FCC Consumer Complaints – July 2021
Introduction
In July 2021, 23628 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded in the Federal Communications Commission system, this represented a decline from the 25436 complaints recorded the previous month. Reports were received from 55 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. Complaints were most commonly associated with Unwanted Calls, accounting for 12276 complaints.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 23628
- Days with complaint data
- 31
- Days with complaints
- 31
- States & territories reporting
- 55
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (12276)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (2701)
Daily complaint activity
Across the month, the FCC recorded an average of 762.2 complaints per day. The highest daily total was 1969 complaints on 27 July 2021, while 21 days recorded more complaints than the monthly daily average. The quietest day was 4 July 2021, with 245 complaints, noticeably 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 23628 complaints were recorded in July 2021, with reports originating from 5363 cities in 55 states and territories. Activity was spread across states and territories, with no single location accounting for a substantial share of complaints. At the city level, a significant concentration was observed in District of Columbia, where Washington accounted for 99 of the 108 complaints recorded.
The table below summarises the number of complaints reported in each state and territory during the month, ordered by total reports.
| State/Territory | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| California | 2701 | 11.4% |
| Texas | 1909 | 8.1% |
| Florida | 1727 | 7.3% |
| New York | 1563 | 6.6% |
| West Virginia | 1209 | 5.1% |
| Georgia | 793 | 3.4% |
| Ohio | 757 | 3.2% |
| Pennsylvania | 752 | 3.2% |
| Illinois | 678 | 2.9% |
| North Carolina | 672 | 2.8% |
| Other states and territories | 10797 | 45.7% |
Location highlight
Complaint activity in District of Columbia was almost entirely concentrated in Washington.
What the complaints were about
A total of 8 complaint categories were represented in the complaints recorded during the month. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 16521 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 16521 | 69.9% |
| Internet | 3710 | 15.7% |
| TV | 1823 | 7.7% |
| Broadband Story | 1120 | 4.7% |
| Radio | 311 | 1.3% |
| Emergency | 62 | 0.3% |
| Accessibility | 61 | 0.3% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 20 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
16521 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 69.9% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 12276 | 74.3% |
| Billing | 1246 | 7.5% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 1128 | 6.8% |
| Equipment | 704 | 4.3% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 356 | 2.2% |
| Privacy | 279 | 1.7% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 188 | 1.1% |
| Junk Faxes | 176 | 1.1% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 132 | 0.8% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 22 | 0.1% |
| Rural Call Completion | 13 | 0.1% |
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
3710 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 15.7% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 1396 | 37.6% |
| Availability | 1305 | 35.2% |
| Speed | 381 | 10.3% |
| Interference | 236 | 6.4% |
| Equipment | 219 | 5.9% |
| Privacy | 172 | 4.6% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Billing and Availability, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
TV complaints
1823 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 7.7% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 641 | 35.2% |
| Availability | 433 | 23.8% |
| Indecency | 271 | 14.9% |
| Loud Commercials | 262 | 14.4% |
| Equipment | 113 | 6.2% |
| Interference | 78 | 4.3% |
| Privacy | 25 | 1.4% |
The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Availability and Indecency.
Broadband Story complaints
1120 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 4.7% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|
Radio complaints
311 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 1.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 85 | 27.3% |
| Pirate Radio | 76 | 24.4% |
| Availability | 71 | 22.8% |
| Indecency | 49 | 15.8% |
| Billing | 13 | 4.2% |
| Commercials/Promotions | 10 | 3.2% |
| Equipment | 7 | 2.3% |
The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Interference, Pirate Radio and Availability.
Emergency complaints
62 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 27 | 43.5% |
| Other | 24 | 38.7% |
| Tower | 7 | 11.3% |
| Phone | 4 | 6.5% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Interference and Other, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Accessibility complaints
61 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Closed Captioning on TV | 24 | 39.3% |
| Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) | 13 | 21.3% |
| Closed Captioning over the Internet | 8 | 13.1% |
| Video Description | 5 | 8.2% |
| Emergency Information on TV | 2 | 3.3% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Closed Captioning on TV and Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS), with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Unwanted calls
12276 complaints relating to unwanted calls were recorded on this date, accounting for 52% of all complaints. Reports referenced both caller ID numbers and business contact numbers, with number tables shown where meaningful patterns are present.
Most reported caller ID numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (866) 883-4452 | 17 | 0.1% |
| (702) 479-1486 | 15 | 0.1% |
| (817) 409-7661 | 12 | 0.1% |
| (817) 409-7795 | 12 | 0.1% |
| (510) 264-7564 | 11 | 0.1% |
| (877) 864-4566 | 11 | 0.1% |
| (714) 494-7566 | 10 | 0.1% |
| (507) 200-1827 | 8 | 0.1% |
| (817) 409-7505 | 7 | 0.1% |
| (218) 300-0257 | 6 | 0.0% |
Most reported business contact numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (833) 304-1447 | 80 | 0.7% |
| (315) 232-8257 | 48 | 0.4% |
| (555) 555-5555 | 18 | 0.1% |
| (866) 883-4452 | 16 | 0.1% |
| (877) 287-1090 | 16 | 0.1% |
| (727) 295-4557 | 14 | 0.1% |
| (999) 999-9999 | 14 | 0.1% |
| (817) 409-7661 | 12 | 0.1% |
| (817) 409-7795 | 12 | 0.1% |
| (352) 900-2564 | 11 | 0.1% |
Key patterns
- None accounted for the largest share of unwanted call complaints by service type.
- Abandoned Calls was reported slightly more often than other call types.
- (833) 304-1447 was reported slightly more often than other business contact numbers.
- (866) 883-4452 was reported slightly more often than other caller ID numbers.
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.