FCC Consumer Complaints – 14 December 2017

Introduction

A total of 2422 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded by the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday, 14 December 2017, complaint volume increased from 1149 complaints the day before. Reports were received from 55 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. Open Internet/Net Neutrality was the most frequently reported issue, with 1274 complaints recorded.

Key statistics

Total complaints
2422
States & territories reporting
55
Most common issue
Open Internet/Net Neutrality (1274)
Most reported state/territory
California (313)

Where the complaints came from

Across 1375 cities in 55 states and territories, a total of 2422 complaints were recorded on 14 December 2017. Complaint reports were spread across multiple states and territories, without any one location accounting for a large share. This pattern continues at the city level, where complaints were distributed across multiple locations without a single city standing out.

The table below shows the distribution of complaints by state and territory for this date, highlighting the locations with the highest number of reports.

State/Territory Complaints
California 313 12.9%
Texas 195 8.1%
Florida 191 7.9%
New York 170 7.0%
Pennsylvania 103 4.3%
Georgia 88 3.6%
New Jersey 86 3.6%
Ohio 83 3.4%
Illinois 76 3.1%
North Carolina 75 3.1%
Other states and territories 1041 43.0%

Location highlight

California had the widest distribution of complaints, with reports originating from 182 different cities.

What the complaints were about

Complaints recorded on this date related to 6 different complaint categories. The largest number of complaints fell within Internet, which accounted for 1462 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Internet 1462 60.4%
Phone 842 34.8%
TV 98 4.0%
Radio 17 0.7%
Emergency 2 0.1%
Request for Dispute Assistance 1 0.0%

Internet complaints

1462 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 60.4% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 1267 86.7%
Availability 81 5.5%
Billing 35 2.4%
Interference 28 1.9%
Speed 28 1.9%
Privacy 13 0.9%
Equipment 10 0.7%

The largest share of complaints in this category related to Open Internet/Net Neutrality and Availability, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.

Phone complaints

842 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 34.8% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Unwanted Calls 658 78.1%
Billing 74 8.8%
Availability (including rural call completion) 29 3.4%
Equipment 28 3.3%
Privacy 14 1.7%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 13 1.5%
Junk Faxes 9 1.1%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 6 0.7%
Interference (including signal jammers) 5 0.6%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 5 0.6%
Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) 1 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. Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Billing, Availability (including rural call completion) and Equipment.

TV complaints

98 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 4.0% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 46 46.9%
Availability 18 18.4%
Indecency 11 11.2%
Equipment 9 9.2%
Loud Commercials 9 9.2%
Interference 2 2.0%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 2 2.0%
Privacy 1 1.0%

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

Unwanted calls

There were 658 complaints relating to unwanted calls on this date, representing 27.2% of all complaints. Caller ID and business contact number details are listed below where there is enough concentration to make the data meaningful.

Most reported caller ID numbers

Telephone number Complaints Share
(949) 880-0156 5 0.8%
(854) 215-3642 4 0.6%
(202) 465-3723 3 0.5%
(202) 836-7696 3 0.5%
(203) 286-0974 3 0.5%
(401) 312-3409 3 0.5%
(256) 686-8799 2 0.3%
(480) 281-8924 2 0.3%
(505) 717-7018 2 0.3%
(512) 541-1587 2 0.3%

Most reported business contact numbers

Telephone number Complaints Share
(469) 277-0017 5 0.8%
(202) 465-3723 3 0.5%
(401) 312-3409 3 0.5%
(618) 717-0126 3 0.5%
(786) 785-0636 3 0.5%
(801) 738-0621 3 0.5%
(202) 534-3825 2 0.3%
(202) 836-7696 2 0.3%
(256) 686-8799 2 0.3%
(505) 717-7018 2 0.3%

Key patterns

  • Prerecorded Voice was reported slightly more often than other call types.
  • (469) 277-0017 was reported slightly more often than other business contact numbers.
  • (949) 880-0156 was reported slightly more often than other caller ID numbers.
Page last updated: 10 December 2018 with FCC complaints data from 14 December 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.