FCC Consumer Complaints – 16 November 2018
Introduction
On Friday, 16 November 2018, 1174 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded in the Federal Communications Commission system, this represented a decline from the 1192 complaints recorded the previous day. Reports were received from 49 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. Complaints were most commonly associated with Unwanted Calls, accounting for 845 complaints.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 1174
- States & territories reporting
- 49
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (845)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (125)
Where the complaints came from
Across 799 cities in 49 states and territories, a total of 1174 complaints were recorded on 16 November 2018. Complaints were relatively evenly spread across states and territories, with no individual location contributing a dominant share. Despite the overall distribution, a notable concentration at the city level was observed in Iowa, where Iowa City accounted for 25 of the 33 complaints recorded in the state.
The distribution of complaints by state and territory is shown below, with locations ranked by the number of reports recorded.
| State/Territory | Complaints | |
|---|---|---|
| California | 125 | 10.6% |
| Florida | 85 | 7.2% |
| New York | 72 | 6.1% |
| Texas | 58 | 4.9% |
| Pennsylvania | 56 | 4.8% |
| North Carolina | 40 | 3.4% |
| Michigan | 39 | 3.3% |
| Ohio | 38 | 3.2% |
| New Jersey | 37 | 3.2% |
| Arizona | 35 | 3.0% |
| Other states and territories | 585 | 49.8% |
Location highlight
Iowa City accounted for the majority of complaints recorded in Iowa.
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded on this date fell into 6 different complaint categories. Phone accounted for the largest share, with 995 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 995 | 84.8% |
| TV | 84 | 7.2% |
| Internet | 77 | 6.6% |
| Radio | 15 | 1.3% |
| Accessibility | 2 | 0.2% |
| Emergency | 1 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
995 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 84.8% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 845 | 84.9% |
| Billing | 48 | 4.8% |
| Equipment | 32 | 3.2% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 23 | 2.3% |
| Privacy | 14 | 1.4% |
| Junk Faxes | 9 | 0.9% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 8 | 0.8% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 8 | 0.8% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 7 | 0.7% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 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.
TV complaints
84 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 7.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 44 | 52.4% |
| Availability | 17 | 20.2% |
| Equipment | 8 | 9.5% |
| Loud Commercials | 8 | 9.5% |
| Indecency | 3 | 3.6% |
| Interference | 3 | 3.6% |
| Privacy | 1 | 1.2% |
Billing and Availability were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
Internet complaints
77 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 6.6% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | 24 | 31.2% |
| Billing | 20 | 26.0% |
| Speed | 13 | 16.9% |
| Equipment | 7 | 9.1% |
| Interference | 7 | 9.1% |
| Privacy | 6 | 7.8% |
A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Availability, Billing and Speed among the most common.
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.