FCC Consumer Complaints – 2022
Introduction
In 2022, 262272 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded in the Federal Communications Commission system. Reports were received from 56 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. The most common issue reported was Unwanted Calls, accounting for 118528 complaints.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 262272
- Months with complaint data
- 12
- Months with complaints
- 12
- Days with complaint data
- 365
- Days with complaints
- 365
- States & territories reporting
- 56
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (118528)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (33694)
Monthly complaint activity
Monthly complaint activity averaged 21856 complaints per month during the year. The busiest month was August 2022, when 24782 complaints were recorded, and 7 months were above the yearly monthly average.
Each bar represents one month of the year. Taller bars indicate more complaints.
Where the complaints came from
The 262272 complaints recorded in 2022 originated from 16543 cities across 56 states and territories. Overall, complaint activity was broadly distributed, with no single state or territory representing a significant proportion of the total. At the city level, a significant concentration was observed in District of Columbia, where Washington accounted for 872 of the 988 complaints recorded.
The yearly distribution of complaints by state and territory is shown below, with locations ranked by the number of reports recorded.
| State/Territory | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| California | 33694 | 12.8% |
| Texas | 20210 | 7.7% |
| Florida | 19138 | 7.3% |
| New York | 17326 | 6.6% |
| Pennsylvania | 9706 | 3.7% |
| Illinois | 9385 | 3.6% |
| Ohio | 9136 | 3.5% |
| North Carolina | 8863 | 3.4% |
| Georgia | 8419 | 3.2% |
| Virginia | 7448 | 2.8% |
| Other states and territories | 118475 | 45.2% |
Location highlight
Washington accounted for the majority of complaints recorded in District of Columbia.
What the complaints were about
Complaints recorded during the year related to 8 different complaint categories. Phone was the most reported category, with 184910 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 184910 | 70.5% |
| Internet | 52013 | 19.8% |
| TV | 18495 | 7.1% |
| Radio | 4064 | 1.5% |
| Accessibility | 1213 | 0.5% |
| Emergency | 785 | 0.3% |
| Broadband Story | 433 | 0.2% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 359 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
184910 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 70.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 118528 | 64.1% |
| Billing | 20338 | 11.0% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 18430 | 10.0% |
| Equipment | 10502 | 5.7% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 6707 | 3.6% |
| Privacy | 2995 | 1.6% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 2365 | 1.3% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 2260 | 1.2% |
| Junk Faxes | 2147 | 1.2% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 492 | 0.3% |
| Rural Call Completion | 33 | 0.0% |
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. Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Billing, Availability (including rural call completion) and Equipment.
Internet complaints
52013 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 19.8% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | 20044 | 38.5% |
| Billing | 17922 | 34.5% |
| Speed | 4904 | 9.4% |
| Interference | 3321 | 6.4% |
| Equipment | 3021 | 5.8% |
| Privacy | 2800 | 5.4% |
Availability and Billing were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
TV complaints
18495 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 7.1% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 6208 | 33.6% |
| Availability | 5085 | 27.5% |
| Loud Commercials | 3109 | 16.8% |
| Indecency | 2323 | 12.6% |
| Equipment | 941 | 5.1% |
| Interference | 485 | 2.6% |
| Privacy | 256 | 1.4% |
Billing and Availability were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
Radio complaints
4064 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 1.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 1196 | 29.4% |
| Availability | 928 | 22.8% |
| Pirate Radio | 749 | 18.4% |
| Indecency | 658 | 16.2% |
| Commercials/Promotions | 178 | 4.4% |
| Equipment | 159 | 3.9% |
| Billing | 153 | 3.8% |
Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Interference, Availability and Pirate Radio.
Accessibility complaints
1213 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 0.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) | 318 | 26.2% |
| Closed Captioning on TV | 271 | 22.3% |
| Closed Captioning over the Internet | 257 | 21.2% |
| Video Description | 50 | 4.1% |
| Emergency Information on TV | 27 | 2.2% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireless Phones | 18 | 1.5% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireline Phones | 11 | 0.9% |
| Equipment | 1 | 0.1% |
Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS), Closed Captioning on TV and Closed Captioning over the Internet.
Emergency complaints
785 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 0.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 367 | 46.8% |
| Phone | 240 | 30.6% |
| Other | 93 | 11.8% |
| Tower | 85 | 10.8% |
Interference and Phone were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
Broadband Story complaints
433 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 0.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|
Request for Dispute Assistance complaints
359 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 0.1% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|
Unwanted calls
A total of 118528 complaints relating to unwanted calls were recorded on this date, representing 45.2% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| (888) 594-6814 | 42 | 0.0% |
| (510) 264-7564 | 36 | 0.0% |
| (555) 555-5555 | 32 | 0.0% |
| (818) 230-3095 | 28 | 0.0% |
| (866) 409-4196 | 25 | 0.0% |
| (404) 806-4812 | 22 | 0.0% |
| (404) 595-9819 | 20 | 0.0% |
| (877) 327-2101 | 18 | 0.0% |
| (720) 204-7402 | 17 | 0.0% |
| (341) 200-6609 | 15 | 0.0% |
Most reported business contact numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (555) 555-5555 | 230 | 0.2% |
| (949) 603-3852 | 61 | 0.1% |
| (888) 402-6918 | 46 | 0.0% |
| (999) 999-9999 | 44 | 0.0% |
| (833) 212-9897 | 39 | 0.0% |
| (833) 213-1002 | 38 | 0.0% |
| (510) 264-7564 | 36 | 0.0% |
| (352) 900-2564 | 35 | 0.0% |
| (833) 213-0993 | 33 | 0.0% |
| (833) 213-4724 | 31 | 0.0% |
Key patterns
- None accounted for the largest share of unwanted call complaints by service type.
- Prerecorded Voice was reported slightly more often than other call types.
- (555) 555-5555 stood out as the most frequently reported business contact number.
- (888) 594-6814 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.