FCC Consumer Complaints – 12 November 2018
Introduction
On Monday, 12 November 2018, 824 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded in the Federal Communications Commission system, this was higher than the 223 complaints recorded the day before. Complaints were reported across 48 states and territories, with California slightly ahead of the other locations. The largest number of complaints related to Unwanted Calls, with 579 complaints.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 824
- States & territories reporting
- 48
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (579)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (82)
Where the complaints came from
Reports recorded on 12 November 2018 show 824 complaints originating from 592 cities across 48 states and territories. Complaint activity was widely distributed across states and territories, with no single location accounting for a notable share of reports. 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 | 82 | 10.0% |
| Florida | 66 | 8.0% |
| Texas | 52 | 6.3% |
| Virginia | 41 | 5.0% |
| New York | 37 | 4.5% |
| New Jersey | 36 | 4.4% |
| Pennsylvania | 35 | 4.2% |
| Ohio | 34 | 4.1% |
| Michigan | 30 | 3.6% |
| Georgia | 28 | 3.4% |
| Other states and territories | 382 | 46.4% |
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded on this date fell into 4 different complaint categories. Phone accounted for the largest share, with 668 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 668 | 81.1% |
| Internet | 87 | 10.6% |
| TV | 67 | 8.1% |
| Radio | 2 | 0.2% |
Phone complaints
668 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 81.1% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 579 | 86.7% |
| Billing | 37 | 5.5% |
| Equipment | 13 | 1.9% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 10 | 1.5% |
| Junk Faxes | 7 | 1.0% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 6 | 0.9% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 6 | 0.9% |
| Privacy | 5 | 0.7% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 4 | 0.6% |
| 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. A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Billing, Equipment and Availability (including rural call completion) among the most common.
Internet complaints
87 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 10.6% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | 27 | 31.0% |
| Billing | 22 | 25.3% |
| Privacy | 20 | 23.0% |
| Speed | 8 | 9.2% |
| Equipment | 6 | 6.9% |
| Interference | 4 | 4.6% |
A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Availability, Billing and Privacy among the most common.
TV complaints
67 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 8.1% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 31 | 46.3% |
| Loud Commercials | 11 | 16.4% |
| Availability | 9 | 13.4% |
| Equipment | 8 | 11.9% |
| Indecency | 4 | 6.0% |
| Interference | 3 | 4.5% |
| Privacy | 1 | 1.5% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Billing and Loud Commercials, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
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.