FCC Consumer Complaints – 21 December 2017

Introduction

A total of 1000 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded by the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday, 21 December 2017, this was lower than the 1054 complaints recorded the previous day. Complaints were reported across 50 states and territories, with California slightly ahead of the other locations. The largest number of complaints related to Unwanted Calls, with 614 complaints.

Key statistics

Total complaints
1000
States & territories reporting
50
Most common issue
Unwanted Calls (614)
Most reported state/territory
California (119)

Where the complaints came from

The 1000 complaints recorded on 21 December 2017 were submitted from 704 cities across 50 states and territories. Complaint reports were spread across multiple states and territories, without any one location accounting for a large share. At the city level, a significant concentration was observed in Kentucky, where Frankfort accounted for 21 of the 34 complaints recorded.

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

State/Territory Complaints
California 119 11.9%
Florida 75 7.5%
Texas 59 5.9%
Pennsylvania 58 5.8%
New York 53 5.3%
New Jersey 36 3.6%
Ohio 36 3.6%
Kentucky 34 3.4%
Massachusetts 34 3.4%
Georgia 32 3.2%
Other states and territories 460 46.0%

Location highlight

Complaints in Kentucky were heavily concentrated in Frankfort, which accounted for the majority of reports within the state.

What the complaints were about

Complaints recorded on this date related to 6 different complaint categories. Phone was the most reported category, with 801 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Phone 801 80.1%
TV 93 9.3%
Internet 85 8.5%
Radio 16 1.6%
Accessibility 3 0.3%
Emergency 2 0.2%

Phone complaints

801 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 80.1% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Unwanted Calls 614 76.7%
Billing 77 9.6%
Availability (including rural call completion) 30 3.7%
Equipment 22 2.7%
Privacy 18 2.2%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 13 1.6%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 11 1.4%
Interference (including signal jammers) 5 0.6%
Junk Faxes 5 0.6%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 3 0.4%
Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) 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, Availability (including rural call completion) and Equipment.

TV complaints

93 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 9.3% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 53 57.0%
Availability 11 11.8%
Indecency 9 9.7%
Loud Commercials 7 7.5%
Interference 6 6.5%
Equipment 5 5.4%
Privacy 2 2.2%

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

Internet complaints

85 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 8.5% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 22 25.9%
Availability 20 23.5%
Speed 17 20.0%
Equipment 9 10.6%
Interference 7 8.2%
Privacy 6 7.1%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 4 4.7%

The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Availability and Speed.

Page last updated: 10 December 2018 with FCC complaints data from 21 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.