FCC Consumer Complaints – April 2018
Introduction
A total of 30879 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded by the Federal Communications Commission in April 2018, complaint volume increased from 29690 complaints the previous month. Reports were received from 55 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. Complaints were most commonly associated with Unwanted Calls, accounting for 20283 complaints.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 30879
- Days with complaint data
- 30
- Days with complaints
- 30
- States & territories reporting
- 55
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (20283)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (3620)
Daily complaint activity
Daily complaint activity averaged 1029.3 complaints per day during the month. The busiest day was 2 April 2018, when 1829 complaints were recorded, and 21 days were above the monthly daily average. The quietest day was 1 April 2018, with 230 complaints, noticeably below the monthly average.
Each bar represents one day of the month. Taller bars indicate more complaints.
Where the complaints came from
A total of 30879 complaints were recorded in April 2018, with reports originating from 6148 cities in 55 states and territories. The distribution of complaints was relatively even, with no single state or territory contributing a dominant share. At the city level, a significant concentration was observed in District of Columbia, where Washington accounted for 156 of the 177 complaints recorded.
The monthly distribution of complaints by state and territory is shown below, with locations ranked by the number of reports recorded.
| State/Territory | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| California | 3620 | 11.7% |
| Florida | 2324 | 7.5% |
| Texas | 2159 | 7.0% |
| New York | 1841 | 6.0% |
| Illinois | 1229 | 4.0% |
| Pennsylvania | 1206 | 3.9% |
| Ohio | 1205 | 3.9% |
| North Carolina | 975 | 3.2% |
| Virginia | 971 | 3.1% |
| Michigan | 925 | 3.0% |
| Other states and territories | 14332 | 46.4% |
Location highlight
A large share of complaints in District of Columbia originated from Washington, which accounted for most reports within the state.
What the complaints were about
Complaints recorded during the month related to 7 different complaint categories. Phone was the most reported category, with 24421 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 24421 | 79.1% |
| Internet | 2955 | 9.6% |
| TV | 2757 | 8.9% |
| Radio | 629 | 2.0% |
| Accessibility | 59 | 0.2% |
| Emergency | 36 | 0.1% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 22 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
24421 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 79.1% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 20283 | 83.1% |
| Billing | 1709 | 7.0% |
| Equipment | 529 | 2.2% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 517 | 2.1% |
| Privacy | 459 | 1.9% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 282 | 1.2% |
| Junk Faxes | 223 | 0.9% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 177 | 0.7% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 171 | 0.7% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 33 | 0.1% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 22 | 0.1% |
| Rural Call Completion | 14 | 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, Equipment and Availability (including rural call completion).
Internet complaints
2955 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 9.6% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 1087 | 36.8% |
| Speed | 727 | 24.6% |
| Availability | 501 | 17.0% |
| Interference | 192 | 6.5% |
| Equipment | 180 | 6.1% |
| Privacy | 170 | 5.8% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 98 | 3.3% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Billing and Speed, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
TV complaints
2757 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 8.9% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 1207 | 43.8% |
| Availability | 515 | 18.7% |
| Loud Commercials | 292 | 10.6% |
| Equipment | 270 | 9.8% |
| Indecency | 249 | 9.0% |
| Interference | 145 | 5.3% |
| Privacy | 46 | 1.7% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 33 | 1.2% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Billing and Availability, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Radio complaints
629 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 2.0% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Indecency | 301 | 47.9% |
| Interference | 167 | 26.6% |
| Pirate Radio | 69 | 11.0% |
| Availability | 32 | 5.1% |
| Commercials/Promotions | 25 | 4.0% |
| Equipment | 18 | 2.9% |
| Billing | 17 | 2.7% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Indecency and Interference, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Accessibility complaints
59 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Closed Captioning on TV | 24 | 40.7% |
| Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) | 10 | 16.9% |
| Closed Captioning over the Internet | 6 | 10.2% |
| Emergency Information on TV | 5 | 8.5% |
| Video Description | 1 | 1.7% |
Closed Captioning on TV was the most commonly reported issue in this category, while other issues occurred less frequently.
Emergency complaints
36 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.1% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 13 | 36.1% |
| Other | 9 | 25.0% |
| Phone | 8 | 22.2% |
| Tower | 6 | 16.7% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Interference and Other, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Unwanted calls
20283 complaints relating to unwanted calls were recorded on this date, accounting for 65.7% of all complaints. Reports referenced both caller ID numbers and business contact numbers, with number tables shown where meaningful patterns are present.
Most reported caller ID numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (980) 242-3698 | 113 | 0.6% |
| (773) 273-6136 | 94 | 0.5% |
| (703) 348-6954 | 44 | 0.2% |
| (800) 945-2000 | 32 | 0.2% |
| (800) 288-2020 | 22 | 0.1% |
| (561) 763-8565 | 18 | 0.1% |
| (662) 546-1420 | 18 | 0.1% |
| (323) 275-5540 | 17 | 0.1% |
| (844) 272-9486 | 14 | 0.1% |
| (940) 242-4514 | 14 | 0.1% |
Most reported business contact numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (980) 242-3698 | 104 | 0.5% |
| (773) 273-6136 | 98 | 0.5% |
| (555) 555-5555 | 65 | 0.3% |
| (703) 348-6954 | 54 | 0.3% |
| (561) 763-8565 | 27 | 0.1% |
| (866) 241-7340 | 22 | 0.1% |
| (800) 945-2000 | 15 | 0.1% |
| (323) 275-5540 | 14 | 0.1% |
| (609) 256-8206 | 14 | 0.1% |
| (833) 226-0400 | 14 | 0.1% |
Key patterns
- Prerecorded Voice was reported slightly more often than other call types.
- (980) 242-3698 was reported slightly more often than other business contact numbers.
- (980) 242-3698 was reported slightly more often than other caller ID numbers.
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.