FCC Consumer Complaints – 28 September 2017

Introduction

A total of 1022 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded by the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday, 28 September 2017, this was lower than the 1142 complaints recorded the previous day. Reports were received from 52 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. The most common issue reported was Unwanted Calls, accounting for 625 complaints.

Key statistics

Total complaints
1022
States & territories reporting
52
Most common issue
Unwanted Calls (625)
Most reported state/territory
California (127)

Where the complaints came from

On 28 September 2017, the 1022 complaints recorded by the Federal Communications Commission were reported from 687 cities across 52 states and territories. Activity was spread across states and territories, with no single location accounting for a substantial share of complaints. A similar pattern is observed at the city level, with complaints spread across locations rather than concentrated in a single area.

The distribution of complaints by state and territory is shown below, with locations ranked by the number of reports recorded.

State/Territory Complaints
California 127 12.4%
Florida 89 8.7%
Texas 80 7.8%
New York 62 6.1%
North Carolina 52 5.1%
Pennsylvania 48 4.7%
Ohio 44 4.3%
Georgia 38 3.7%
Illinois 35 3.4%
Virginia 35 3.4%
Other states and territories 411 40.2%

What the complaints were about

Complaints recorded on this date related to 7 different complaint categories. Phone accounted for the largest share, with 801 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Phone 801 78.4%
TV 111 10.9%
Internet 97 9.5%
Radio 8 0.8%
Request for Dispute Assistance 3 0.3%
Accessibility 1 0.1%
Emergency 1 0.1%

Phone complaints

801 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 78.4% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Unwanted Calls 625 78.0%
Billing 65 8.1%
Availability (including rural call completion) 32 4.0%
Equipment 20 2.5%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 18 2.2%
Junk Faxes 17 2.1%
Privacy 9 1.1%
Interference (including signal jammers) 6 0.7%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 5 0.6%
Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) 3 0.4%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 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, Availability (including rural call completion) and Equipment among the most common.

TV complaints

111 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 10.9% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 54 48.6%
Availability 29 26.1%
Equipment 12 10.8%
Indecency 7 6.3%
Loud Commercials 4 3.6%
Privacy 3 2.7%
Interference 2 1.8%

Billing and Availability accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.

Internet complaints

97 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 9.5% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 37 38.1%
Availability 20 20.6%
Speed 11 11.3%
Interference 10 10.3%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 10 10.3%
Equipment 5 5.2%
Privacy 4 4.1%

A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Billing, Availability and Speed among the most common.

Page last updated: 10 December 2018 with FCC complaints data from 28 September 2017.

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.