FCC Consumer Complaints – October 2016
Introduction
The Federal Communications Commission recorded 36160 consumer complaints in October 2016 relating to telecommunications services, this was higher than the 30694 complaints recorded the month before. Complaints were reported across 56 states and territories, with California slightly ahead of the other locations. Complaints relating to Billing were marginally higher than for other issue types.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 36160
- Days with complaint data
- 31
- Days with complaints
- 31
- States & territories reporting
- 56
- Most common issue
- Billing (9357)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (5103)
Daily complaint activity
The month averaged 1166.5 complaints per day. The highest daily count was 3721 complaints on 7 October 2016, with 11 days recording more complaints than the monthly daily average. The lowest daily total was 327 complaints on 2 October 2016, well below the monthly average.
Each bar represents one day of the month. Taller bars indicate more complaints.
Where the complaints came from
Across 6188 cities in 56 states and territories, a total of 36160 complaints were recorded in October 2016. Complaint reports were spread across multiple states and territories, without any one location accounting for a large share. Despite the overall distribution, a notable concentration at the city level was observed in District of Columbia, where Washington accounted for 186 of the 203 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 | 5103 | 14.1% |
| Texas | 2675 | 7.4% |
| Florida | 2543 | 7.0% |
| Washington | 1972 | 5.5% |
| New York | 1533 | 4.2% |
| Michigan | 1469 | 4.1% |
| Pennsylvania | 1450 | 4.0% |
| Illinois | 1444 | 4.0% |
| Colorado | 1440 | 4.0% |
| Oregon | 1085 | 3.0% |
| Other states and territories | 15406 | 42.6% |
Location highlight
Complaint activity in District of Columbia was almost entirely concentrated in Washington.
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded during the month were spread across 7 complaint categories. Phone accounted for the largest share, with 16678 complaints. This was followed by Internet, which accounted for 14786 complaints.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 16678 | 46.1% |
| Internet | 14786 | 40.9% |
| TV | 3904 | 10.8% |
| Radio | 668 | 1.8% |
| Emergency | 57 | 0.2% |
| Accessibility | 55 | 0.2% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 12 | 0.0% |
Phone complaints
16678 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 46.1% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) | 4750 | 28.5% |
| Billing | 3096 | 18.6% |
| Unwanted Calls | 2906 | 17.4% |
| Robocalls | 2218 | 13.3% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 860 | 5.2% |
| Equipment | 816 | 4.9% |
| Privacy | 567 | 3.4% |
| Junk Faxes | 426 | 2.6% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 374 | 2.2% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 338 | 2.0% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 184 | 1.1% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 81 | 0.5% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 37 | 0.2% |
| Rural Call Completion | 4 | 0.0% |
A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing), Billing and Unwanted Calls among the most common.
Internet complaints
14786 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 40.9% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 6291 | 42.5% |
| Billing | 4153 | 28.1% |
| Availability | 2015 | 13.6% |
| Speed | 1042 | 7.0% |
| Interference | 578 | 3.9% |
| Privacy | 410 | 2.8% |
| Equipment | 297 | 2.0% |
Open Internet/Net Neutrality and Billing accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
TV complaints
3904 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 10.8% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 2091 | 53.6% |
| Availability | 547 | 14.0% |
| Indecency | 380 | 9.7% |
| Equipment | 364 | 9.3% |
| Loud Commercials | 238 | 6.1% |
| Interference | 172 | 4.4% |
| Privacy | 67 | 1.7% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 44 | 1.1% |
Billing and Availability accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
Radio complaints
668 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 1.8% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 457 | 68.4% |
| Indecency | 71 | 10.6% |
| Pirate Radio | 43 | 6.4% |
| Availability | 31 | 4.6% |
| Commercials/Promotions | 26 | 3.9% |
| Equipment | 23 | 3.4% |
| Billing | 17 | 2.5% |
Interference and Indecency accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
Emergency complaints
57 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 19 | 33.3% |
| Other | 18 | 31.6% |
| Interference | 16 | 28.1% |
| Tower | 4 | 7.0% |
Phone and Other accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
Accessibility complaints
55 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) | 31 | 56.4% |
| Closed Captioning on TV | 12 | 21.8% |
| Closed Captioning over the Internet | 8 | 14.5% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireless Phones | 2 | 3.6% |
| Video Description | 1 | 1.8% |
Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) and Closed Captioning on TV accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
Unwanted calls
A total of 2906 complaints relating to unwanted calls were recorded on this date, representing 8% of all complaints. Caller ID and business contact numbers are shown below where sufficient data is available.
Most reported caller ID numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (850) 692-8796 | 73 | 2.5% |
| (305) 998-0728 | 9 | 0.3% |
| (929) 338-1167 | 9 | 0.3% |
| (210) 549-6976 | 8 | 0.3% |
| (571) 933-2121 | 8 | 0.3% |
| (916) 758-8621 | 7 | 0.2% |
| (202) 545-6410 | 6 | 0.2% |
| (505) 346-6415 | 6 | 0.2% |
| (765) 374-4482 | 6 | 0.2% |
| (914) 567-2978 | 6 | 0.2% |
Most reported business contact numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (850) 692-8796 | 21 | 0.7% |
| (571) 933-2121 | 4 | 0.1% |
| (202) 545-6410 | 3 | 0.1% |
| (206) 472-6025 | 3 | 0.1% |
| (480) 565-7334 | 3 | 0.1% |
| (800) 610-8993 | 3 | 0.1% |
| (844) 813-9723 | 3 | 0.1% |
| (855) 904-7781 | 3 | 0.1% |
| (908) 344-5733 | 3 | 0.1% |
| (949) 201-2330 | 3 | 0.1% |
Key patterns
- Prerecorded Voice was reported slightly more often than other call types.
- (850) 692-8796 stood out as the most frequently reported business contact number.
- (850) 692-8796 stood out as the most frequently reported caller ID number.
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.