FCC Consumer Complaints – 22 August 2020
Introduction
On Saturday, 22 August 2020, 451 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded in the Federal Communications Commission system, this was lower than the 1110 complaints recorded the previous day. The complaints came from 47 states and territories, with Texas reporting a modestly higher count than the other locations. The largest number of complaints related to Unwanted Calls, with 217 complaints.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 451
- States & territories reporting
- 47
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (217)
- Most reported state/territory
- Texas (52)
Where the complaints came from
Reports recorded on 22 August 2020 show 451 complaints originating from 352 cities across 47 states and territories. The distribution of complaints was relatively even, with no single state or territory contributing a dominant share. 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 | |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 52 | 11.5% |
| California | 42 | 9.3% |
| New York | 30 | 6.7% |
| Arizona | 24 | 5.3% |
| Florida | 24 | 5.3% |
| Illinois | 20 | 4.4% |
| Ohio | 18 | 4.0% |
| New Jersey | 17 | 3.8% |
| Pennsylvania | 17 | 3.8% |
| Georgia | 14 | 3.1% |
| Other states and territories | 193 | 42.8% |
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded on this date were spread across 5 complaint categories. Phone accounted for the largest share, with 270 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 270 | 59.9% |
| Internet | 124 | 27.5% |
| TV | 45 | 10.0% |
| Radio | 10 | 2.2% |
| Accessibility | 2 | 0.4% |
Phone complaints
270 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 59.9% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 217 | 80.4% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 13 | 4.8% |
| Billing | 13 | 4.8% |
| Equipment | 9 | 3.3% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 6 | 2.2% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 4 | 1.5% |
| Privacy | 4 | 1.5% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 3 | 1.1% |
| 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 Availability (including rural call completion), Billing and Equipment among the most common.
Internet complaints
124 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 27.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | 50 | 40.3% |
| Billing | 33 | 26.6% |
| Speed | 25 | 20.2% |
| Interference | 7 | 5.6% |
| Equipment | 6 | 4.8% |
| Privacy | 3 | 2.4% |
Availability and Billing were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
TV complaints
45 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 10.0% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 14 | 31.1% |
| Loud Commercials | 11 | 24.4% |
| Availability | 9 | 20.0% |
| Equipment | 5 | 11.1% |
| Indecency | 5 | 11.1% |
| Interference | 1 | 2.2% |
A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Billing, Loud Commercials and Availability among the most common.
Unwanted calls
There were 217 complaints relating to unwanted calls on this date, representing 48.1% 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 business contact numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (315) 232-8257 | 7 | 3.2% |
| (208) 262-0000 | 4 | 1.8% |
| (555) 555-5555 | 2 | 0.9% |
| (206) 946-9866 | 1 | 0.5% |
| (228) 452-2908 | 1 | 0.5% |
| (248) 694-8905 | 1 | 0.5% |
| (252) 709-9893 | 1 | 0.5% |
| (256) 402-3410 | 1 | 0.5% |
| (262) 654-6644 | 1 | 0.5% |
| (267) 756-2053 | 1 | 0.5% |
Key patterns
- Abandoned Calls was reported slightly more often than other call types.
- (315) 232-8257 was reported slightly more often than other business contact numbers.
- Reports were spread across many different caller ID numbers, with no single number dominating.
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.