FCC Consumer Complaints – 24 December 2016

Introduction

On 24 December 2016, 255 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded in the Federal Communications Commission system, complaint volume fell from 564 complaints the previous day. Reports were received from 41 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. Complaints relating to Billing were marginally higher than for other issue types.

Key statistics

Total complaints
255
States & territories reporting
41
Most common issue
Billing (60)
Most reported state/territory
California (37)

Where the complaints came from

A total of 255 complaints were recorded on 24 December 2016, with reports originating from 214 cities in 41 states and territories. Complaint activity was fairly evenly distributed, with no single state or territory accounting for a large share of reports. This pattern continues at the city level, where complaints were distributed across multiple locations without a single city standing out.

The distribution of complaints by state and territory is shown below, with locations ranked by the number of reports recorded.

State/Territory Complaints
California 37 14.5%
Texas 29 11.4%
Florida 25 9.8%
New York 17 6.7%
Georgia 12 4.7%
Pennsylvania 12 4.7%
Maryland 11 4.3%
Washington 8 3.1%
Colorado 7 2.7%
Illinois 7 2.7%
Other states and territories 90 35.3%

What the complaints were about

The complaints recorded on this date fell into 6 different complaint categories. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 125 reports. This was followed by Internet, which accounted for 69 complaints.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Phone 125 49.0%
Internet 69 27.1%
TV 45 17.6%
Radio 14 5.5%
Accessibility 1 0.4%
Emergency 1 0.4%

Phone complaints

125 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 49.0% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Unwanted Calls 53 42.4%
Billing 23 18.4%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 13 10.4%
Availability (including rural call completion) 12 9.6%
Privacy 9 7.2%
Equipment 7 5.6%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 5 4.0%
Interference (including signal jammers) 1 0.8%
Junk Faxes 1 0.8%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 1 0.8%

As is often the case in this category, unwanted calls were the most frequently reported issue. Further analysis of these complaints is provided below. The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) and Availability (including rural call completion).

Internet complaints

69 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 27.1% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 22 31.9%
Speed 16 23.2%
Availability 12 17.4%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 9 13.0%
Privacy 6 8.7%
Equipment 2 2.9%
Interference 2 2.9%

The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Speed and Availability.

TV complaints

45 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 17.6% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 15 33.3%
Availability 10 22.2%
Loud Commercials 8 17.8%
Equipment 7 15.6%
Indecency 4 8.9%
Privacy 1 2.2%

The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Availability and Loud Commercials.

Page last updated: 10 December 2018 with FCC complaints data from 24 December 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.