FCC Consumer Complaints – 13 October 2017

Introduction

The Federal Communications Commission recorded 1079 consumer complaints on Friday, 13 October 2017 relating to telecommunications services, this represented a decline from the 1196 complaints recorded the day before. Complaints were reported across 51 states and territories, with California slightly ahead of the other locations. Unwanted Calls was the most frequently reported issue, with 697 complaints recorded.

Key statistics

Total complaints
1079
States & territories reporting
51
Most common issue
Unwanted Calls (697)
Most reported state/territory
California (108)

Where the complaints came from

Reports recorded on 13 October 2017 show 1079 complaints originating from 743 cities across 51 states and territories. Complaints were relatively evenly spread across states and territories, with no individual location contributing a dominant share. 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 108 10.0%
Florida 90 8.3%
Texas 85 7.9%
Pennsylvania 69 6.4%
New York 65 6.0%
Maryland 40 3.7%
Michigan 40 3.7%
Georgia 36 3.3%
Virginia 35 3.2%
Ohio 34 3.2%
Other states and territories 473 43.8%

What the complaints were about

The complaints recorded on this date fell into 5 different complaint categories. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 861 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Phone 861 79.8%
TV 107 9.9%
Internet 95 8.8%
Radio 11 1.0%
Emergency 5 0.5%

Phone complaints

861 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 79.8% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Unwanted Calls 697 81.0%
Billing 65 7.5%
Equipment 22 2.6%
Availability (including rural call completion) 21 2.4%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 17 2.0%
Privacy 14 1.6%
Interference (including signal jammers) 12 1.4%
Junk Faxes 7 0.8%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 3 0.3%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 2 0.2%
Rural Call Completion 1 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. The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Equipment and Availability (including rural call completion).

TV complaints

107 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 9.9% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 39 36.4%
Availability 31 29.0%
Indecency 16 15.0%
Equipment 11 10.3%
Interference 4 3.7%
Loud Commercials 4 3.7%
Privacy 2 1.9%

The largest share of complaints in this category related to Billing and Availability, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.

Internet complaints

95 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 8.8% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 40 42.1%
Speed 19 20.0%
Availability 18 18.9%
Equipment 7 7.4%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 5 5.3%
Privacy 4 4.2%
Interference 2 2.1%

The largest share of complaints in this category related to Billing and Speed, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.

Unwanted calls

A total of 697 complaints relating to unwanted calls were recorded on this date, representing 64.6% 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
(623) 277-4359 5 0.7%
(301) 235-0909 3 0.4%
(517) 489-3306 3 0.4%
(530) 279-6648 3 0.4%
(610) 546-7328 3 0.4%
(731) 327-5302 3 0.4%
(737) 200-7384 3 0.4%
(201) 331-3173 2 0.3%
(201) 879-2917 2 0.3%
(206) 736-6934 2 0.3%

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.
  • (623) 277-4359 was reported slightly more often than other caller ID numbers.
Page last updated: 10 December 2018 with FCC complaints data from 13 October 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.