FCC Consumer Complaints – 19 April 2019
Introduction
On Friday, 19 April 2019, the Federal Communications Commission recorded 800 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services, this was lower than the 1178 complaints recorded the previous day. Reports were received from 47 states and territories, with California accounting for the largest number of submissions at 121 complaints. The largest number of complaints related to Unwanted Calls, with 525 complaints.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 800
- States & territories reporting
- 47
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (525)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (121)
Where the complaints came from
Across 556 cities in 47 states and territories, a total of 800 complaints were recorded on 19 April 2019. Complaints were relatively evenly spread across states and territories, with no individual location contributing a dominant share. 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 | 121 | 15.1% |
| Florida | 58 | 7.2% |
| Texas | 56 | 7.0% |
| New York | 51 | 6.4% |
| Ohio | 35 | 4.4% |
| Michigan | 30 | 3.8% |
| Illinois | 29 | 3.6% |
| Maryland | 29 | 3.6% |
| Georgia | 26 | 3.3% |
| Virginia | 26 | 3.3% |
| Other states and territories | 339 | 42.4% |
What the complaints were about
A total of 6 complaint categories were represented in the complaints recorded on this date. Phone was the most reported category, with 651 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 651 | 81.4% |
| Internet | 69 | 8.6% |
| TV | 65 | 8.1% |
| Radio | 11 | 1.4% |
| Accessibility | 3 | 0.4% |
| Emergency | 1 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
651 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 81.4% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 525 | 80.6% |
| Billing | 45 | 6.9% |
| Equipment | 38 | 5.8% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 15 | 2.3% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 10 | 1.5% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 6 | 0.9% |
| Privacy | 5 | 0.8% |
| Junk Faxes | 4 | 0.6% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 3 | 0.5% |
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 Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers).
Internet complaints
69 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 8.6% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 26 | 37.7% |
| Availability | 19 | 27.5% |
| Speed | 10 | 14.5% |
| Equipment | 6 | 8.7% |
| Privacy | 5 | 7.2% |
| Interference | 3 | 4.3% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Billing and Availability, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
TV complaints
65 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 8.1% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 30 | 46.2% |
| Availability | 19 | 29.2% |
| Equipment | 9 | 13.8% |
| Loud Commercials | 4 | 6.2% |
| Indecency | 3 | 4.6% |
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.