FCC Consumer Complaints – May 2016
Introduction
In May 2016, 39529 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded in the Federal Communications Commission system, this was higher than the 28534 complaints recorded the previous month. The complaints came from 53 states and territories, with California reporting a modestly higher count than the other locations. Open Internet/Net Neutrality was reported slightly more frequently than other issues.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 39529
- Days with complaint data
- 31
- Days with complaints
- 31
- States & territories reporting
- 53
- Most common issue
- Open Internet/Net Neutrality (11021)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (5986)
Daily complaint activity
Daily complaint activity averaged 1275.1 complaints per day during the month. The busiest day was 6 May 2016, when 5189 complaints were recorded, and 11 days were above the monthly daily average. The lowest daily total was 266 complaints on 29 May 2016, well below the monthly average.
Each bar represents one day of the month. Taller bars indicate more complaints.
Where the complaints came from
The 39529 complaints recorded in May 2016 were submitted from 6521 cities across 53 states and territories. Complaint activity was fairly evenly distributed, with no single state or territory accounting for a large share of reports. At the city level, a significant concentration was observed in District of Columbia, where Washington accounted for 164 of the 170 complaints recorded.
The table below shows the distribution of complaints by state and territory for this month, highlighting the locations with the highest number of reports.
| State/Territory | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| California | 5986 | 15.1% |
| Florida | 3316 | 8.4% |
| Texas | 3239 | 8.2% |
| New York | 2131 | 5.4% |
| Pennsylvania | 1675 | 4.2% |
| Illinois | 1493 | 3.8% |
| Maryland | 1376 | 3.5% |
| Georgia | 1287 | 3.3% |
| Washington | 1241 | 3.1% |
| Ohio | 1107 | 2.8% |
| Other states and territories | 16633 | 42.1% |
Location highlight
Washington accounted for nearly all complaints recorded in District of Columbia.
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded during the month were spread across 7 complaint categories. Phone was the most reported category, with 19842 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 19842 | 50.2% |
| Internet | 15628 | 39.5% |
| TV | 3160 | 8.0% |
| Radio | 787 | 2.0% |
| Emergency | 72 | 0.2% |
| Accessibility | 28 | 0.1% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 12 | 0.0% |
Phone complaints
19842 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 50.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) | 9041 | 45.6% |
| Robocalls | 4534 | 22.9% |
| Billing | 2022 | 10.2% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 899 | 4.5% |
| Equipment | 893 | 4.5% |
| Privacy | 678 | 3.4% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 663 | 3.3% |
| Junk Faxes | 653 | 3.3% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 210 | 1.1% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 146 | 0.7% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 58 | 0.3% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 41 | 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
15628 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 39.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 10928 | 69.9% |
| Billing | 1649 | 10.6% |
| Availability | 1237 | 7.9% |
| Speed | 776 | 5.0% |
| Privacy | 409 | 2.6% |
| Interference | 344 | 2.2% |
| Equipment | 284 | 1.8% |
Open Internet/Net Neutrality and Billing accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
TV complaints
3160 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 8.0% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 1279 | 40.5% |
| Availability | 715 | 22.6% |
| Equipment | 332 | 10.5% |
| Indecency | 284 | 9.0% |
| Loud Commercials | 226 | 7.2% |
| Interference | 225 | 7.1% |
| Privacy | 64 | 2.0% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 35 | 1.1% |
Billing and Availability accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
Radio complaints
787 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 2.0% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 574 | 72.9% |
| Indecency | 72 | 9.1% |
| Pirate Radio | 39 | 5.0% |
| Commercials/Promotions | 30 | 3.8% |
| Availability | 28 | 3.6% |
| Equipment | 26 | 3.3% |
| Billing | 18 | 2.3% |
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 0.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Other | 34 | 47.2% |
| Phone | 20 | 27.8% |
| Interference | 15 | 20.8% |
| Tower | 3 | 4.2% |
Other and Phone 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.