FCC Consumer Complaints – 19 March 2019
Introduction
A total of 1386 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded by the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday, 19 March 2019, this represented an increase from the 1132 complaints recorded the day before. Reports were received from 52 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. Complaints were most commonly associated with Unwanted Calls, accounting for 883 complaints.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 1386
- States & territories reporting
- 52
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (883)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (167)
Where the complaints came from
On 19 March 2019, the 1386 complaints recorded by the Federal Communications Commission were reported from 897 cities across 52 states and territories. Overall, complaint activity was broadly distributed, with no single state or territory representing a significant proportion of the total. 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 | 167 | 12.0% |
| Illinois | 126 | 9.1% |
| Florida | 107 | 7.7% |
| Texas | 94 | 6.8% |
| New York | 80 | 5.8% |
| Pennsylvania | 78 | 5.6% |
| North Carolina | 50 | 3.6% |
| Ohio | 48 | 3.5% |
| Virginia | 47 | 3.4% |
| Washington | 44 | 3.2% |
| Other states and territories | 543 | 39.2% |
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 1045 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 1045 | 75.4% |
| TV | 249 | 18.0% |
| Internet | 81 | 5.8% |
| Radio | 9 | 0.6% |
| Accessibility | 1 | 0.1% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 1 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
1045 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 75.4% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 883 | 84.5% |
| Billing | 65 | 6.2% |
| Equipment | 32 | 3.1% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 22 | 2.1% |
| Junk Faxes | 14 | 1.3% |
| Privacy | 12 | 1.1% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 6 | 0.6% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 6 | 0.6% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 4 | 0.4% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 1 | 0.1% |
Unwanted calls again accounted for the largest share of complaints in this category. These reports are examined in more detail in the section below. Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Billing, Equipment and Availability (including rural call completion).
TV complaints
249 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 18.0% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | 97 | 39.0% |
| Indecency | 75 | 30.1% |
| Billing | 64 | 25.7% |
| Equipment | 7 | 2.8% |
| Interference | 3 | 1.2% |
| Loud Commercials | 3 | 1.2% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Availability and Indecency, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Internet complaints
81 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 5.8% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 34 | 42.0% |
| Speed | 14 | 17.3% |
| Availability | 13 | 16.0% |
| Equipment | 8 | 9.9% |
| Interference | 6 | 7.4% |
| Privacy | 6 | 7.4% |
Billing represented the largest share of complaints recorded in this category, with lower volumes reported across the remaining issues.
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.