FCC Consumer Complaints – March 2018
Introduction
The Federal Communications Commission recorded 29690 consumer complaints in March 2018 relating to telecommunications services, this was higher than the 27480 complaints recorded the previous month. Reports were received from 55 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. Unwanted Calls was the most frequently reported issue, with 19757 complaints recorded.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 29690
- Days with complaint data
- 31
- Days with complaints
- 31
- States & territories reporting
- 55
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (19757)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (3396)
Daily complaint activity
Across the month, the FCC recorded an average of 957.7 complaints per day. The highest daily total was 1491 complaints on 13 March 2018, while 21 days recorded more complaints than the monthly daily average. The quietest day was 4 March 2018, with 247 complaints, noticeably below the monthly average.
Each bar represents one day of the month. Taller bars indicate more complaints.
Where the complaints came from
The 29690 complaints recorded in March 2018 were submitted from 6233 cities across 55 states and territories. Complaint reports were spread across multiple states and territories, without any one location accounting for a large share. Despite the overall distribution, a notable concentration at the city level was observed in District of Columbia, where Washington accounted for 117 of the 121 complaints recorded in the state.
The table below summarises the number of complaints reported in each state and territory during the month, ordered by total reports.
| State/Territory | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| California | 3396 | 11.4% |
| Texas | 2300 | 7.7% |
| Florida | 2168 | 7.3% |
| New York | 1658 | 5.6% |
| Pennsylvania | 1272 | 4.3% |
| Illinois | 1171 | 3.9% |
| Ohio | 1143 | 3.8% |
| Georgia | 974 | 3.3% |
| Virginia | 952 | 3.2% |
| New Jersey | 891 | 3.0% |
| Other states and territories | 13701 | 46.1% |
Location highlight
Washington accounted for nearly all complaints recorded in District of Columbia.
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded during the month were spread across 7 complaint categories. Phone was the most reported category, with 23937 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 23937 | 80.6% |
| TV | 2684 | 9.0% |
| Internet | 2339 | 7.9% |
| Radio | 595 | 2.0% |
| Emergency | 60 | 0.2% |
| Accessibility | 56 | 0.2% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 19 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
23937 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 80.6% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 19757 | 82.5% |
| Billing | 1695 | 7.1% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 564 | 2.4% |
| Equipment | 513 | 2.1% |
| Privacy | 440 | 1.8% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 285 | 1.2% |
| Junk Faxes | 250 | 1.0% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 175 | 0.7% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 156 | 0.7% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 43 | 0.2% |
| Rural Call Completion | 34 | 0.1% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 25 | 0.1% |
Unwanted calls again accounted for the largest share of complaints in this category. These reports are examined in more detail in the section below. A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Billing, Availability (including rural call completion) and Equipment among the most common.
TV complaints
2684 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 9.0% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 1249 | 46.5% |
| Loud Commercials | 438 | 16.3% |
| Availability | 391 | 14.6% |
| Indecency | 219 | 8.2% |
| Equipment | 218 | 8.1% |
| Interference | 99 | 3.7% |
| Privacy | 52 | 1.9% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 18 | 0.7% |
Billing and Loud Commercials were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
Internet complaints
2339 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 7.9% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 771 | 33.0% |
| Availability | 526 | 22.5% |
| Speed | 439 | 18.8% |
| Interference | 210 | 9.0% |
| Privacy | 156 | 6.7% |
| Equipment | 151 | 6.5% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 85 | 3.6% |
A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Billing, Availability and Speed among the most common.
Radio complaints
595 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 2.0% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Indecency | 227 | 38.2% |
| Interference | 197 | 33.1% |
| Pirate Radio | 86 | 14.5% |
| Availability | 32 | 5.4% |
| Commercials/Promotions | 25 | 4.2% |
| Equipment | 15 | 2.5% |
| Billing | 13 | 2.2% |
Indecency and Interference were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
Emergency complaints
60 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 27 | 45.0% |
| Other | 15 | 25.0% |
| Tower | 10 | 16.7% |
| Phone | 8 | 13.3% |
Interference and Other were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
Accessibility complaints
56 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Closed Captioning on TV | 32 | 57.1% |
| Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) | 13 | 23.2% |
| Closed Captioning over the Internet | 4 | 7.1% |
| Video Description | 3 | 5.4% |
| Emergency Information on TV | 2 | 3.6% |
Closed Captioning on TV and Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
Unwanted calls
A total of 19757 complaints relating to unwanted calls were recorded on this date, representing 66.5% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| (854) 999-4407 | 180 | 0.9% |
| (407) 627-1213 | 49 | 0.2% |
| (773) 273-6136 | 29 | 0.1% |
| (855) 660-2727 | 25 | 0.1% |
| (662) 546-1420 | 23 | 0.1% |
| (302) 316-9259 | 21 | 0.1% |
| (440) 336-8090 | 19 | 0.1% |
| (555) 555-5555 | 17 | 0.1% |
| (651) 762-3474 | 17 | 0.1% |
| (289) 800-0303 | 14 | 0.1% |
Most reported business contact numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (854) 999-4407 | 117 | 0.6% |
| (555) 555-5555 | 75 | 0.4% |
| (855) 660-2727 | 42 | 0.2% |
| (407) 627-1213 | 36 | 0.2% |
| (302) 316-9259 | 26 | 0.1% |
| (773) 273-6136 | 25 | 0.1% |
| (855) 836-8914 | 21 | 0.1% |
| (651) 762-3474 | 20 | 0.1% |
| (440) 336-8090 | 18 | 0.1% |
| (915) 245-4952 | 18 | 0.1% |
Key patterns
- Prerecorded Voice was reported slightly more often than other call types.
- (854) 999-4407 was reported slightly more often than other business contact numbers.
- (854) 999-4407 stood out as the most frequently reported caller ID number.
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.