FCC Consumer Complaints – 6 July 2016

Introduction

The Federal Communications Commission recorded 1091 consumer complaints on Wednesday, 6 July 2016 relating to telecommunications services, complaint volume increased from 922 complaints the previous day. The complaints came from 51 states and territories, with California reporting a modestly higher count than the other locations. Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) recorded a slightly higher number of complaints than other issues.

Key statistics

Total complaints
1091
States & territories reporting
51
Most common issue
Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) (310)
Most reported state/territory
California (143)

Where the complaints came from

The 1091 complaints recorded on 6 July 2016 were submitted from 738 cities across 51 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 distribution of complaints by state and territory is shown below, with locations ranked by the number of reports recorded.

State/Territory Complaints
California 143 13.1%
Texas 95 8.7%
Florida 94 8.6%
Georgia 55 5.0%
New York 53 4.9%
New Jersey 40 3.7%
Illinois 38 3.5%
Pennsylvania 38 3.5%
Maryland 37 3.4%
Arizona 35 3.2%
Other states and territories 461 42.3%

What the complaints were about

Complaints recorded on this date related to 6 different complaint categories. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 733 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Phone 733 67.2%
Internet 189 17.3%
TV 139 12.7%
Radio 27 2.5%
Emergency 2 0.2%
Accessibility 1 0.1%

Phone complaints

733 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 67.2% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) 310 42.3%
Robocalls 186 25.4%
Billing 104 14.2%
Equipment 39 5.3%
Junk Faxes 22 3.0%
Availability (including rural call completion) 20 2.7%
Privacy 19 2.6%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 15 2.0%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 9 1.2%
Interference (including signal jammers) 6 0.8%
Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) 2 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

189 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 17.3% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 52 27.5%
Availability 41 21.7%
Speed 30 15.9%
Interference 22 11.6%
Privacy 16 8.5%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 15 7.9%
Equipment 12 6.3%

Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Billing, Availability and Speed.

TV complaints

139 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 12.7% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 66 47.5%
Availability 27 19.4%
Equipment 16 11.5%
Loud Commercials 11 7.9%
Interference 8 5.8%
Indecency 6 4.3%
Privacy 5 3.6%

Billing and Availability 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 6 July 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.