FCC Consumer Complaints – 18 August 2016
Introduction
On Thursday, 18 August 2016, 1313 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded in the Federal Communications Commission system, complaint volume increased from 1256 complaints the day before. The complaints came from 52 states and territories, with California reporting a modestly higher count than the other locations. Complaints relating to Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) were marginally higher than for other issue types.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 1313
- States & territories reporting
- 52
- Most common issue
- Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) (425)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (181)
Where the complaints came from
A total of 1313 complaints were recorded on 18 August 2016, with reports originating from 814 cities in 52 states and territories. The distribution of complaints was relatively even, with no single state or territory contributing a dominant share. 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 | 181 | 13.8% |
| Florida | 96 | 7.3% |
| Texas | 91 | 6.9% |
| Maryland | 70 | 5.3% |
| New York | 70 | 5.3% |
| Pennsylvania | 61 | 4.6% |
| Georgia | 48 | 3.7% |
| Illinois | 48 | 3.7% |
| Ohio | 39 | 3.0% |
| Washington | 39 | 3.0% |
| Other states and territories | 570 | 43.4% |
Location highlight
California had the widest distribution of complaints, with reports originating from 100 different cities.
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded on this date fell into 7 different complaint categories. Phone was the most reported category, with 870 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 870 | 66.3% |
| Internet | 294 | 22.4% |
| TV | 103 | 7.8% |
| Radio | 36 | 2.7% |
| Emergency | 8 | 0.6% |
| Accessibility | 1 | 0.1% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 1 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
870 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 66.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) | 425 | 48.9% |
| Robocalls | 236 | 27.1% |
| Billing | 75 | 8.6% |
| Equipment | 34 | 3.9% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 32 | 3.7% |
| Privacy | 29 | 3.3% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 11 | 1.3% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 8 | 0.9% |
| Junk Faxes | 8 | 0.9% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 6 | 0.7% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 4 | 0.5% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 2 | 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
294 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 22.4% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 119 | 40.5% |
| Billing | 51 | 17.3% |
| Availability | 42 | 14.3% |
| Speed | 32 | 10.9% |
| Privacy | 25 | 8.5% |
| Equipment | 14 | 4.8% |
| Interference | 11 | 3.7% |
Open Internet/Net Neutrality was the most commonly reported issue in this category, while other issues occurred less frequently.
TV complaints
103 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 7.8% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 45 | 43.7% |
| Availability | 22 | 21.4% |
| Indecency | 12 | 11.7% |
| Equipment | 10 | 9.7% |
| Interference | 6 | 5.8% |
| Loud Commercials | 5 | 4.9% |
| Privacy | 2 | 1.9% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 1 | 1.0% |
Billing and Availability accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
Radio complaints
36 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 2.7% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 26 | 72.2% |
| Indecency | 4 | 11.1% |
| Availability | 2 | 5.6% |
| Equipment | 2 | 5.6% |
| Billing | 1 | 2.8% |
| Pirate Radio | 1 | 2.8% |
Interference and Indecency 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.