FCC Consumer Complaints – November 2016
Introduction
In November 2016, 22060 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded in the Federal Communications Commission system, this represented a decline from the 36160 complaints recorded the previous month. Reports were received from 55 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. Complaints relating to Unwanted Calls were marginally higher than for other issue types.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 22060
- Days with complaint data
- 30
- Days with complaints
- 30
- States & territories reporting
- 55
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (8921)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (2799)
Daily complaint activity
Across the month, the FCC recorded an average of 735.3 complaints per day. The highest daily total was 1129 complaints on 1 November 2016, while 19 days recorded more complaints than the monthly daily average. The lowest daily total was 273 complaints on 24 November 2016, well below the monthly average.
Each bar represents one day of the month. Taller bars indicate more complaints.
Where the complaints came from
The 22060 complaints recorded in November 2016 were submitted from 5177 cities across 55 states and territories. Complaint activity was fairly evenly distributed, with no single state or territory accounting for a large share of reports. Despite the overall distribution, a notable concentration at the city level was observed in District of Columbia, where Washington accounted for 95 of the 101 complaints recorded in the state.
The monthly distribution of complaints by state and territory is shown below, with locations ranked by the number of reports recorded.
| State/Territory | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| California | 2799 | 12.7% |
| Florida | 1771 | 8.0% |
| Texas | 1562 | 7.1% |
| New York | 1211 | 5.5% |
| Maryland | 1147 | 5.2% |
| Pennsylvania | 999 | 4.5% |
| Illinois | 825 | 3.7% |
| Georgia | 783 | 3.5% |
| Virginia | 737 | 3.3% |
| Ohio | 699 | 3.2% |
| Other states and territories | 9482 | 43.0% |
Location highlights
- Washington accounted for nearly all complaints recorded in District of Columbia.
- Complaints in California were reported across 546 cities, the widest spread observed during the month.
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded during the month were spread across 7 complaint categories. Phone was the most reported category, with 13759 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 13759 | 62.4% |
| Internet | 4243 | 19.2% |
| TV | 2941 | 13.3% |
| Radio | 992 | 4.5% |
| Emergency | 63 | 0.3% |
| Accessibility | 48 | 0.2% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 14 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
13759 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 62.4% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 8921 | 64.8% |
| Billing | 2219 | 16.1% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 657 | 4.8% |
| Equipment | 591 | 4.3% |
| Junk Faxes | 326 | 2.4% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 304 | 2.2% |
| Privacy | 265 | 1.9% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 232 | 1.7% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 126 | 0.9% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 46 | 0.3% |
| Rural Call Completion | 37 | 0.3% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 28 | 0.2% |
As is often the case in this category, unwanted calls were the most frequently reported issue. Further analysis of these complaints is provided below. Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Billing, Availability (including rural call completion) and Equipment.
Internet complaints
4243 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 19.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 1489 | 35.1% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 791 | 18.6% |
| Availability | 754 | 17.8% |
| Speed | 548 | 12.9% |
| Equipment | 224 | 5.3% |
| Privacy | 221 | 5.2% |
| Interference | 214 | 5.0% |
Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Billing, Open Internet/Net Neutrality and Availability.
TV complaints
2941 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 13.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 1368 | 46.5% |
| Availability | 570 | 19.4% |
| Indecency | 315 | 10.7% |
| Equipment | 294 | 10.0% |
| Loud Commercials | 204 | 6.9% |
| Interference | 107 | 3.6% |
| Privacy | 58 | 2.0% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 25 | 0.9% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Billing and Availability, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Radio complaints
992 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 4.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 716 | 72.2% |
| Indecency | 117 | 11.8% |
| Pirate Radio | 80 | 8.1% |
| Availability | 26 | 2.6% |
| Commercials/Promotions | 22 | 2.2% |
| Equipment | 17 | 1.7% |
| Billing | 14 | 1.4% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Interference and Indecency, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Emergency complaints
63 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 30 | 47.6% |
| Other | 23 | 36.5% |
| Phone | 8 | 12.7% |
| Tower | 2 | 3.2% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Interference and Other, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Accessibility complaints
48 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) | 22 | 45.8% |
| Closed Captioning on TV | 18 | 37.5% |
| Closed Captioning over the Internet | 4 | 8.3% |
| Emergency Information on TV | 1 | 2.1% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireline Phones | 1 | 2.1% |
| Video Description | 1 | 2.1% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) and Closed Captioning on TV, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Unwanted calls
A total of 8921 complaints relating to unwanted calls were recorded on this date, representing 40.4% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| (844) 308-6815 | 34 | 0.4% |
| (804) 318-4761 | 32 | 0.4% |
| (855) 653-4481 | 32 | 0.4% |
| (888) 727-1127 | 25 | 0.3% |
| (855) 328-6700 | 21 | 0.2% |
| (978) 893-5017 | 21 | 0.2% |
| (914) 667-3652 | 18 | 0.2% |
| (310) 950-3865 | 16 | 0.2% |
| (320) 582-9749 | 15 | 0.2% |
| (800) 946-0332 | 15 | 0.2% |
Most reported business contact numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (844) 308-6816 | 28 | 0.3% |
| (800) 946-0332 | 10 | 0.1% |
| (844) 308-6815 | 10 | 0.1% |
| (435) 255-7561 | 8 | 0.1% |
| (800) 610-8993 | 8 | 0.1% |
| (855) 904-7781 | 8 | 0.1% |
| (888) 897-5488 | 7 | 0.1% |
| (949) 201-2330 | 7 | 0.1% |
| (800) 815-5126 | 6 | 0.1% |
| (800) 941-4759 | 6 | 0.1% |
Key patterns
- Prerecorded Voice was reported slightly more often than other call types.
- (844) 308-6816 stood out as the most frequently reported business contact number.
- (844) 308-6815 was reported slightly more often than other caller ID numbers.
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.