FCC Consumer Complaints – 7 July 2020

Introduction

On Tuesday, 7 July 2020, 1081 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded in the Federal Communications Commission system, this represented an increase from the 900 complaints recorded the day before. The complaints came from 49 states and territories, with California reporting a modestly higher count than the other locations. Complaints were most commonly associated with Unwanted Calls, accounting for 616 complaints.

Key statistics

Total complaints
1081
States & territories reporting
49
Most common issue
Unwanted Calls (616)
Most reported state/territory
California (109)

Where the complaints came from

A total of 1081 complaints were recorded on 7 July 2020, with reports originating from 721 cities in 49 states and territories. Overall, complaint activity was broadly distributed, with no single state or territory representing a significant proportion of the total. 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 109 10.1%
Texas 108 10.0%
Florida 73 6.8%
New York 57 5.3%
North Carolina 50 4.6%
Illinois 45 4.2%
Virginia 42 3.9%
Ohio 41 3.8%
Michigan 35 3.2%
New Jersey 34 3.1%
Other states and territories 484 44.8%

What the complaints were about

The complaints recorded on this date were spread across 7 complaint categories. Phone accounted for the largest share, with 797 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Phone 797 73.7%
Internet 174 16.1%
TV 97 9.0%
Radio 9 0.8%
Emergency 2 0.2%
Accessibility 1 0.1%
Request for Dispute Assistance 1 0.1%

Phone complaints

797 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 73.7% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Unwanted Calls 616 77.3%
Billing 58 7.3%
Availability (including rural call completion) 48 6.0%
Equipment 29 3.6%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 21 2.6%
Privacy 9 1.1%
Interference (including signal jammers) 6 0.8%
Junk Faxes 6 0.8%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 3 0.4%
Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) 1 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. Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Billing, Availability (including rural call completion) and Equipment.

Internet complaints

174 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 16.1% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Availability 72 41.4%
Billing 58 33.3%
Speed 21 12.1%
Equipment 10 5.7%
Interference 10 5.7%
Privacy 3 1.7%

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

TV complaints

97 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 9.0% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 51 52.6%
Availability 25 25.8%
Loud Commercials 8 8.2%
Equipment 7 7.2%
Indecency 5 5.2%
Privacy 1 1.0%

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

Page last updated: 8 July 2020 with FCC complaints data from 7 July 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.