FCC Consumer Complaints – 18 October 2019
Introduction
The Federal Communications Commission recorded 867 consumer complaints on Friday, 18 October 2019 relating to telecommunications services, this represented a decline from the 1059 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 582 complaints.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 867
- States & territories reporting
- 51
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (582)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (104)
Where the complaints came from
Reports recorded on 18 October 2019 show 867 complaints originating from 627 cities across 51 states and territories. 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 table below shows the distribution of complaints by state and territory for this date, highlighting the locations with the highest number of reports.
| State/Territory | Complaints | |
|---|---|---|
| California | 104 | 12.0% |
| Texas | 67 | 7.7% |
| Florida | 65 | 7.5% |
| Illinois | 48 | 5.5% |
| Ohio | 46 | 5.3% |
| New York | 36 | 4.2% |
| Pennsylvania | 36 | 4.2% |
| Michigan | 26 | 3.0% |
| North Carolina | 26 | 3.0% |
| Georgia | 25 | 2.9% |
| Other states and territories | 388 | 44.8% |
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded on this date were spread across 7 complaint categories. Phone accounted for the largest share, with 691 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 691 | 79.7% |
| TV | 91 | 10.5% |
| Internet | 75 | 8.7% |
| Radio | 6 | 0.7% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 2 | 0.2% |
| Accessibility | 1 | 0.1% |
| Emergency | 1 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
691 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 79.7% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 582 | 84.2% |
| Billing | 41 | 5.9% |
| Equipment | 24 | 3.5% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 21 | 3.0% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 6 | 0.9% |
| Junk Faxes | 5 | 0.7% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 5 | 0.7% |
| Privacy | 4 | 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. The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Equipment and Availability (including rural call completion).
TV complaints
91 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 10.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 42 | 46.2% |
| Availability | 35 | 38.5% |
| Loud Commercials | 8 | 8.8% |
| Indecency | 4 | 4.4% |
| Interference | 2 | 2.2% |
Billing and Availability accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
Internet complaints
75 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 8.7% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 32 | 42.7% |
| Availability | 19 | 25.3% |
| Privacy | 8 | 10.7% |
| Equipment | 6 | 8.0% |
| Interference | 5 | 6.7% |
| Speed | 5 | 6.7% |
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.