FCC Consumer Complaints – 17 February 2017
Introduction
On Friday, 17 February 2017, 930 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded in the Federal Communications Commission system, this represented a decline from the 1105 complaints recorded the previous day. Reports were received from 52 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. Complaints were most commonly associated with Unwanted Calls, accounting for 509 complaints.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 930
- States & territories reporting
- 52
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (509)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (133)
Where the complaints came from
A total of 930 complaints were recorded on 17 February 2017, with reports originating from 649 cities in 52 states and territories. Complaints were relatively evenly spread across states and territories, with no individual location contributing a dominant share. 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 | 133 | 14.3% |
| Florida | 83 | 8.9% |
| Texas | 56 | 6.0% |
| New York | 52 | 5.6% |
| Maryland | 46 | 4.9% |
| Pennsylvania | 38 | 4.1% |
| Virginia | 38 | 4.1% |
| New Jersey | 31 | 3.3% |
| Georgia | 30 | 3.2% |
| Ohio | 29 | 3.1% |
| Other states and territories | 394 | 42.4% |
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 677 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 677 | 72.8% |
| Internet | 126 | 13.5% |
| TV | 86 | 9.2% |
| Radio | 36 | 3.9% |
| Accessibility | 4 | 0.4% |
| Emergency | 1 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
677 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 72.8% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 509 | 75.2% |
| Billing | 71 | 10.5% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 25 | 3.7% |
| Equipment | 22 | 3.2% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 15 | 2.2% |
| Privacy | 10 | 1.5% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 9 | 1.3% |
| Junk Faxes | 9 | 1.3% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 4 | 0.6% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 2 | 0.3% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 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. Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Billing, Availability (including rural call completion) and Equipment.
Internet complaints
126 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 13.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 38 | 30.2% |
| Speed | 25 | 19.8% |
| Availability | 19 | 15.1% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 14 | 11.1% |
| Equipment | 11 | 8.7% |
| Privacy | 11 | 8.7% |
| Interference | 8 | 6.3% |
Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Billing, Speed and Availability.
TV complaints
86 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 9.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 49 | 57.0% |
| Availability | 11 | 12.8% |
| Equipment | 10 | 11.6% |
| Loud Commercials | 8 | 9.3% |
| Indecency | 6 | 7.0% |
| Interference | 2 | 2.3% |
Billing and Availability accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
Radio complaints
36 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 3.9% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 22 | 61.1% |
| Indecency | 5 | 13.9% |
| Pirate Radio | 5 | 13.9% |
| Commercials/Promotions | 3 | 8.3% |
| Equipment | 1 | 2.8% |
Interference and Indecency accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
Unwanted calls
A total of 509 complaints relating to unwanted calls were recorded on this date, representing 54.7% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| (317) 491-6397 | 5 | 1.0% |
| (212) 777-7345 | 3 | 0.6% |
| (848) 241-8113 | 3 | 0.6% |
| (866) 747-0201 | 3 | 0.6% |
| (206) 596-0662 | 2 | 0.4% |
| (213) 292-4507 | 2 | 0.4% |
| (239) 543-3767 | 2 | 0.4% |
| (248) 327-1667 | 2 | 0.4% |
| (281) 325-5614 | 2 | 0.4% |
| (312) 638-1345 | 2 | 0.4% |
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.
- (317) 491-6397 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.