FCC Consumer Complaints – 11 August 2018

Introduction

The Federal Communications Commission recorded 460 consumer complaints on 11 August 2018 relating to telecommunications services, this represented a decline from the 1069 complaints recorded the day before. Complaints were reported across 44 states and territories, with California slightly ahead of the other locations. Unwanted Calls was the most frequently reported issue, with 220 complaints recorded.

Key statistics

Total complaints
460
States & territories reporting
44
Most common issue
Unwanted Calls (220)
Most reported state/territory
California (60)

Where the complaints came from

The 460 complaints recorded on 11 August 2018 were submitted from 334 cities across 44 states and territories. Complaint activity was fairly evenly distributed, with no single state or territory accounting for a large share of reports. This pattern continues at the city level, where complaints were distributed across multiple locations without a single city standing out.

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

State/Territory Complaints
California 60 13.0%
Texas 45 9.8%
Florida 39 8.5%
Ohio 33 7.2%
New York 23 5.0%
North Carolina 21 4.6%
New Jersey 17 3.7%
Virginia 13 2.8%
Georgia 12 2.6%
Washington 12 2.6%
Other states and territories 185 40.2%

What the complaints were about

The complaints recorded on this date were spread across 6 complaint categories. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 279 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Phone 279 60.7%
Internet 91 19.8%
TV 83 18.0%
Radio 5 1.1%
Accessibility 1 0.2%
Emergency 1 0.2%

Phone complaints

279 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 60.7% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Unwanted Calls 220 78.9%
Billing 26 9.3%
Equipment 11 3.9%
Availability (including rural call completion) 7 2.5%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 6 2.2%
Privacy 4 1.4%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 3 1.1%
Junk Faxes 1 0.4%
Rural Call Completion 1 0.4%

Unwanted calls again accounted for the largest share of complaints in this category. These reports are examined in more detail in the section below. The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Equipment and Availability (including rural call completion).

Internet complaints

91 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 19.8% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Availability 27 29.7%
Interference 19 20.9%
Billing 18 19.8%
Speed 11 12.1%
Privacy 10 11.0%
Equipment 6 6.6%

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

TV complaints

83 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 18.0% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Loud Commercials 41 49.4%
Billing 17 20.5%
Availability 10 12.0%
Equipment 8 9.6%
Indecency 5 6.0%
Privacy 2 2.4%

Loud Commercials and Billing accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.

Page last updated: 10 December 2018 with FCC complaints data from 11 August 2018.

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.