FCC Consumer Complaints – September 2019
Introduction
In September 2019, the Federal Communications Commission recorded 26623 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services, this represented a decline from the 30210 complaints recorded the month before. The complaints came from 54 states and territories, with California reporting a modestly higher count than the other locations. The most common issue reported was Unwanted Calls, accounting for 16733 complaints.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 26623
- Days with complaint data
- 30
- Days with complaints
- 30
- States & territories reporting
- 54
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (16733)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (2890)
Daily complaint activity
Daily complaint activity averaged 887.4 complaints per day during the month. The busiest day was 11 September 2019, when 1309 complaints were recorded, and 20 days were above the monthly daily average. The lowest daily total was 212 complaints on 1 September 2019, well below the monthly average.
Each bar represents one day of the month. Taller bars indicate more complaints.
Where the complaints came from
Across 6035 cities in 54 states and territories, a total of 26623 complaints were recorded in September 2019. Complaints were relatively evenly spread across states and territories, with no individual location contributing a dominant share. Despite the overall distribution, a notable concentration at the city level was observed in District of Columbia, where Washington accounted for 108 of the 118 complaints recorded in the state.
The monthly distribution of complaints by state and territory is shown below, with locations ranked by the number of reports recorded.
| State/Territory | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| California | 2890 | 10.9% |
| Texas | 2257 | 8.5% |
| Florida | 1918 | 7.2% |
| New York | 1528 | 5.7% |
| Pennsylvania | 1099 | 4.1% |
| Ohio | 1045 | 3.9% |
| North Carolina | 929 | 3.5% |
| Illinois | 915 | 3.4% |
| Georgia | 773 | 2.9% |
| Virginia | 758 | 2.8% |
| Other states and territories | 12435 | 46.7% |
Location highlight
Complaint activity in District of Columbia was almost entirely concentrated in Washington.
What the complaints were about
Complaints recorded during the month related to 7 different complaint categories. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 20505 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 20505 | 77.0% |
| TV | 2869 | 10.8% |
| Internet | 2798 | 10.5% |
| Radio | 328 | 1.2% |
| Accessibility | 61 | 0.2% |
| Emergency | 48 | 0.2% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 14 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
20505 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 77.0% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 16733 | 81.6% |
| Billing | 1459 | 7.1% |
| Equipment | 688 | 3.4% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 556 | 2.7% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 312 | 1.5% |
| Junk Faxes | 244 | 1.2% |
| Privacy | 217 | 1.1% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 152 | 0.7% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 123 | 0.6% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 11 | 0.1% |
| Rural Call Completion | 10 | 0.0% |
As is typical for this category, unwanted calls accounted for the largest share of complaints. A more detailed analysis of these reports is provided in the section below. A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Billing, Equipment and Availability (including rural call completion) among the most common.
TV complaints
2869 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 10.8% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 1322 | 46.1% |
| Availability | 975 | 34.0% |
| Loud Commercials | 187 | 6.5% |
| Indecency | 154 | 5.4% |
| Equipment | 153 | 5.3% |
| Interference | 65 | 2.3% |
| Privacy | 13 | 0.5% |
Billing and Availability accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
Internet complaints
2798 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 10.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | 1011 | 36.1% |
| Billing | 986 | 35.2% |
| Speed | 300 | 10.7% |
| Privacy | 190 | 6.8% |
| Equipment | 170 | 6.1% |
| Interference | 141 | 5.0% |
Availability and Billing accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
Radio complaints
328 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 1.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | 96 | 29.3% |
| Interference | 84 | 25.6% |
| Indecency | 55 | 16.8% |
| Pirate Radio | 53 | 16.2% |
| Billing | 17 | 5.2% |
| Equipment | 12 | 3.7% |
| Commercials/Promotions | 11 | 3.4% |
A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Availability, Interference and Indecency among the most common.
Accessibility complaints
61 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Closed Captioning on TV | 26 | 42.6% |
| Closed Captioning over the Internet | 17 | 27.9% |
| Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) | 14 | 23.0% |
| Emergency Information on TV | 1 | 1.6% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireless Phones | 1 | 1.6% |
Closed Captioning on TV and Closed Captioning over the Internet accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
Emergency complaints
48 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 21 | 43.8% |
| Other | 15 | 31.3% |
| Tower | 7 | 14.6% |
| Phone | 5 | 10.4% |
Interference and Other accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
Unwanted calls
16733 complaints relating to unwanted calls were recorded on this date, accounting for 62.9% of all complaints. Reports referenced both caller ID numbers and business contact numbers, with number tables shown where meaningful patterns are present.
Most reported caller ID numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (800) 275-2273 | 61 | 0.4% |
| (719) 452-8970 | 33 | 0.2% |
| (630) 348-9959 | 31 | 0.2% |
| (800) 692-7753 | 22 | 0.1% |
| (800) 945-2000 | 13 | 0.1% |
| (510) 350-2400 | 10 | 0.1% |
| (619) 323-0926 | 9 | 0.1% |
| (206) 350-2641 | 8 | 0.0% |
| (617) 543-6661 | 8 | 0.0% |
| (800) 997-1468 | 8 | 0.0% |
Most reported business contact numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (555) 555-5555 | 56 | 0.3% |
| (719) 452-8970 | 33 | 0.2% |
| (518) 730-1561 | 30 | 0.2% |
| (800) 275-2273 | 20 | 0.1% |
| (800) 692-7753 | 16 | 0.1% |
| (208) 262-0000 | 10 | 0.1% |
| (619) 329-5515 | 9 | 0.1% |
| (310) 956-4292 | 8 | 0.0% |
| (725) 214-2581 | 8 | 0.0% |
| (855) 201-1512 | 8 | 0.0% |
Key patterns
- Prerecorded Voice was reported slightly more often than other call types.
- (555) 555-5555 was reported slightly more often than other business contact numbers.
- (800) 275-2273 was reported slightly more often than other caller ID numbers.
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.