FCC Consumer Complaints – April 2017
Introduction
In April 2017, the Federal Communications Commission recorded 27828 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services, this was lower than the 28324 complaints recorded the previous month. Reports were received from 55 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. Unwanted Calls was the most frequently reported issue, with 15460 complaints recorded.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 27828
- Days with complaint data
- 30
- Days with complaints
- 30
- States & territories reporting
- 55
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (15460)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (3397)
Daily complaint activity
Across the month, the FCC recorded an average of 927.6 complaints per day. The highest daily total was 1969 complaints on 25 April 2017, while 19 days recorded more complaints than the monthly daily average. The lowest daily total was 208 complaints on 16 April 2017, well below the monthly average.
Each bar represents one day of the month. Taller bars indicate more complaints.
Where the complaints came from
Reports recorded in April 2017 show 27828 complaints originating from 5887 cities across 55 states and territories. Overall, complaint activity was broadly distributed, with no single state or territory representing a significant proportion of the total. A notable concentration at the city level was observed in District of Columbia, where Washington accounted for 113 of the 144 complaints recorded in the state.
The table below summarises the number of complaints reported in each state and territory during the month, ordered by total reports.
| State/Territory | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| California | 3397 | 12.2% |
| Florida | 2134 | 7.7% |
| Texas | 1835 | 6.6% |
| New York | 1703 | 6.1% |
| Maryland | 1373 | 4.9% |
| Pennsylvania | 1126 | 4.0% |
| Illinois | 1073 | 3.9% |
| Ohio | 921 | 3.3% |
| New Jersey | 911 | 3.3% |
| Virginia | 898 | 3.2% |
| Other states and territories | 12404 | 44.6% |
Location highlights
- Complaints in District of Columbia were heavily concentrated in Washington, which accounted for the majority of reports within the state.
- Complaints in California were reported across 616 cities, the widest spread observed during the month.
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded during the month fell into 7 different complaint categories. Phone accounted for the largest share, with 19707 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 19707 | 70.8% |
| Internet | 4346 | 15.6% |
| TV | 2704 | 9.7% |
| Radio | 972 | 3.5% |
| Accessibility | 58 | 0.2% |
| Emergency | 34 | 0.1% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 7 | 0.0% |
Phone complaints
19707 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 70.8% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 15460 | 78.4% |
| Billing | 1828 | 9.3% |
| Equipment | 597 | 3.0% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 561 | 2.8% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 293 | 1.5% |
| Privacy | 290 | 1.5% |
| Junk Faxes | 271 | 1.4% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 200 | 1.0% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 128 | 0.6% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 35 | 0.2% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 29 | 0.1% |
| Rural Call Completion | 13 | 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. 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
4346 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 15.6% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 1370 | 31.5% |
| Billing | 1118 | 25.7% |
| Availability | 645 | 14.8% |
| Speed | 508 | 11.7% |
| Equipment | 261 | 6.0% |
| Interference | 235 | 5.4% |
| Privacy | 208 | 4.8% |
A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Open Internet/Net Neutrality, Billing and Availability among the most common.
TV complaints
2704 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 9.7% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 1400 | 51.8% |
| Availability | 480 | 17.8% |
| Loud Commercials | 285 | 10.5% |
| Equipment | 232 | 8.6% |
| Indecency | 176 | 6.5% |
| Interference | 87 | 3.2% |
| Privacy | 39 | 1.4% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 5 | 0.2% |
Billing and Availability accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
Radio complaints
972 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 3.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 768 | 79.0% |
| Indecency | 77 | 7.9% |
| Pirate Radio | 65 | 6.7% |
| Equipment | 25 | 2.6% |
| Availability | 19 | 2.0% |
| Billing | 9 | 0.9% |
| Commercials/Promotions | 9 | 0.9% |
Interference and Indecency accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
Accessibility complaints
58 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Closed Captioning on TV | 24 | 41.4% |
| Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) | 18 | 31.0% |
| Closed Captioning over the Internet | 8 | 13.8% |
| Video Description | 8 | 13.8% |
Closed Captioning on TV and Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
Emergency complaints
34 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.1% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 11 | 32.4% |
| Tower | 8 | 23.5% |
| Other | 7 | 20.6% |
| Phone | 7 | 20.6% |
A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Interference, Tower and Other among the most common.
Unwanted calls
A total of 15460 complaints relating to unwanted calls were recorded on this date, representing 55.6% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| (800) 255-1412 | 44 | 0.3% |
| (888) 239-1364 | 35 | 0.2% |
| (855) 329-8507 | 29 | 0.2% |
| (215) 666-0663 | 25 | 0.2% |
| (209) 280-1877 | 21 | 0.1% |
| (301) 329-0898 | 20 | 0.1% |
| (302) 219-9678 | 20 | 0.1% |
| (317) 491-6397 | 19 | 0.1% |
| (301) 298-7311 | 18 | 0.1% |
| (866) 213-4548 | 18 | 0.1% |
Most reported business contact numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (800) 390-2425 | 28 | 0.2% |
| (800) 998-5202 | 28 | 0.2% |
| (888) 240-0182 | 21 | 0.1% |
| (877) 235-7697 | 17 | 0.1% |
| (866) 224-1626 | 16 | 0.1% |
| (866) 237-0925 | 15 | 0.1% |
| (844) 711-3211 | 14 | 0.1% |
| (866) 213-4548 | 13 | 0.1% |
| (855) 671-6073 | 12 | 0.1% |
| (214) 306-5848 | 11 | 0.1% |
Key patterns
- Prerecorded Voice was reported slightly more often than other call types.
- Several business contact numbers were reported multiple times, with no single number clearly ahead of the others.
- (800) 255-1412 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.