FCC Consumer Complaints – 27 February 2020
Introduction
On 27 February 2020, the Federal Communications Commission recorded 1243 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services, complaint volume fell from 1581 complaints the day before. Reports were received from 52 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. Unwanted Calls recorded a slightly higher number of complaints than other issues.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 1243
- States & territories reporting
- 52
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (562)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (136)
Where the complaints came from
A total of 1243 complaints were recorded on 27 February 2020, with reports originating from 834 cities in 52 states and territories. Activity was spread across states and territories, with no single location accounting for a substantial share of complaints. 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 | 136 | 10.9% |
| Texas | 120 | 9.7% |
| Florida | 87 | 7.0% |
| New York | 63 | 5.1% |
| Ohio | 58 | 4.7% |
| North Carolina | 45 | 3.6% |
| Pennsylvania | 41 | 3.3% |
| Virginia | 40 | 3.2% |
| Michigan | 39 | 3.1% |
| Colorado | 38 | 3.1% |
| Other states and territories | 574 | 46.2% |
Location highlight
California had the widest distribution of complaints, with reports originating from 95 different cities.
What the complaints were about
A total of 5 complaint categories were represented in the complaints recorded on this date. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 688 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 688 | 55.3% |
| TV | 450 | 36.2% |
| Internet | 92 | 7.4% |
| Radio | 8 | 0.6% |
| Accessibility | 5 | 0.4% |
Phone complaints
688 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 55.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 562 | 81.7% |
| Billing | 53 | 7.7% |
| Equipment | 19 | 2.8% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 15 | 2.2% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 12 | 1.7% |
| Junk Faxes | 10 | 1.5% |
| Privacy | 8 | 1.2% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 4 | 0.6% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 3 | 0.4% |
| Rural Call Completion | 2 | 0.3% |
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. Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Billing, Equipment and Availability (including rural call completion).
TV complaints
450 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 36.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Indecency | 294 | 65.3% |
| Availability | 110 | 24.4% |
| Billing | 35 | 7.8% |
| Loud Commercials | 5 | 1.1% |
| Interference | 4 | 0.9% |
| Equipment | 1 | 0.2% |
| Privacy | 1 | 0.2% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Indecency and Availability, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Internet complaints
92 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 7.4% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 39 | 42.4% |
| Availability | 33 | 35.9% |
| Speed | 9 | 9.8% |
| Privacy | 6 | 6.5% |
| Interference | 3 | 3.3% |
| Equipment | 2 | 2.2% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Billing and Availability, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Unwanted calls
There were 562 complaints relating to unwanted calls on this date, representing 45.2% 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 caller ID numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (562) 414-0508 | 5 | 0.9% |
| (424) 204-4290 | 3 | 0.5% |
| (424) 282-8868 | 3 | 0.5% |
| (215) 788-5883 | 2 | 0.4% |
| (719) 452-8970 | 2 | 0.4% |
| (203) 617-8643 | 1 | 0.2% |
| (203) 680-9770 | 1 | 0.2% |
| (203) 758-7049 | 1 | 0.2% |
| (203) 888-5600 | 1 | 0.2% |
| (205) 368-8101 | 1 | 0.2% |
Key patterns
- Live Voice was reported slightly more often than other call types.
- Reports were spread across many different business contact numbers, with no single number dominating.
- (562) 414-0508 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.