FCC Consumer Complaints – 27 May 2020

Introduction

On 27 May 2020, 872 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded in the Federal Communications Commission system, this was higher than the 708 complaints recorded the day before. Reports were received from 51 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. The largest number of complaints related to Unwanted Calls, with 475 complaints.

Key statistics

Total complaints
872
States & territories reporting
51
Most common issue
Unwanted Calls (475)
Most reported state/territory
California (85)

Where the complaints came from

The 872 complaints recorded on 27 May 2020 originated from 594 cities across 51 states and territories. The complaints were widely dispersed, with no single state or territory representing a notable proportion of the total. 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 85 9.7%
Texas 84 9.6%
Florida 80 9.2%
New York 43 4.9%
Colorado 36 4.1%
New Jersey 36 4.1%
Arizona 35 4.0%
Ohio 34 3.9%
Illinois 29 3.3%
North Carolina 26 3.0%
Other states and territories 380 43.6%

What the complaints were about

The complaints recorded on this date were spread across 7 complaint categories. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 616 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Phone 616 70.6%
Internet 147 16.9%
TV 94 10.8%
Radio 7 0.8%
Accessibility 5 0.6%
Emergency 2 0.2%
Request for Dispute Assistance 1 0.1%

Phone complaints

616 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 70.6% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Unwanted Calls 475 77.1%
Billing 55 8.9%
Equipment 20 3.2%
Junk Faxes 20 3.2%
Availability (including rural call completion) 19 3.1%
Privacy 12 1.9%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 8 1.3%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 5 0.8%
Interference (including signal jammers) 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. A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Billing, Equipment and Junk Faxes among the most common.

Internet complaints

147 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 16.9% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Availability 58 39.5%
Billing 46 31.3%
Speed 24 16.3%
Interference 7 4.8%
Equipment 6 4.1%
Privacy 6 4.1%

Availability and Billing accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.

TV complaints

94 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 10.8% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 51 54.3%
Availability 22 23.4%
Indecency 9 9.6%
Interference 6 6.4%
Loud Commercials 5 5.3%
Equipment 1 1.1%

Billing and Availability accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.

Page last updated: 28 May 2020 with FCC complaints data from 27 May 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.