FCC Consumer Complaints – April 2021
Introduction
In April 2021, the Federal Communications Commission recorded 27313 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services, this was lower than the 30842 complaints recorded the month before. Reports were received from 56 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. The largest number of complaints related to Unwanted Calls, with 16383 complaints.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 27313
- Days with complaint data
- 30
- Days with complaints
- 30
- States & territories reporting
- 56
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (16383)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (3456)
Daily complaint activity
The month averaged 910.4 complaints per day. The highest daily count was 1517 complaints on 13 April 2021, with 22 days recording more complaints than the monthly daily average. The lowest daily total was 232 complaints on 4 April 2021, well below the monthly average.
Each bar represents one day of the month. Taller bars indicate more complaints.
Where the complaints came from
A total of 27313 complaints were recorded in April 2021, with reports originating from 5607 cities in 56 states and territories. Complaint reports were spread across multiple states and territories, without any one location accounting for a large share. At the city level, a significant concentration was observed in District of Columbia, where Washington accounted for 108 of the 118 complaints recorded.
The monthly distribution of complaints by state and territory is shown below, with locations ranked by the number of reports recorded.
| State/Territory | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| California | 3456 | 12.7% |
| Texas | 2559 | 9.4% |
| Florida | 2265 | 8.3% |
| New York | 1573 | 5.8% |
| Pennsylvania | 983 | 3.6% |
| Georgia | 974 | 3.6% |
| Ohio | 913 | 3.3% |
| Colorado | 897 | 3.3% |
| North Carolina | 839 | 3.1% |
| New Jersey | 765 | 2.8% |
| Other states and territories | 12018 | 44.0% |
Location highlight
Nearly all complaints reported in District of Columbia originated from Washington.
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded during the month fell into 8 different complaint categories. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 20152 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 20152 | 73.8% |
| Internet | 3091 | 11.3% |
| TV | 2475 | 9.1% |
| Broadband Story | 1089 | 4.0% |
| Radio | 348 | 1.3% |
| Emergency | 80 | 0.3% |
| Accessibility | 60 | 0.2% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 18 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
20152 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 73.8% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 16383 | 81.3% |
| Billing | 1277 | 6.3% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 773 | 3.8% |
| Equipment | 612 | 3.0% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 319 | 1.6% |
| Privacy | 286 | 1.4% |
| Junk Faxes | 174 | 0.9% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 171 | 0.8% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 131 | 0.7% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 23 | 0.1% |
| Rural Call Completion | 3 | 0.0% |
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 Billing, Availability (including rural call completion) and Equipment.
Internet complaints
3091 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 11.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | 1105 | 35.7% |
| Billing | 902 | 29.2% |
| Speed | 493 | 15.9% |
| Interference | 236 | 7.6% |
| Privacy | 188 | 6.1% |
| Equipment | 167 | 5.4% |
Availability and Billing were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
TV complaints
2475 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 9.1% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Indecency | 731 | 29.5% |
| Billing | 675 | 27.3% |
| Availability | 547 | 22.1% |
| Loud Commercials | 301 | 12.2% |
| Equipment | 106 | 4.3% |
| Interference | 92 | 3.7% |
| Privacy | 23 | 0.9% |
The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Indecency, Billing and Availability.
Broadband Story complaints
1089 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 4.0% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|
Radio complaints
348 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 1.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 108 | 31.0% |
| Availability | 80 | 23.0% |
| Indecency | 61 | 17.5% |
| Pirate Radio | 61 | 17.5% |
| Commercials/Promotions | 16 | 4.6% |
| Billing | 13 | 3.7% |
| Equipment | 9 | 2.6% |
The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Interference, Availability and Indecency.
Emergency complaints
80 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Other | 37 | 46.3% |
| Interference | 28 | 35.0% |
| Phone | 8 | 10.0% |
| Tower | 7 | 8.8% |
Other and Interference were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
Accessibility complaints
60 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Closed Captioning on TV | 19 | 31.7% |
| Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) | 13 | 21.7% |
| Closed Captioning over the Internet | 9 | 15.0% |
| Video Description | 7 | 11.7% |
| Emergency Information on TV | 1 | 1.7% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireline Phones | 1 | 1.7% |
The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Closed Captioning on TV, Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) and Closed Captioning over the Internet.
Unwanted calls
A total of 16383 complaints relating to unwanted calls were recorded on this date, representing 60% of all complaints. Caller ID and business contact numbers are shown below where sufficient data is available.
Most reported caller ID numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (719) 452-8970 | 37 | 0.2% |
| (770) 405-8849 | 37 | 0.2% |
| (205) 267-5548 | 22 | 0.1% |
| (559) 551-1002 | 20 | 0.1% |
| (559) 471-1038 | 18 | 0.1% |
| (800) 378-5726 | 18 | 0.1% |
| (207) 307-2401 | 16 | 0.1% |
| (559) 597-4047 | 16 | 0.1% |
| (559) 633-1223 | 16 | 0.1% |
| (559) 743-1544 | 15 | 0.1% |
Most reported business contact numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (833) 304-1447 | 237 | 1.4% |
| (866) 202-4955 | 51 | 0.3% |
| (315) 232-8257 | 47 | 0.3% |
| (719) 452-8970 | 38 | 0.2% |
| (555) 555-5555 | 27 | 0.2% |
| (252) 292-9025 | 15 | 0.1% |
| (325) 669-1790 | 14 | 0.1% |
| (714) 694-7603 | 11 | 0.1% |
| (866) 204-4885 | 11 | 0.1% |
| (480) 697-5610 | 9 | 0.1% |
Key patterns
- Prerecorded Voice was reported slightly more often than other call types.
- (833) 304-1447 stood out as the most frequently reported business contact number.
- Several caller ID numbers were reported multiple times, with no single number clearly ahead of the others.
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.