FCC Consumer Complaints – 13 November 2020

Introduction

On Friday, 13 November 2020, 948 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded in the Federal Communications Commission system, this represented a decline from the 1058 complaints recorded the previous day. The complaints came from 52 states and territories, with California reporting a modestly higher count than the other locations. The most common issue reported was Unwanted Calls, accounting for 533 complaints.

Key statistics

Total complaints
948
States & territories reporting
52
Most common issue
Unwanted Calls (533)
Most reported state/territory
California (106)

Where the complaints came from

A total of 948 complaints were recorded on 13 November 2020, with reports originating from 634 cities in 52 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 106 11.2%
Texas 76 8.0%
Florida 60 6.3%
New York 54 5.7%
Virginia 40 4.2%
North Carolina 32 3.4%
New Jersey 32 3.4%
Ohio 31 3.3%
Arizona 30 3.2%
Georgia 30 3.2%
Other states and territories 456 48.1%

What the complaints were about

The complaints recorded on this date fell into 6 different complaint categories. Phone was the most reported category, with 691 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Phone 691 72.9%
Internet 140 14.8%
TV 98 10.3%
Radio 14 1.5%
Emergency 3 0.3%
Accessibility 2 0.2%

Phone complaints

691 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 72.9% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Unwanted Calls 533 77.1%
Billing 53 7.7%
Availability (including rural call completion) 50 7.2%
Equipment 17 2.5%
Privacy 11 1.6%
Junk Faxes 9 1.3%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 9 1.3%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 5 0.7%
Interference (including signal jammers) 4 0.6%

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. The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Availability (including rural call completion) and Equipment.

Internet complaints

140 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 14.8% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Availability 60 42.9%
Billing 41 29.3%
Speed 22 15.7%
Interference 9 6.4%
Equipment 6 4.3%
Privacy 2 1.4%

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

TV complaints

98 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 10.3% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 29 29.6%
Availability 22 22.4%
Indecency 15 15.3%
Loud Commercials 15 15.3%
Interference 11 11.2%
Equipment 4 4.1%
Privacy 2 2.0%

The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Availability and Indecency.

Page last updated: 14 November 2020 with FCC complaints data from 13 November 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.