FCC Consumer Complaints – June 2016
Introduction
A total of 30119 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded by the Federal Communications Commission in June 2016, this was lower than the 39529 complaints recorded the previous month. Complaints were reported across 55 states and territories, with California slightly ahead of the other locations. Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) recorded a slightly higher number of complaints than other issues.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 30119
- Days with complaint data
- 30
- Days with complaints
- 30
- States & territories reporting
- 55
- Most common issue
- Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) (8598)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (3903)
Daily complaint activity
Daily complaint activity averaged 1004 complaints per day during the month. The busiest day was 7 June 2016, when 2016 complaints were recorded, and 20 days were above the monthly daily average. The quietest day was 19 June 2016, with 258 complaints, noticeably below the monthly average.
Each bar represents one day of the month. Taller bars indicate more complaints.
Where the complaints came from
In June 2016, the 30119 complaints recorded by the Federal Communications Commission were reported from 5995 cities across 55 states and territories. The distribution of complaints was relatively even, with no single state or territory contributing a dominant share. A notable concentration at the city level was observed in District of Columbia, where Washington accounted for 121 of the 132 complaints recorded in the state.
The table below summarises the number of complaints reported in each state and territory during the month, ordered by total reports.
| State/Territory | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| California | 3903 | 13.0% |
| Florida | 2566 | 8.5% |
| Texas | 2481 | 8.2% |
| New York | 1709 | 5.7% |
| Maryland | 1380 | 4.6% |
| Pennsylvania | 1307 | 4.3% |
| Georgia | 1157 | 3.8% |
| Illinois | 1056 | 3.5% |
| Ohio | 936 | 3.1% |
| Virginia | 876 | 2.9% |
| Other states and territories | 12717 | 42.2% |
Location highlight
Complaint activity in District of Columbia was almost entirely concentrated in Washington.
What the complaints were about
Complaints recorded during the month related to 7 different complaint categories. Phone was the most reported category, with 18834 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 18834 | 62.5% |
| Internet | 7076 | 23.5% |
| TV | 3174 | 10.5% |
| Radio | 917 | 3.0% |
| Emergency | 67 | 0.2% |
| Accessibility | 44 | 0.1% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 7 | 0.0% |
Phone complaints
18834 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 62.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) | 8598 | 45.7% |
| Robocalls | 4551 | 24.2% |
| Billing | 2097 | 11.1% |
| Equipment | 765 | 4.1% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 691 | 3.7% |
| Privacy | 678 | 3.6% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 508 | 2.7% |
| Junk Faxes | 481 | 2.6% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 212 | 1.1% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 175 | 0.9% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 57 | 0.3% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 21 | 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
7076 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 23.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 2758 | 39.0% |
| Billing | 1303 | 18.4% |
| Availability | 1089 | 15.4% |
| Speed | 805 | 11.4% |
| Privacy | 404 | 5.7% |
| Interference | 372 | 5.3% |
| Equipment | 345 | 4.9% |
A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Open Internet/Net Neutrality, Billing and Availability among the most common.
TV complaints
3174 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 10.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 1254 | 39.5% |
| Availability | 606 | 19.1% |
| Indecency | 339 | 10.7% |
| Equipment | 338 | 10.6% |
| Interference | 309 | 9.7% |
| Loud Commercials | 213 | 6.7% |
| Privacy | 64 | 2.0% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 50 | 1.6% |
A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Billing, Availability and Indecency among the most common.
Radio complaints
917 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 3.0% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 705 | 76.9% |
| Indecency | 66 | 7.2% |
| Pirate Radio | 47 | 5.1% |
| Commercials/Promotions | 29 | 3.2% |
| Equipment | 28 | 3.1% |
| Billing | 22 | 2.4% |
| Availability | 20 | 2.2% |
Interference and Indecency were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
Emergency complaints
67 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Other | 26 | 38.8% |
| Phone | 20 | 29.9% |
| Interference | 12 | 17.9% |
| Tower | 8 | 11.9% |
Other and Phone were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
Accessibility complaints
44 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.1% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Closed Captioning on TV | 23 | 52.3% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireless Phones | 6 | 13.6% |
| Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) | 6 | 13.6% |
| Closed Captioning over the Internet | 5 | 11.4% |
| Video Description | 2 | 4.5% |
| Emergency Information on TV | 1 | 2.3% |
Closed Captioning on TV and Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireless Phones were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
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.