FCC Consumer Complaints – April 2020
Introduction
In April 2020, 17689 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded in the Federal Communications Commission system, this represented a decline from the 18466 complaints recorded the previous month. Complaints were reported across 54 states and territories, with California slightly ahead of the other locations. The largest number of complaints related to Unwanted Calls, with 7572 complaints.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 17689
- Days with complaint data
- 30
- Days with complaints
- 30
- States & territories reporting
- 54
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (7572)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (1918)
Daily complaint activity
The month averaged 589.6 complaints per day. The highest daily count was 767 complaints on 15 April 2020, with 22 days recording more complaints than the monthly daily average. The quietest day was 12 April 2020, with 221 complaints, noticeably below the monthly average.
Each bar represents one day of the month. Taller bars indicate more complaints.
Where the complaints came from
The 17689 complaints recorded in April 2020 were submitted from 4897 cities across 54 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 79 of the 94 complaints recorded.
The table below shows the distribution of complaints by state and territory for this month, highlighting the locations with the highest number of reports.
| State/Territory | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| California | 1918 | 10.8% |
| Texas | 1580 | 8.9% |
| Florida | 1396 | 7.9% |
| New York | 1066 | 6.0% |
| Pennsylvania | 753 | 4.3% |
| Ohio | 677 | 3.8% |
| Illinois | 594 | 3.4% |
| Arizona | 591 | 3.3% |
| North Carolina | 557 | 3.1% |
| Georgia | 540 | 3.1% |
| Other states and territories | 7943 | 44.9% |
Location highlights
- Complaints in District of Columbia were heavily concentrated in Washington, which accounted for the majority of reports within the state.
- California had the widest distribution of complaints, with reports originating from 485 different cities.
What the complaints were about
A total of 7 complaint categories were represented in the complaints recorded during the month. Phone accounted for the largest share, with 10571 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 10571 | 59.8% |
| Internet | 4286 | 24.2% |
| TV | 2358 | 13.3% |
| Radio | 315 | 1.8% |
| Accessibility | 85 | 0.5% |
| Emergency | 56 | 0.3% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 18 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
10571 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 59.8% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 7572 | 71.6% |
| Billing | 1188 | 11.2% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 481 | 4.6% |
| Equipment | 467 | 4.4% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 289 | 2.7% |
| Privacy | 198 | 1.9% |
| Junk Faxes | 121 | 1.1% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 119 | 1.1% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 119 | 1.1% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 10 | 0.1% |
| Rural Call Completion | 7 | 0.1% |
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, Availability (including rural call completion) and Equipment.
Internet complaints
4286 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 24.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | 1656 | 38.6% |
| Billing | 1342 | 31.3% |
| Speed | 788 | 18.4% |
| Interference | 208 | 4.9% |
| Privacy | 151 | 3.5% |
| Equipment | 141 | 3.3% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Availability and Billing, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
TV complaints
2358 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 13.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 1153 | 48.9% |
| Availability | 627 | 26.6% |
| Indecency | 261 | 11.1% |
| Loud Commercials | 135 | 5.7% |
| Equipment | 101 | 4.3% |
| Interference | 57 | 2.4% |
| Privacy | 24 | 1.0% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Billing and Availability, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Radio complaints
315 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 1.8% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | 91 | 28.9% |
| Interference | 90 | 28.6% |
| Indecency | 48 | 15.2% |
| Pirate Radio | 47 | 14.9% |
| Billing | 16 | 5.1% |
| Commercials/Promotions | 16 | 5.1% |
| Equipment | 7 | 2.2% |
The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Availability, Interference and Indecency.
Accessibility complaints
85 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Closed Captioning on TV | 31 | 36.5% |
| Closed Captioning over the Internet | 18 | 21.2% |
| Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) | 16 | 18.8% |
| Video Description | 5 | 5.9% |
| Emergency Information on TV | 3 | 3.5% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireline Phones | 1 | 1.2% |
The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Closed Captioning on TV, Closed Captioning over the Internet and Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS).
Emergency complaints
56 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 33 | 58.9% |
| Other | 17 | 30.4% |
| Phone | 3 | 5.4% |
| Tower | 3 | 5.4% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Interference and Other, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Unwanted calls
A total of 7572 complaints relating to unwanted calls were recorded on this date, representing 42.8% 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 | 47 | 0.6% |
| (800) 292-7508 | 9 | 0.1% |
| (814) 419-3873 | 9 | 0.1% |
| (352) 268-4969 | 7 | 0.1% |
| (763) 275-3160 | 7 | 0.1% |
| (781) 217-7700 | 6 | 0.1% |
| (888) 662-0495 | 5 | 0.1% |
| (973) 828-8472 | 5 | 0.1% |
| (231) 244-2752 | 4 | 0.1% |
| (404) 201-2836 | 4 | 0.1% |
Most reported business contact numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (719) 452-8970 | 48 | 0.6% |
| (844) 989-1708 | 23 | 0.3% |
| (844) 989-1702 | 19 | 0.3% |
| (555) 555-5555 | 15 | 0.2% |
| (405) 767-0967 | 7 | 0.1% |
| (314) 720-6952 | 6 | 0.1% |
| (208) 813-7455 | 5 | 0.1% |
| (410) 319-2847 | 5 | 0.1% |
| (800) 292-7508 | 4 | 0.1% |
| (844) 872-8502 | 4 | 0.1% |
Key patterns
- Prerecorded Voice was reported slightly more often than other call types.
- (719) 452-8970 stood out as the most frequently reported business contact number.
- (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.