FCC Consumer Complaints – 8 May 2016

Introduction

The Federal Communications Commission recorded 599 consumer complaints on 8 May 2016 relating to telecommunications services, complaint volume fell from 1636 complaints the previous day. Reports were received from 46 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. The most common issue reported was Open Internet/Net Neutrality, accounting for 344 complaints.

Key statistics

Total complaints
599
States & territories reporting
46
Most common issue
Open Internet/Net Neutrality (344)
Most reported state/territory
California (101)

Where the complaints came from

The 599 complaints recorded on 8 May 2016 were submitted from 439 cities across 46 states and territories. Complaint activity was fairly evenly distributed, with no single state or territory accounting for a large share of reports. A similar pattern is observed at the city level, with complaints spread across locations rather than concentrated in a single area.

The table below summarises the number of complaints reported in each state and territory on this date, ordered by total reports.

State/Territory Complaints
California 101 16.9%
Florida 54 9.0%
Texas 39 6.5%
Washington 32 5.3%
New York 30 5.0%
Georgia 25 4.2%
Illinois 24 4.0%
Oregon 23 3.8%
Pennsylvania 23 3.8%
Massachusetts 20 3.3%
Other states and territories 228 38.1%

Location highlight

California had the widest distribution of complaints, with reports originating from 72 different cities.

What the complaints were about

The complaints recorded on this date fell into 5 different complaint categories. The largest number of complaints fell within Internet, which accounted for 399 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Internet 399 66.6%
Phone 122 20.4%
TV 61 10.2%
Radio 16 2.7%
Accessibility 1 0.2%

Internet complaints

399 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 66.6% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 343 86.0%
Availability 17 4.3%
Speed 14 3.5%
Billing 13 3.3%
Privacy 6 1.5%
Interference 4 1.0%
Equipment 2 0.5%

Open Internet/Net Neutrality and Availability accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.

Phone complaints

122 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 20.4% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) 41 33.6%
Billing 23 18.9%
Robocalls 19 15.6%
Availability (including rural call completion) 13 10.7%
Equipment 12 9.8%
Privacy 9 7.4%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 3 2.5%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 1 0.8%
Interference (including signal jammers) 1 0.8%

A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing), Billing and Robocalls among the most common.

TV complaints

61 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 10.2% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Availability 20 32.8%
Billing 15 24.6%
Equipment 10 16.4%
Loud Commercials 7 11.5%
Interference 5 8.2%
Privacy 2 3.3%
Indecency 1 1.6%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 1 1.6%

A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Availability, Billing and Equipment among the most common.

Page last updated: 10 December 2018 with FCC complaints data from 8 May 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.