory
California (142)

Where the complaints came from

Across 371 cities in 46 states and territories, a total of 586 complaints were recorded on 30 April 2016. Compared with most days, complaint activity was more concentrated, with California contributing the largest share of complaints. At the city level, no single location accounted for a notable share of complaints.

The distribution of complaints by state and territory is shown below, with locations ranked by the number of reports recorded.

State/Territory Complaints
California 142 24.2%
Texas 107 18.3%
Florida 52 8.9%
New York 24 4.1%
Georgia 19 3.2%
Pennsylvania 18 3.1%
Illinois 17 2.9%
Michigan 14 2.4%
Maryland 13 2.2%
Colorado 12 2.0%
Other states and territories 168 28.7%

Location highlight

California had the widest distribution of complaints, with reports originating from 70 different cities.

What the complaints were about

A total of 5 complaint categories were represented in the complaints recorded on this date. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 297 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Phone 297 50.7%
Internet 143 24.4%
TV 132 22.5%
Radio 13 2.2%
Accessibility 1 0.2%

Phone complaints

297 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 50.7% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) 110 37.0%
Billing 70 23.6%
Robocalls 64 21.5%
Availability (including rural call completion) 15 5.1%
Equipment 15 5.1%
Privacy 8 2.7%
Junk Faxes 6 2.0%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 4 1.3%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 2 0.7%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 1 0.3%
Interference (including signal jammers) 1 0.3%
Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) 1 0.3%

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

Internet complaints

143 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 24.4% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 39 27.3%
Availability 25 17.5%
Speed 25 17.5%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 18 12.6%
Equipment 13 9.1%
Interference 13 9.1%
Privacy 10 7.0%

The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Availability and Speed.

TV complaints

132 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 22.5% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Availability 76 57.6%
Billing 32 24.2%
Loud Commercials 13 9.8%
Equipment 4 3.0%
Indecency 3 2.3%
Interference 2 1.5%
Privacy 2 1.5%

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 30 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.