FCC Consumer Complaints – 1 January 2021
Introduction
A total of 245 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded by the Federal Communications Commission on Friday, 1 January 2021, complaint volume fell from 588 complaints the day before. The complaints came from 44 states and territories, without one location accounting for a clearly higher number of reports. Unwanted Calls recorded a slightly higher number of complaints than other issues.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 245
- States & territories reporting
- 44
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (74)
Where the complaints came from
Reports recorded on 1 January 2021 show 245 complaints originating from 184 cities across 44 states and territories. Complaints were relatively evenly spread across states and territories, with no individual location 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 | |
|---|---|---|
| California | 29 | 11.8% |
| Florida | 29 | 11.8% |
| Texas | 25 | 10.2% |
| Virginia | 14 | 5.7% |
| New York | 11 | 4.5% |
| New Jersey | 9 | 3.7% |
| Maryland | 8 | 3.3% |
| Ohio | 8 | 3.3% |
| Pennsylvania | 8 | 3.3% |
| Nevada | 7 | 2.9% |
| Other states and territories | 97 | 39.6% |
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded on this date fell into 4 different complaint categories. Phone was the most reported category, with 129 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 129 | 52.7% |
| Internet | 62 | 25.3% |
| TV | 45 | 18.4% |
| Radio | 9 | 3.7% |
Phone complaints
129 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 52.7% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 74 | 57.4% |
| Billing | 20 | 15.5% |
| Equipment | 14 | 10.9% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 4 | 3.1% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 4 | 3.1% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 4 | 3.1% |
| Privacy | 4 | 3.1% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 3 | 2.3% |
| Junk Faxes | 1 | 0.8% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 1 | 0.8% |
As is often the case in this category, unwanted calls were the most frequently reported issue. Further analysis of these complaints is provided below. The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Equipment and Availability (including rural call completion).
Internet complaints
62 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 25.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 20 | 32.3% |
| Availability | 19 | 30.6% |
| Speed | 12 | 19.4% |
| Interference | 6 | 9.7% |
| Privacy | 3 | 4.8% |
| Equipment | 2 | 3.2% |
Billing and Availability were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
TV complaints
45 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 18.4% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | 11 | 24.4% |
| Loud Commercials | 11 | 24.4% |
| Billing | 9 | 20.0% |
| Indecency | 9 | 20.0% |
| Equipment | 2 | 4.4% |
| Privacy | 2 | 4.4% |
| Interference | 1 | 2.2% |
The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Availability, Loud Commercials and Billing.
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.