FCC Consumer Complaints – 15 December 2016
Introduction
On 15 December 2016, the Federal Communications Commission recorded 925 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services, complaint volume fell from 951 complaints the previous day. Reports were received from 51 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. Unwanted Calls was reported slightly more frequently than other issues.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 925
- States & territories reporting
- 51
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (398)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (90)
Where the complaints came from
Reports recorded on 15 December 2016 show 925 complaints originating from 626 cities across 51 states and territories. Complaint activity was widely distributed across states and territories, with no single location accounting for a notable 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 | 90 | 9.7% |
| Florida | 65 | 7.0% |
| Texas | 61 | 6.6% |
| Maryland | 56 | 6.1% |
| New York | 51 | 5.5% |
| New Jersey | 40 | 4.3% |
| Pennsylvania | 39 | 4.2% |
| Ohio | 35 | 3.8% |
| Michigan | 31 | 3.4% |
| Arizona | 30 | 3.2% |
| Other states and territories | 425 | 45.9% |
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded on this date fell into 6 different complaint categories. Phone was the most reported category, with 643 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 643 | 69.5% |
| Internet | 150 | 16.2% |
| TV | 94 | 10.2% |
| Radio | 35 | 3.8% |
| Accessibility | 2 | 0.2% |
| Emergency | 1 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
643 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 69.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 398 | 61.9% |
| Billing | 138 | 21.5% |
| Equipment | 29 | 4.5% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 23 | 3.6% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 19 | 3.0% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 12 | 1.9% |
| Junk Faxes | 9 | 1.4% |
| Privacy | 9 | 1.4% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 4 | 0.6% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 1 | 0.2% |
| Rural Call Completion | 1 | 0.2% |
Unwanted calls again accounted for the largest share of complaints in this category. These reports are examined in more detail in the section below. The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Equipment and Availability (including rural call completion).
Internet complaints
150 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 16.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 63 | 42.0% |
| Speed | 29 | 19.3% |
| Availability | 26 | 17.3% |
| Interference | 13 | 8.7% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 12 | 8.0% |
| Equipment | 5 | 3.3% |
| Privacy | 2 | 1.3% |
Billing and Speed were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
TV complaints
94 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 10.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 48 | 51.1% |
| Availability | 15 | 16.0% |
| Loud Commercials | 10 | 10.6% |
| Interference | 7 | 7.4% |
| Equipment | 6 | 6.4% |
| Indecency | 6 | 6.4% |
| Privacy | 2 | 2.1% |
Billing and Availability were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
Radio complaints
35 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 3.8% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 27 | 77.1% |
| Commercials/Promotions | 4 | 11.4% |
| Indecency | 2 | 5.7% |
| Availability | 1 | 2.9% |
| Billing | 1 | 2.9% |
Interference and Commercials/Promotions 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.