FCC Consumer Complaints – 20 December 2019
Introduction
On Friday, 20 December 2019, the Federal Communications Commission recorded 757 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services, this represented a decline from the 839 complaints recorded the previous day. Reports were received from 51 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. Unwanted Calls was the most frequently reported issue, with 395 complaints recorded.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 757
- States & territories reporting
- 51
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (395)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (100)
Where the complaints came from
On 20 December 2019, the 757 complaints recorded by the Federal Communications Commission were reported from 526 cities across 51 states and territories. Complaint reports were spread across multiple states and territories, without any one location accounting for a large share. 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 | 100 | 13.2% |
| Indiana | 63 | 8.3% |
| Texas | 62 | 8.2% |
| Florida | 45 | 5.9% |
| New York | 42 | 5.5% |
| North Carolina | 25 | 3.3% |
| Ohio | 25 | 3.3% |
| Missouri | 24 | 3.2% |
| New Jersey | 24 | 3.2% |
| Georgia | 23 | 3.0% |
| Other states and territories | 323 | 42.7% |
What the complaints were about
A total of 4 complaint categories were represented in the complaints recorded on this date. Phone accounted for the largest share, with 520 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 520 | 68.7% |
| TV | 124 | 16.4% |
| Internet | 101 | 13.3% |
| Radio | 12 | 1.6% |
Phone complaints
520 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 68.7% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 395 | 76.0% |
| Billing | 50 | 9.6% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 23 | 4.4% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 18 | 3.5% |
| Equipment | 17 | 3.3% |
| Privacy | 7 | 1.3% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 4 | 0.8% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 3 | 0.6% |
| Junk Faxes | 3 | 0.6% |
As is often the case in this category, unwanted calls were the most frequently reported issue. Further analysis of these complaints is provided below. A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Billing, Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) and Availability (including rural call completion) among the most common.
TV complaints
124 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 16.4% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | 69 | 55.6% |
| Billing | 42 | 33.9% |
| Equipment | 5 | 4.0% |
| Loud Commercials | 4 | 3.2% |
| Interference | 2 | 1.6% |
| Indecency | 1 | 0.8% |
| Privacy | 1 | 0.8% |
Availability and Billing accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
Internet complaints
101 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 13.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 47 | 46.5% |
| Availability | 35 | 34.7% |
| Speed | 10 | 9.9% |
| Privacy | 5 | 5.0% |
| Equipment | 3 | 3.0% |
| Interference | 1 | 1.0% |
Billing and Availability accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
Unwanted calls
395 complaints relating to unwanted calls were recorded on this date, accounting for 52.2% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| (816) 207-0718 | 15 | 3.8% |
| (719) 452-8970 | 4 | 1.0% |
| (561) 315-3015 | 3 | 0.8% |
| (817) 909-8600 | 3 | 0.8% |
| (856) 315-0277 | 3 | 0.8% |
| (866) 611-1148 | 3 | 0.8% |
| (346) 347-7242 | 2 | 0.5% |
| (800) 662-3115 | 2 | 0.5% |
| (800) 757-1745 | 2 | 0.5% |
| (913) 586-9801 | 2 | 0.5% |
Key patterns
- Abandoned Calls was reported slightly more often than other call types.
- Reports were spread across many different business contact numbers, with no single number dominating.
- (816) 207-0718 stood out as the most frequently reported caller ID number.
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.