FCC Consumer Complaints – 1 March 2017
Introduction
On Wednesday, 1 March 2017, the Federal Communications Commission recorded 1000 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services, this was lower than the 1126 complaints recorded the day before. Reports were received from 51 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. Complaints were most commonly associated with Unwanted Calls, accounting for 511 complaints.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 1000
- States & territories reporting
- 51
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (511)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (131)
Where the complaints came from
A total of 1000 complaints were recorded on 1 March 2017, with reports originating from 709 cities in 51 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 | 131 | 13.1% |
| Florida | 87 | 8.7% |
| Texas | 77 | 7.7% |
| New York | 52 | 5.2% |
| Pennsylvania | 42 | 4.2% |
| Georgia | 39 | 3.9% |
| Washington | 37 | 3.7% |
| Michigan | 35 | 3.5% |
| Illinois | 34 | 3.4% |
| Ohio | 34 | 3.4% |
| Other states and territories | 428 | 42.8% |
Location highlight
California had the widest distribution of complaints, with reports originating from 87 different cities.
What the complaints were about
Complaints recorded on this date related to 5 different complaint categories. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 719 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 719 | 71.9% |
| Internet | 153 | 15.3% |
| TV | 115 | 11.5% |
| Radio | 11 | 1.1% |
| Emergency | 2 | 0.2% |
Phone complaints
719 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 71.9% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 511 | 71.1% |
| Billing | 89 | 12.4% |
| Equipment | 36 | 5.0% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 25 | 3.5% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 18 | 2.5% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 11 | 1.5% |
| Privacy | 10 | 1.4% |
| Junk Faxes | 8 | 1.1% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 5 | 0.7% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 3 | 0.4% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 2 | 0.3% |
| Rural Call Completion | 1 | 0.1% |
Unwanted calls again accounted for the largest share of complaints in this category. These reports are examined in more detail in the section below. A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Billing, Equipment and Availability (including rural call completion) among the most common.
Internet complaints
153 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 15.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 63 | 41.2% |
| Availability | 28 | 18.3% |
| Speed | 23 | 15.0% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 20 | 13.1% |
| Interference | 10 | 6.5% |
| Privacy | 8 | 5.2% |
| Equipment | 1 | 0.7% |
Billing accounted for the largest share of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
TV complaints
115 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 11.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 70 | 60.9% |
| Availability | 13 | 11.3% |
| Equipment | 12 | 10.4% |
| Loud Commercials | 8 | 7.0% |
| Indecency | 6 | 5.2% |
| Interference | 5 | 4.3% |
| Privacy | 1 | 0.9% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Billing and Availability, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
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.