FCC Consumer Complaints – 5 February 2019
Introduction
A total of 1326 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded by the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday, 5 February 2019, complaint volume increased from 1025 complaints the day before. The complaints came from 50 states and territories, with California reporting a modestly higher count than the other locations. The largest number of complaints related to Unwanted Calls, with 804 complaints.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 1326
- States & territories reporting
- 50
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (804)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (155)
Where the complaints came from
Across 842 cities in 50 states and territories, a total of 1326 complaints were recorded on 5 February 2019. Overall, complaint activity was broadly distributed, with no single state or territory representing a significant proportion of the total. 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 | 155 | 11.7% |
| New York | 99 | 7.5% |
| Florida | 95 | 7.2% |
| Texas | 94 | 7.1% |
| Illinois | 67 | 5.1% |
| Pennsylvania | 64 | 4.8% |
| New Jersey | 47 | 3.5% |
| Arizona | 46 | 3.5% |
| Ohio | 45 | 3.4% |
| Virginia | 44 | 3.3% |
| Other states and territories | 565 | 42.6% |
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded on this date fell into 6 different complaint categories. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 1068 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 1068 | 80.5% |
| TV | 137 | 10.3% |
| Internet | 106 | 8.0% |
| Radio | 11 | 0.8% |
| Accessibility | 2 | 0.2% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 2 | 0.2% |
Phone complaints
1068 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 80.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 804 | 75.3% |
| Billing | 99 | 9.3% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 38 | 3.6% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 37 | 3.5% |
| Equipment | 31 | 2.9% |
| Junk Faxes | 23 | 2.2% |
| Privacy | 19 | 1.8% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 9 | 0.8% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 6 | 0.6% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 2 | 0.2% |
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, Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) and Availability (including rural call completion).
TV complaints
137 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 10.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 53 | 38.7% |
| Indecency | 26 | 19.0% |
| Loud Commercials | 22 | 16.1% |
| Availability | 19 | 13.9% |
| Equipment | 11 | 8.0% |
| Interference | 5 | 3.6% |
| Privacy | 1 | 0.7% |
The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Indecency and Loud Commercials.
Internet complaints
106 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 8.0% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 46 | 43.4% |
| Availability | 19 | 17.9% |
| Speed | 16 | 15.1% |
| Equipment | 10 | 9.4% |
| Privacy | 8 | 7.5% |
| Interference | 7 | 6.6% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Billing and Availability, 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.