FCC Consumer Complaints – 8 February 2017

Introduction

The Federal Communications Commission recorded 1124 consumer complaints on 8 February 2017 relating to telecommunications services, this was lower than the 1292 complaints recorded the day before. Complaints were reported across 51 states and territories, with California slightly ahead of the other locations. The most common issue reported was Unwanted Calls, accounting for 611 complaints.

Key statistics

Total complaints
1124
States & territories reporting
51
Most common issue
Unwanted Calls (611)
Most reported state/territory
California (108)

Where the complaints came from

The 1124 complaints recorded on 8 February 2017 were submitted from 721 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. This pattern continues at the city level, where complaints were distributed across multiple locations without a single city standing out.

The table below shows the distribution of complaints by state and territory for this date, highlighting the locations with the highest number of reports.

State/Territory Complaints
California 108 9.6%
Florida 102 9.1%
Texas 84 7.5%
Georgia 61 5.4%
New York 58 5.2%
Illinois 49 4.4%
Pennsylvania 43 3.8%
Maryland 38 3.4%
Ohio 31 2.8%
Michigan 30 2.7%
Other states and territories 517 46.0%

What the complaints were about

The complaints recorded on this date were spread across 6 complaint categories. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 823 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Phone 823 73.2%
Internet 151 13.4%
TV 110 9.8%
Radio 35 3.1%
Accessibility 3 0.3%
Emergency 2 0.2%

Phone complaints

823 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 73.2% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Unwanted Calls 611 74.2%
Billing 90 10.9%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 50 6.1%
Availability (including rural call completion) 22 2.7%
Equipment 16 1.9%
Junk Faxes 15 1.8%
Privacy 7 0.9%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 6 0.7%
Interference (including signal jammers) 2 0.2%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 2 0.2%
Rural Call Completion 1 0.1%
Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) 1 0.1%

As is typical for this category, unwanted calls accounted for the largest share of complaints. A more detailed analysis of these reports is provided in the section 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

151 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 13.4% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 48 31.8%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 28 18.5%
Speed 26 17.2%
Availability 21 13.9%
Interference 12 7.9%
Equipment 10 6.6%
Privacy 6 4.0%

The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Open Internet/Net Neutrality and Speed.

TV complaints

110 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 9.8% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 59 53.6%
Availability 16 14.5%
Equipment 12 10.9%
Indecency 8 7.3%
Loud Commercials 8 7.3%
Interference 5 4.5%
Privacy 2 1.8%

Billing and Availability accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.

Radio complaints

35 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 3.1% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Indecency 18 51.4%
Interference 10 28.6%
Availability 3 8.6%
Pirate Radio 2 5.7%
Commercials/Promotions 1 2.9%
Equipment 1 2.9%

Indecency and Interference accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.

Unwanted calls

A total of 611 complaints relating to unwanted calls were recorded on this date, representing 54.4% 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
(502) 205-9880 5 0.8%
(305) 985-5505 4 0.7%
(201) 754-1393 3 0.5%
(260) 352-5021 3 0.5%
(844) 308-6820 3 0.5%
(845) 406-4430 3 0.5%
(201) 754-1048 2 0.3%
(202) 568-5894 2 0.3%
(202) 750-5883 2 0.3%
(202) 754-8103 2 0.3%

Key patterns

  • Prerecorded Voice was reported slightly more often than other call types.
  • Reports were spread across many different business contact numbers, with no single number dominating.
  • (502) 205-9880 was reported slightly more often than other caller ID numbers.
Page last updated: 10 December 2018 with FCC complaints data from 8 February 2017.

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.