FCC Consumer Complaints – 29 August 2020

Introduction

On Saturday, 29 August 2020, 562 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded in the Federal Communications Commission system, this represented a decline from the 1104 complaints recorded the day before. Reports were received from 45 states and territories, with Texas recording slightly more complaints than other locations. The most common issue reported was Unwanted Calls, accounting for 322 complaints.

Key statistics

Total complaints
562
States & territories reporting
45
Most common issue
Unwanted Calls (322)
Most reported state/territory
Texas (71)

Where the complaints came from

On 29 August 2020, the 562 complaints recorded by the Federal Communications Commission were reported from 385 cities across 45 states and territories. The distribution of complaints was relatively even, with no single state or territory contributing a dominant share. 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
Texas 71 12.6%
California 66 11.7%
Florida 49 8.7%
New York 39 6.9%
Pennsylvania 25 4.4%
Arizona 24 4.3%
North Carolina 23 4.1%
Ohio 22 3.9%
Illinois 19 3.4%
Washington 19 3.4%
Other states and territories 205 36.5%

What the complaints were about

The complaints recorded on this date were spread across 6 complaint categories. Phone accounted for the largest share, with 384 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Phone 384 68.3%
Internet 110 19.6%
TV 57 10.1%
Radio 6 1.1%
Emergency 4 0.7%
Accessibility 1 0.2%

Phone complaints

384 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 68.3% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Unwanted Calls 322 83.9%
Equipment 15 3.9%
Availability (including rural call completion) 14 3.6%
Billing 12 3.1%
Interference (including signal jammers) 8 2.1%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 6 1.6%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 4 1.0%
Privacy 3 0.8%

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 Equipment, Availability (including rural call completion) and Billing.

Internet complaints

110 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 19.6% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Availability 43 39.1%
Billing 31 28.2%
Speed 17 15.5%
Equipment 8 7.3%
Interference 6 5.5%
Privacy 5 4.5%

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

TV complaints

57 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 10.1% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 21 36.8%
Availability 18 31.6%
Loud Commercials 9 15.8%
Indecency 6 10.5%
Equipment 2 3.5%
Interference 1 1.8%

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

Unwanted calls

There were 322 complaints relating to unwanted calls on this date, representing 57.3% 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 16 5.0%
(855) 584-8315 3 0.9%
(866) 200-3504 3 0.9%
(855) 523-6111 2 0.6%
(201) 553-4040 1 0.3%
(201) 977-8099 1 0.3%
(202) 586-5781 1 0.3%
(202) 618-5323 1 0.3%
(202) 687-0657 1 0.3%
(202) 956-5772 1 0.3%

Key patterns

  • Abandoned Calls was reported slightly more often than other call types.
  • (315) 232-8257 stood out as the most frequently reported business contact number.
  • Reports were spread across many different caller ID numbers, with no single number dominating.
Page last updated: 30 August 2020 with FCC complaints data from 29 August 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.