FCC Consumer Complaints – 2019
Introduction
In 2019, 298549 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded in the Federal Communications Commission system. Reports were received from 56 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. The largest number of complaints related to Unwanted Calls, with 193182 complaints.
This year included 25 days across 1 month that fell within a government shutdown period from 22 December 2018 to 25 January 2019. Complaint volumes during affected periods may be lower than usual.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 298549
- Months with complaint data
- 12
- Months with complaints
- 12
- Days with complaint data
- 365
- Days with complaints
- 365
- States & territories reporting
- 56
- Government shutdown days
- 25
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (193182)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (34554)
Monthly complaint activity
Complaint volumes varied across the year, with 1 month including government shutdown days. The year averaged 24879.1 complaints per month, with a peak of 30210 complaints in August 2019. 8 months were above the yearly monthly average.
Each bar represents one month of the year. Taller bars indicate more complaints.
Where the complaints came from
Across 17231 cities in 56 states and territories, a total of 298549 complaints were recorded in 2019. The distribution of complaints was relatively even, with no single state or territory contributing a dominant share. Despite the overall distribution, a notable concentration at the city level was observed in District of Columbia, where Washington accounted for 1357 of the 1462 complaints recorded in the state.
The table below shows the distribution of complaints by state and territory for this year, highlighting the locations with the highest number of reports.
| State/Territory | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| California | 34554 | 11.6% |
| Texas | 24600 | 8.2% |
| Florida | 22972 | 7.7% |
| New York | 17003 | 5.7% |
| Pennsylvania | 12609 | 4.2% |
| Ohio | 12091 | 4.0% |
| Illinois | 11264 | 3.8% |
| North Carolina | 9875 | 3.3% |
| New Jersey | 9032 | 3.0% |
| Georgia | 8640 | 2.9% |
| Other states and territories | 134858 | 45.2% |
Location highlight
Nearly all complaints reported in District of Columbia originated from Washington.
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded during the year were spread across 7 complaint categories. Phone accounted for the largest share, with 235278 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 235278 | 78.8% |
| TV | 30303 | 10.2% |
| Internet | 28151 | 9.4% |
| Radio | 3639 | 1.2% |
| Emergency | 569 | 0.2% |
| Accessibility | 438 | 0.1% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 171 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
235278 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 78.8% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 193182 | 82.1% |
| Billing | 15873 | 6.7% |
| Equipment | 7400 | 3.1% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 6594 | 2.8% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 3417 | 1.5% |
| Junk Faxes | 2851 | 1.2% |
| Privacy | 2392 | 1.0% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 1666 | 0.7% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 1651 | 0.7% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 183 | 0.1% |
| Rural Call Completion | 66 | 0.0% |
As is often the case in this category, unwanted calls were the most frequently reported issue. Further analysis of these complaints is provided below. The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Equipment and Availability (including rural call completion).
TV complaints
30303 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 10.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 14070 | 46.4% |
| Availability | 9479 | 31.3% |
| Indecency | 2004 | 6.6% |
| Loud Commercials | 1876 | 6.2% |
| Equipment | 1834 | 6.1% |
| Interference | 763 | 2.5% |
| Privacy | 275 | 0.9% |
Billing and Availability were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
Internet complaints
28151 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 9.4% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 10110 | 35.9% |
| Availability | 9661 | 34.3% |
| Speed | 3202 | 11.4% |
| Privacy | 1824 | 6.5% |
| Equipment | 1684 | 6.0% |
| Interference | 1667 | 5.9% |
Billing and Availability were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
Radio complaints
3639 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 1.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 1005 | 27.6% |
| Availability | 896 | 24.6% |
| Pirate Radio | 582 | 16.0% |
| Indecency | 566 | 15.6% |
| Equipment | 228 | 6.3% |
| Commercials/Promotions | 191 | 5.2% |
| Billing | 171 | 4.7% |
The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Interference, Availability and Pirate Radio.
Emergency complaints
569 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 0.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 249 | 43.8% |
| Other | 193 | 33.9% |
| Phone | 65 | 11.4% |
| Tower | 62 | 10.9% |
Interference and Other were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
Accessibility complaints
438 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 0.1% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Closed Captioning on TV | 158 | 36.1% |
| Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) | 110 | 25.1% |
| Closed Captioning over the Internet | 85 | 19.4% |
| Video Description | 12 | 2.7% |
| Emergency Information on TV | 10 | 2.3% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireless Phones | 5 | 1.1% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireline Phones | 1 | 0.2% |
Closed Captioning on TV and Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
Request for Dispute Assistance complaints
171 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 0.1% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|
Unwanted calls
A total of 193182 complaints relating to unwanted calls were recorded on this date, representing 64.7% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| (800) 275-2273 | 387 | 0.2% |
| (800) 945-2000 | 202 | 0.1% |
| (800) 692-7753 | 170 | 0.1% |
| (719) 452-8970 | 124 | 0.1% |
| (408) 960-0110 | 122 | 0.1% |
| (555) 555-5555 | 106 | 0.1% |
| (800) 922-0204 | 100 | 0.1% |
| (845) 215-6980 | 97 | 0.1% |
| (800) 847-2911 | 91 | 0.0% |
| (424) 204-4290 | 70 | 0.0% |
Most reported business contact numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (555) 555-5555 | 458 | 0.2% |
| (800) 275-2273 | 190 | 0.1% |
| (888) 636-3834 | 142 | 0.1% |
| (208) 262-0000 | 125 | 0.1% |
| (719) 452-8970 | 124 | 0.1% |
| (800) 692-7753 | 120 | 0.1% |
| (800) 847-2911 | 94 | 0.0% |
| (206) 565-2056 | 86 | 0.0% |
| (844) 934-1370 | 84 | 0.0% |
| (800) 945-2000 | 79 | 0.0% |
Key patterns
- Prerecorded Voice was reported slightly more often than other call types.
- (555) 555-5555 stood out as the most frequently reported business contact number.
- (800) 275-2273 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.