FCC Consumer Complaints – 18 February 2017
Introduction
On 18 February 2017, 444 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded in the Federal Communications Commission system, this represented a decline from the 930 complaints recorded the day before. The complaints came from 46 states and territories, with California recording the largest share of reports at 74 complaints. Unwanted Calls recorded a slightly higher number of complaints than other issues.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 444
- States & territories reporting
- 46
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (176)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (74)
Where the complaints came from
A total of 444 complaints were recorded on 18 February 2017, with reports originating from 330 cities in 46 states and territories. The distribution of complaints was relatively even, with no single state or territory 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 | 74 | 16.7% |
| Florida | 36 | 8.1% |
| Texas | 35 | 7.9% |
| Maryland | 27 | 6.1% |
| New York | 24 | 5.4% |
| New Jersey | 21 | 4.7% |
| Illinois | 18 | 4.1% |
| Georgia | 14 | 3.2% |
| Michigan | 14 | 3.2% |
| Colorado | 13 | 2.9% |
| Other states and territories | 168 | 37.8% |
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded on this date fell into 5 different complaint categories. Phone was the most reported category, with 265 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 265 | 59.7% |
| Internet | 86 | 19.4% |
| TV | 65 | 14.6% |
| Radio | 25 | 5.6% |
| Emergency | 3 | 0.7% |
Phone complaints
265 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 59.7% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 176 | 66.4% |
| Billing | 41 | 15.5% |
| Junk Faxes | 10 | 3.8% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 9 | 3.4% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 8 | 3.0% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 8 | 3.0% |
| Equipment | 6 | 2.3% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 3 | 1.1% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 2 | 0.8% |
| Privacy | 2 | 0.8% |
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, Junk Faxes and Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers).
Internet complaints
86 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 19.4% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 24 | 27.9% |
| Availability | 18 | 20.9% |
| Speed | 17 | 19.8% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 12 | 14.0% |
| Interference | 9 | 10.5% |
| Privacy | 4 | 4.7% |
| Equipment | 2 | 2.3% |
The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Availability and Speed.
TV complaints
65 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 14.6% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 32 | 49.2% |
| Availability | 9 | 13.8% |
| Loud Commercials | 8 | 12.3% |
| Equipment | 7 | 10.8% |
| Indecency | 5 | 7.7% |
| Interference | 3 | 4.6% |
| Privacy | 1 | 1.5% |
Billing and Availability 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.