FCC Consumer Complaints – 12 April 2019
Introduction
On Friday, 12 April 2019, 1084 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded in the Federal Communications Commission system, this represented a decline from the 1223 complaints recorded the previous day. The complaints came from 49 states and territories, with California reporting a modestly higher count than the other locations. The largest number of complaints related to Unwanted Calls, with 821 complaints.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 1084
- States & territories reporting
- 49
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (821)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (126)
Where the complaints came from
Across 745 cities in 49 states and territories, a total of 1084 complaints were recorded on 12 April 2019. Complaints were relatively evenly spread across states and territories, with no individual location contributing a dominant share. 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 | 126 | 11.6% |
| Texas | 87 | 8.0% |
| Florida | 71 | 6.5% |
| New York | 59 | 5.4% |
| Pennsylvania | 52 | 4.8% |
| North Carolina | 51 | 4.7% |
| Illinois | 46 | 4.2% |
| Ohio | 40 | 3.7% |
| Virginia | 36 | 3.3% |
| Georgia | 34 | 3.1% |
| Other states and territories | 478 | 44.1% |
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded on this date fell into 5 different complaint categories. Phone was the most reported category, with 942 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 942 | 86.9% |
| Internet | 70 | 6.5% |
| TV | 56 | 5.2% |
| Radio | 15 | 1.4% |
| Emergency | 1 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
942 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 86.9% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 821 | 87.2% |
| Billing | 40 | 4.2% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 24 | 2.5% |
| Equipment | 18 | 1.9% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 16 | 1.7% |
| Privacy | 10 | 1.1% |
| Junk Faxes | 6 | 0.6% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 4 | 0.4% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 3 | 0.3% |
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, Availability (including rural call completion) and Equipment.
Internet complaints
70 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 6.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | 31 | 44.3% |
| Billing | 21 | 30.0% |
| Speed | 9 | 12.9% |
| Privacy | 6 | 8.6% |
| Interference | 3 | 4.3% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Availability and Billing, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
TV complaints
56 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 5.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 24 | 42.9% |
| Availability | 18 | 32.1% |
| Equipment | 7 | 12.5% |
| Loud Commercials | 4 | 7.1% |
| Indecency | 2 | 3.6% |
| Privacy | 1 | 1.8% |
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.