FCC Consumer Complaints – 14 May 2019
Introduction
On Tuesday, 14 May 2019, the Federal Communications Commission recorded 1082 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services, this was higher than the 891 complaints recorded the day before. Reports were received from 51 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. Complaints were most commonly associated with Unwanted Calls, accounting for 721 complaints.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 1082
- States & territories reporting
- 51
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (721)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (127)
Where the complaints came from
Reports recorded on 14 May 2019 show 1082 complaints originating from 713 cities across 51 states and territories. Activity was spread across states and territories, with no single location accounting for a substantial share of complaints. 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 | 127 | 11.7% |
| Texas | 96 | 8.9% |
| Florida | 95 | 8.8% |
| New York | 57 | 5.3% |
| Pennsylvania | 52 | 4.8% |
| Illinois | 45 | 4.2% |
| New Jersey | 44 | 4.1% |
| Georgia | 42 | 3.9% |
| Ohio | 36 | 3.3% |
| Washington | 31 | 2.9% |
| Other states and territories | 448 | 41.4% |
What the complaints were about
A total of 5 complaint categories were represented in the complaints recorded on this date. Phone was the most reported category, with 898 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 898 | 83.0% |
| Internet | 93 | 8.6% |
| TV | 76 | 7.0% |
| Radio | 14 | 1.3% |
| Accessibility | 1 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
898 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 83.0% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 721 | 80.3% |
| Billing | 70 | 7.8% |
| Junk Faxes | 29 | 3.2% |
| Equipment | 27 | 3.0% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 16 | 1.8% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 15 | 1.7% |
| Privacy | 7 | 0.8% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 6 | 0.7% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 5 | 0.6% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 2 | 0.2% |
Unwanted calls again accounted for the largest share of complaints in this category. These reports are examined in more detail in the section below. The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Junk Faxes and Equipment.
Internet complaints
93 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 8.6% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | 38 | 40.9% |
| Billing | 32 | 34.4% |
| Interference | 8 | 8.6% |
| Privacy | 6 | 6.5% |
| Speed | 6 | 6.5% |
| Equipment | 3 | 3.2% |
Availability and Billing accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
TV complaints
76 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 7.0% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 39 | 51.3% |
| Availability | 16 | 21.1% |
| Loud Commercials | 8 | 10.5% |
| Equipment | 4 | 5.3% |
| Indecency | 4 | 5.3% |
| Interference | 3 | 3.9% |
| Privacy | 2 | 2.6% |
Billing and Availability accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
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.