FCC Consumer Complaints – 22 December 2017
Introduction
The Federal Communications Commission recorded 767 consumer complaints on Friday, 22 December 2017 relating to telecommunications services, this represented a decline from the 1000 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 461 complaints recorded.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 767
- States & territories reporting
- 51
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (461)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (105)
Where the complaints came from
The 767 complaints recorded on 22 December 2017 originated from 563 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 | 105 | 13.7% |
| Florida | 67 | 8.7% |
| Texas | 61 | 8.0% |
| New York | 44 | 5.7% |
| Ohio | 38 | 5.0% |
| Illinois | 37 | 4.8% |
| Pennsylvania | 31 | 4.0% |
| Michigan | 23 | 3.0% |
| Virginia | 23 | 3.0% |
| New Jersey | 20 | 2.6% |
| Other states and territories | 318 | 41.5% |
Location highlight
Complaints in California were reported across 69 cities, the widest spread observed on this date.
What the complaints were about
A total of 6 complaint categories were represented in the complaints recorded on this date. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 592 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 592 | 77.2% |
| Internet | 86 | 11.2% |
| TV | 68 | 8.9% |
| Radio | 19 | 2.5% |
| Accessibility | 1 | 0.1% |
| Emergency | 1 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
592 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 77.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 461 | 77.9% |
| Billing | 70 | 11.8% |
| Equipment | 19 | 3.2% |
| Privacy | 11 | 1.9% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 8 | 1.4% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 8 | 1.4% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 7 | 1.2% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 5 | 0.8% |
| Junk Faxes | 2 | 0.3% |
| Rural Call Completion | 1 | 0.2% |
Unwanted calls again accounted for the largest share of complaints in this category. These reports are examined in more detail in the section below. Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Billing, Equipment and Privacy.
Internet complaints
86 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 11.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 35 | 40.7% |
| Availability | 15 | 17.4% |
| Speed | 15 | 17.4% |
| Equipment | 9 | 10.5% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 7 | 8.1% |
| Privacy | 3 | 3.5% |
| Interference | 2 | 2.3% |
Billing accounted for the largest share of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
TV complaints
68 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 8.9% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 31 | 45.6% |
| Availability | 10 | 14.7% |
| Loud Commercials | 8 | 11.8% |
| Indecency | 7 | 10.3% |
| Equipment | 6 | 8.8% |
| Interference | 4 | 5.9% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 1 | 1.5% |
| Privacy | 1 | 1.5% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Billing and Availability, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Unwanted calls
A total of 461 complaints relating to unwanted calls were recorded on this date, representing 60.1% of all complaints. Caller ID and business contact numbers are shown below where sufficient data is available.
Most reported business contact numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (206) 231-0005 | 5 | 1.1% |
| (815) 267-6990 | 3 | 0.7% |
| (914) 340-8010 | 3 | 0.7% |
| (347) 892-4950 | 2 | 0.4% |
| (732) 481-2902 | 2 | 0.4% |
| (843) 534-5801 | 2 | 0.4% |
| (854) 999-4407 | 2 | 0.4% |
| (201) 389-7001 | 1 | 0.2% |
| (202) 361-3146 | 1 | 0.2% |
| (202) 450-5234 | 1 | 0.2% |
Key patterns
- Prerecorded Voice was reported slightly more often than other call types.
- (206) 231-0005 was reported slightly more often than other business contact numbers.
- Reports were spread across many different caller ID numbers, with no single number dominating.
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.