FCC Consumer Complaints – 15 August 2019

Introduction

A total of 1080 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded by the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday, 15 August 2019, complaint volume fell from 1174 complaints the day before. Reports were received from 49 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. The largest number of complaints related to Unwanted Calls, with 733 complaints.

Key statistics

Total complaints
1080
States & territories reporting
49
Most common issue
Unwanted Calls (733)
Most reported state/territory
California (137)

Where the complaints came from

Reports recorded on 15 August 2019 show 1080 complaints originating from 705 cities across 49 states and territories. Complaint activity was fairly evenly distributed, with no single state or territory accounting for a large share of reports. At the city level, complaints were similarly dispersed, with no single location accounting for a notable share of the total.

The distribution of complaints by state and territory is shown below, with locations ranked by the number of reports recorded.

State/Territory Complaints
California 137 12.7%
Texas 116 10.7%
Florida 87 8.1%
New York 57 5.3%
Pennsylvania 47 4.4%
Ohio 42 3.9%
North Carolina 41 3.8%
Michigan 36 3.3%
New Jersey 36 3.3%
Illinois 34 3.1%
Other states and territories 447 41.4%

What the complaints were about

A total of 6 complaint categories were represented in the complaints recorded on this date. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 879 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Phone 879 81.4%
TV 96 8.9%
Internet 92 8.5%
Radio 9 0.8%
Emergency 3 0.3%
Accessibility 1 0.1%

Phone complaints

879 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 81.4% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Unwanted Calls 733 83.4%
Billing 60 6.8%
Availability (including rural call completion) 25 2.8%
Equipment 25 2.8%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 12 1.4%
Privacy 9 1.0%
Interference (including signal jammers) 7 0.8%
Junk Faxes 5 0.6%
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.

TV complaints

96 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 8.9% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 47 49.0%
Availability 39 40.6%
Equipment 5 5.2%
Loud Commercials 2 2.1%
Privacy 2 2.1%
Indecency 1 1.0%

Billing and Availability accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.

Internet complaints

92 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 8.5% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Availability 38 41.3%
Billing 31 33.7%
Interference 8 8.7%
Speed 8 8.7%
Equipment 4 4.3%
Privacy 3 3.3%

Availability and Billing accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.

Page last updated: 16 August 2019 with FCC complaints data from 15 August 2019.

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.