FCC Consumer Complaints – May 2017
Introduction
The Federal Communications Commission recorded 34827 consumer complaints in May 2017 relating to telecommunications services, complaint volume increased from 27828 complaints the previous month. Complaints were reported across 56 states and territories, with California slightly ahead of the other locations. Complaints were most commonly associated with Unwanted Calls, accounting for 17005 complaints.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 34827
- Days with complaint data
- 31
- Days with complaints
- 31
- States & territories reporting
- 56
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (17005)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (3944)
Daily complaint activity
Across the month, the FCC recorded an average of 1123.5 complaints per day. The highest daily total was 3817 complaints on 4 May 2017, while 16 days recorded more complaints than the monthly daily average. The lowest daily total was 194 complaints on 28 May 2017, well below the monthly average.
Each bar represents one day of the month. Taller bars indicate more complaints.
Where the complaints came from
Across 6856 cities in 56 states and territories, a total of 34827 complaints were recorded in May 2017. Complaints were relatively evenly spread across states and territories, with no individual location contributing a dominant share. Despite the overall distribution, a notable concentration at the city level was observed in District of Columbia, where Washington accounted for 173 of the 212 complaints recorded in the state.
The monthly distribution of complaints by state and territory is shown below, with locations ranked by the number of reports recorded.
| State/Territory | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| California | 3944 | 11.3% |
| Florida | 2987 | 8.6% |
| Texas | 2638 | 7.6% |
| New York | 2066 | 5.9% |
| Pennsylvania | 1370 | 3.9% |
| Ohio | 1286 | 3.7% |
| Illinois | 1257 | 3.6% |
| New Jersey | 1159 | 3.3% |
| Georgia | 1154 | 3.3% |
| Virginia | 1084 | 3.1% |
| Other states and territories | 15756 | 45.2% |
Location highlight
A large share of complaints in District of Columbia originated from Washington, which accounted for most reports within the state.
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded during the month fell into 7 different complaint categories. Phone was the most reported category, with 21584 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 21584 | 62.0% |
| TV | 9802 | 28.1% |
| Internet | 2806 | 8.1% |
| Radio | 440 | 1.3% |
| Accessibility | 118 | 0.3% |
| Emergency | 64 | 0.2% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 13 | 0.0% |
Phone complaints
21584 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 62.0% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 17005 | 78.8% |
| Billing | 1942 | 9.0% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 624 | 2.9% |
| Equipment | 612 | 2.8% |
| Privacy | 358 | 1.7% |
| Junk Faxes | 306 | 1.4% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 296 | 1.4% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 199 | 0.9% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 153 | 0.7% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 40 | 0.2% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 25 | 0.1% |
| Rural Call Completion | 23 | 0.1% |
As is often the case in this category, unwanted calls were the most frequently reported issue. Further analysis of these complaints is provided below. The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Availability (including rural call completion) and Equipment.
TV complaints
9802 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 28.1% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Indecency | 7062 | 72.0% |
| Billing | 1509 | 15.4% |
| Availability | 457 | 4.7% |
| Loud Commercials | 277 | 2.8% |
| Equipment | 260 | 2.7% |
| Interference | 141 | 1.4% |
| Privacy | 67 | 0.7% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 29 | 0.3% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Indecency and Billing, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Internet complaints
2806 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 8.1% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 819 | 29.2% |
| Availability | 639 | 22.8% |
| Speed | 478 | 17.0% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 365 | 13.0% |
| Interference | 190 | 6.8% |
| Equipment | 182 | 6.5% |
| Privacy | 133 | 4.7% |
The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Availability and Speed.
Radio complaints
440 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 1.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 155 | 35.2% |
| Indecency | 103 | 23.4% |
| Pirate Radio | 90 | 20.5% |
| Commercials/Promotions | 38 | 8.6% |
| Availability | 19 | 4.3% |
| Equipment | 19 | 4.3% |
| Billing | 16 | 3.6% |
The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Interference, Indecency and Pirate Radio.
Accessibility complaints
118 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Closed Captioning on TV | 86 | 72.9% |
| Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) | 15 | 12.7% |
| Closed Captioning over the Internet | 7 | 5.9% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireline Phones | 6 | 5.1% |
| Emergency Information on TV | 2 | 1.7% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireless Phones | 1 | 0.8% |
| Video Description | 1 | 0.8% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Closed Captioning on TV and Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS), with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Emergency complaints
64 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Other | 25 | 39.1% |
| Interference | 17 | 26.6% |
| Phone | 14 | 21.9% |
| Tower | 8 | 12.5% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Other and Interference, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Unwanted calls
A total of 17005 complaints relating to unwanted calls were recorded on this date, representing 48.8% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| (520) 210-0610 | 27 | 0.2% |
| (541) 683-1073 | 24 | 0.1% |
| (337) 242-1683 | 21 | 0.1% |
| (410) 365-8451 | 21 | 0.1% |
| (800) 347-2683 | 21 | 0.1% |
| (408) 974-2042 | 20 | 0.1% |
| (501) 238-3042 | 18 | 0.1% |
| (231) 237-7277 | 17 | 0.1% |
| (607) 590-2105 | 17 | 0.1% |
| (443) 258-9328 | 16 | 0.1% |
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.
- (520) 210-0610 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.