FCC Consumer Complaints – 23 September 2019
Introduction
On Monday, 23 September 2019, 1113 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded in the Federal Communications Commission system, this represented an increase from the 256 complaints recorded the day before. The complaints came from 52 states and territories, with California reporting a modestly higher count than the other locations. The largest number of complaints related to Unwanted Calls, with 686 complaints.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 1113
- States & territories reporting
- 52
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (686)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (122)
Where the complaints came from
Across 762 cities in 52 states and territories, a total of 1113 complaints were recorded on 23 September 2019. Overall, complaint activity was broadly distributed, with no single state or territory representing a significant proportion of the total. 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 | 122 | 11.0% |
| Florida | 79 | 7.1% |
| Texas | 75 | 6.7% |
| Pennsylvania | 61 | 5.5% |
| New York | 56 | 5.0% |
| Virginia | 48 | 4.3% |
| Ohio | 46 | 4.1% |
| New Jersey | 41 | 3.7% |
| Illinois | 38 | 3.4% |
| North Carolina | 35 | 3.1% |
| Other states and territories | 506 | 45.5% |
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded on this date fell into 7 different complaint categories. Phone was the most reported category, with 842 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 842 | 75.7% |
| TV | 131 | 11.8% |
| Internet | 119 | 10.7% |
| Radio | 15 | 1.3% |
| Accessibility | 4 | 0.4% |
| Emergency | 1 | 0.1% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 1 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
842 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 75.7% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 686 | 81.5% |
| Billing | 57 | 6.8% |
| Equipment | 35 | 4.2% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 24 | 2.9% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 15 | 1.8% |
| Junk Faxes | 9 | 1.1% |
| Privacy | 8 | 1.0% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 5 | 0.6% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 3 | 0.4% |
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 Availability (including rural call completion).
TV complaints
131 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 11.8% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 71 | 54.2% |
| Availability | 41 | 31.3% |
| Loud Commercials | 9 | 6.9% |
| Equipment | 6 | 4.6% |
| Indecency | 3 | 2.3% |
| Interference | 1 | 0.8% |
Billing and Availability were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
Internet complaints
119 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 10.7% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 54 | 45.4% |
| Availability | 39 | 32.8% |
| Equipment | 11 | 9.2% |
| Speed | 8 | 6.7% |
| Privacy | 6 | 5.0% |
| Interference | 1 | 0.8% |
Billing and Availability were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
Unwanted calls
There were 686 complaints relating to unwanted calls on this date, representing 61.6% of all complaints. Caller ID and business contact number details are listed below where there is enough concentration to make the data meaningful.
Most reported business contact numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (555) 555-5555 | 5 | 0.7% |
| (512) 856-7764 | 3 | 0.4% |
| (740) 563-3142 | 3 | 0.4% |
| (252) 336-3683 | 2 | 0.3% |
| (434) 658-2362 | 2 | 0.3% |
| (516) 441-8935 | 2 | 0.3% |
| (517) 305-4316 | 2 | 0.3% |
| (669) 208-0715 | 2 | 0.3% |
| (800) 275-2273 | 2 | 0.3% |
| (801) 208-9465 | 2 | 0.3% |
Key patterns
- Unwanted call complaints were spread across multiple call types with similar counts.
- (555) 555-5555 was reported slightly more often than other business contact numbers.
- Reports were spread across many different caller ID numbers, with no single number dominating.
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.