FCC Consumer Complaints – 2020
Introduction
A total of 286867 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded by the Federal Communications Commission in 2020. Complaints were reported across 56 states and territories, with California slightly ahead of the other locations. Unwanted Calls was the most frequently reported issue, with 156474 complaints recorded.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 286867
- Months with complaint data
- 12
- Months with complaints
- 12
- Days with complaint data
- 366
- Days with complaints
- 366
- States & territories reporting
- 56
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (156474)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (31562)
Monthly complaint activity
Across the year, the FCC recorded an average of 23905.6 complaints per month. The highest monthly total was 30888 complaints in October 2020, while 7 months recorded more complaints than the yearly monthly average.
Each bar represents one month of the year. Taller bars indicate more complaints.
Where the complaints came from
Reports recorded in 2020 show 286867 complaints originating from 16830 cities across 56 states and territories. Complaints were relatively evenly spread across states and territories, with no individual location contributing a dominant share. At the city level, a significant concentration was observed in District of Columbia, where Washington accounted for 1273 of the 1383 complaints recorded.
The table below summarises the number of complaints reported in each state and territory during the year, ordered by total reports.
| State/Territory | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| California | 31562 | 11.0% |
| Texas | 24738 | 8.6% |
| Florida | 21030 | 7.3% |
| New York | 17537 | 6.1% |
| Pennsylvania | 11077 | 3.9% |
| Ohio | 10095 | 3.5% |
| North Carolina | 9459 | 3.3% |
| Illinois | 9342 | 3.3% |
| Georgia | 9180 | 3.2% |
| New Jersey | 8845 | 3.1% |
| Other states and territories | 133254 | 46.5% |
Location highlight
Complaint activity in District of Columbia was almost entirely concentrated in Washington.
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded during the year were spread across 7 complaint categories. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 198718 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 198718 | 69.3% |
| Internet | 45833 | 16.0% |
| TV | 35902 | 12.5% |
| Radio | 4766 | 1.7% |
| Accessibility | 848 | 0.3% |
| Emergency | 632 | 0.2% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 168 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
198718 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 69.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 156474 | 78.7% |
| Billing | 14748 | 7.4% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 8708 | 4.4% |
| Equipment | 6802 | 3.4% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 3867 | 1.9% |
| Privacy | 2715 | 1.4% |
| Junk Faxes | 1956 | 1.0% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 1655 | 0.8% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 1560 | 0.8% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 169 | 0.1% |
| Rural Call Completion | 63 | 0.0% |
As is often the case in this category, unwanted calls were the most frequently reported issue. Further analysis of these complaints is provided below. Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Billing, Availability (including rural call completion) and Equipment.
Internet complaints
45833 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 16.0% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | 18478 | 40.3% |
| Billing | 13964 | 30.5% |
| Speed | 6320 | 13.8% |
| Interference | 2865 | 6.3% |
| Equipment | 2471 | 5.4% |
| Privacy | 1734 | 3.8% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Availability and Billing, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
TV complaints
35902 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 12.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 11975 | 33.4% |
| Availability | 9860 | 27.5% |
| Indecency | 8177 | 22.8% |
| Loud Commercials | 2877 | 8.0% |
| Equipment | 1683 | 4.7% |
| Interference | 1048 | 2.9% |
| Privacy | 282 | 0.8% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Billing and Availability, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Radio complaints
4766 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 1.7% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Indecency | 1423 | 29.9% |
| Availability | 1250 | 26.2% |
| Interference | 962 | 20.2% |
| Pirate Radio | 615 | 12.9% |
| Billing | 215 | 4.5% |
| Commercials/Promotions | 177 | 3.7% |
| Equipment | 124 | 2.6% |
Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Indecency, Availability and Interference.
Accessibility complaints
848 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 0.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Closed Captioning on TV | 281 | 33.1% |
| Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) | 203 | 23.9% |
| Closed Captioning over the Internet | 136 | 16.0% |
| Emergency Information on TV | 44 | 5.2% |
| Video Description | 42 | 5.0% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireless Phones | 13 | 1.5% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireline Phones | 12 | 1.4% |
Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Closed Captioning on TV, Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) and Closed Captioning over the Internet.
Emergency complaints
632 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 0.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 287 | 45.4% |
| Other | 264 | 41.8% |
| Phone | 54 | 8.5% |
| Tower | 27 | 4.3% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Interference and Other, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Request for Dispute Assistance complaints
168 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 0.1% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|
Unwanted calls
A total of 156474 complaints relating to unwanted calls were recorded on this date, representing 54.5% of all complaints. Caller ID and business contact numbers are shown below where sufficient data is available.
Most reported caller ID numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (719) 452-8970 | 473 | 0.3% |
| (855) 523-6111 | 81 | 0.1% |
| (800) 275-2273 | 67 | 0.0% |
| (424) 204-4290 | 59 | 0.0% |
| (855) 584-8315 | 59 | 0.0% |
| (888) 280-4331 | 57 | 0.0% |
| (315) 232-8257 | 53 | 0.0% |
| (555) 555-5555 | 48 | 0.0% |
| (800) 282-7541 | 47 | 0.0% |
| (800) 536-3726 | 41 | 0.0% |
Most reported business contact numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (315) 232-8257 | 1376 | 0.9% |
| (208) 262-0000 | 791 | 0.5% |
| (719) 452-8970 | 473 | 0.3% |
| (844) 989-1708 | 272 | 0.2% |
| (555) 555-5555 | 239 | 0.2% |
| (844) 989-1702 | 118 | 0.1% |
| (855) 584-8315 | 92 | 0.1% |
| (855) 523-6111 | 86 | 0.1% |
| (833) 304-1447 | 82 | 0.1% |
| (844) 204-9279 | 56 | 0.0% |
Key patterns
- Prerecorded Voice was reported slightly more often than other call types.
- (315) 232-8257 was reported slightly more often than other business contact numbers.
- (719) 452-8970 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.