FCC Consumer Complaints – 16 November 2017
Introduction
On Thursday, 16 November 2017, 1127 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded in the Federal Communications Commission system, complaint volume fell from 1176 complaints the day before. Complaints were reported across 50 states and territories, with California slightly ahead of the other locations. Complaints were most commonly associated with Unwanted Calls, accounting for 746 complaints.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 1127
- States & territories reporting
- 50
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (746)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (131)
Where the complaints came from
A total of 1127 complaints were recorded on 16 November 2017, with reports originating from 773 cities in 50 states and territories. Overall, complaint activity was broadly distributed, with no single state or territory representing a significant proportion of the total. 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 | 131 | 11.6% |
| Texas | 99 | 8.8% |
| Florida | 83 | 7.4% |
| New York | 69 | 6.1% |
| Pennsylvania | 47 | 4.2% |
| Ohio | 40 | 3.5% |
| Illinois | 36 | 3.2% |
| New Jersey | 36 | 3.2% |
| Virginia | 36 | 3.2% |
| Georgia | 35 | 3.1% |
| Other states and territories | 515 | 45.7% |
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded on this date were spread across 6 complaint categories. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 938 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 938 | 83.2% |
| TV | 87 | 7.7% |
| Internet | 77 | 6.8% |
| Radio | 20 | 1.8% |
| Emergency | 3 | 0.3% |
| Accessibility | 2 | 0.2% |
Phone complaints
938 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 83.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 746 | 79.5% |
| Billing | 70 | 7.5% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 29 | 3.1% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 21 | 2.2% |
| Equipment | 19 | 2.0% |
| Junk Faxes | 18 | 1.9% |
| Privacy | 14 | 1.5% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 10 | 1.1% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 9 | 1.0% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 1 | 0.1% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 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. Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Billing, Availability (including rural call completion) and Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers).
TV complaints
87 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 7.7% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 49 | 56.3% |
| Availability | 14 | 16.1% |
| Equipment | 9 | 10.3% |
| Loud Commercials | 8 | 9.2% |
| Indecency | 4 | 4.6% |
| Interference | 3 | 3.4% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Billing and Availability, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Internet complaints
77 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 6.8% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | 21 | 27.3% |
| Billing | 20 | 26.0% |
| Speed | 18 | 23.4% |
| Equipment | 9 | 11.7% |
| Interference | 4 | 5.2% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 3 | 3.9% |
| Privacy | 2 | 2.6% |
Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Availability, Billing and Speed.
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.