FCC Consumer Complaints – 29 February 2020

Introduction

The Federal Communications Commission recorded 370 consumer complaints on Saturday, 29 February 2020 relating to telecommunications services, this represented a decline from the 945 complaints recorded the day before. The complaints came from 48 states and territories, with California reporting a modestly higher count than the other locations. The largest number of complaints related to Unwanted Calls, with 186 complaints.

Key statistics

Total complaints
370
States & territories reporting
48
Most common issue
Unwanted Calls (186)
Most reported state/territory
California (48)

Where the complaints came from

Across 311 cities in 48 states and territories, a total of 370 complaints were recorded on 29 February 2020. Complaint activity was fairly evenly distributed, with no single state or territory accounting for a large share of reports. A similar pattern is observed at the city level, with complaints spread across locations rather than concentrated in a single area.

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 48 13.0%
Texas 34 9.2%
Florida 22 5.9%
New York 19 5.1%
Pennsylvania 15 4.1%
Virginia 15 4.1%
Colorado 14 3.8%
North Carolina 13 3.5%
Washington 13 3.5%
Georgia 12 3.2%
Other states and territories 165 44.6%

What the complaints were about

Complaints recorded on this date related to 5 different complaint categories. Phone was the most reported category, with 238 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Phone 238 64.3%
TV 71 19.2%
Internet 54 14.6%
Radio 5 1.4%
Accessibility 2 0.5%

Phone complaints

238 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 64.3% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Unwanted Calls 186 78.2%
Billing 19 8.0%
Privacy 10 4.2%
Availability (including rural call completion) 7 2.9%
Equipment 6 2.5%
Interference (including signal jammers) 5 2.1%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 2 0.8%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 2 0.8%
Junk Faxes 1 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. A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Billing, Privacy and Availability (including rural call completion) among the most common.

TV complaints

71 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 19.2% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Indecency 27 38.0%
Availability 21 29.6%
Billing 14 19.7%
Loud Commercials 9 12.7%

Indecency and Availability were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.

Internet complaints

54 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 14.6% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 24 44.4%
Availability 19 35.2%
Speed 5 9.3%
Privacy 4 7.4%
Equipment 1 1.9%
Interference 1 1.9%

Billing and Availability were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.

Page last updated: 1 March 2020 with FCC complaints data from 29 February 2020.

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.