FCC Consumer Complaints – January 2022
Introduction
In January 2022, 20650 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded in the Federal Communications Commission system, complaint volume increased from 18790 complaints the month before. Complaints were reported across 55 states and territories, with California slightly ahead of the other locations. Unwanted Calls was the most frequently reported issue, with 9348 complaints recorded.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 20650
- Days with complaint data
- 31
- Days with complaints
- 31
- States & territories reporting
- 55
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (9348)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (2664)
Daily complaint activity
The month averaged 666.1 complaints per day. The highest daily count was 967 complaints on 27 January 2022, with 19 days recording more complaints than the monthly daily average. The lowest daily total was 252 complaints on 1 January 2022, well below the monthly average.
Each bar represents one day of the month. Taller bars indicate more complaints.
Where the complaints came from
Across 5145 cities in 55 states and territories, a total of 20650 complaints were recorded in January 2022. Complaint reports were spread across multiple states and territories, without any one location accounting for a large share. A notable concentration at the city level was observed in District of Columbia, where Washington accounted for 68 of the 78 complaints recorded in the state.
The table below shows the distribution of complaints by state and territory for this month, highlighting the locations with the highest number of reports.
| State/Territory | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| California | 2664 | 12.9% |
| Texas | 1589 | 7.7% |
| Florida | 1374 | 6.7% |
| New York | 1371 | 6.6% |
| Pennsylvania | 798 | 3.9% |
| Illinois | 768 | 3.7% |
| Ohio | 762 | 3.7% |
| Georgia | 659 | 3.2% |
| North Carolina | 650 | 3.1% |
| Virginia | 626 | 3.0% |
| Other states and territories | 9342 | 45.2% |
Location highlight
A large share of complaints in District of Columbia originated from Washington, which accounted for most reports within the state.
What the complaints were about
A total of 8 complaint categories were represented in the complaints recorded during the month. Phone was the most reported category, with 14329 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 14329 | 69.4% |
| Internet | 3802 | 18.4% |
| TV | 1923 | 9.3% |
| Radio | 323 | 1.6% |
| Accessibility | 100 | 0.5% |
| Broadband Story | 79 | 0.4% |
| Emergency | 66 | 0.3% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 28 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
14329 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 69.4% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 9348 | 65.2% |
| Billing | 1691 | 11.8% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 1147 | 8.0% |
| Equipment | 785 | 5.5% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 549 | 3.8% |
| Privacy | 246 | 1.7% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 192 | 1.3% |
| Junk Faxes | 170 | 1.2% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 138 | 1.0% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 48 | 0.3% |
| Rural Call Completion | 2 | 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. A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Billing, Availability (including rural call completion) and Equipment among the most common.
Internet complaints
3802 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 18.4% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | 1341 | 35.3% |
| Billing | 1318 | 34.7% |
| Speed | 492 | 12.9% |
| Interference | 259 | 6.8% |
| Equipment | 196 | 5.2% |
| Privacy | 196 | 5.2% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Availability and Billing, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
TV complaints
1923 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 9.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 650 | 33.8% |
| Availability | 559 | 29.1% |
| Loud Commercials | 315 | 16.4% |
| Indecency | 230 | 12.0% |
| Equipment | 95 | 4.9% |
| Interference | 42 | 2.2% |
| Privacy | 22 | 1.1% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Billing and Availability, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Radio complaints
323 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 1.6% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 89 | 27.6% |
| Indecency | 77 | 23.8% |
| Pirate Radio | 59 | 18.3% |
| Availability | 58 | 18.0% |
| Billing | 18 | 5.6% |
| Commercials/Promotions | 13 | 4.0% |
| Equipment | 7 | 2.2% |
A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Interference, Indecency and Pirate Radio among the most common.
Accessibility complaints
100 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) | 29 | 29.0% |
| Closed Captioning on TV | 25 | 25.0% |
| Closed Captioning over the Internet | 16 | 16.0% |
| Video Description | 4 | 4.0% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireless Phones | 2 | 2.0% |
| Emergency Information on TV | 1 | 1.0% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireline Phones | 1 | 1.0% |
A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS), Closed Captioning on TV and Closed Captioning over the Internet among the most common.
Broadband Story complaints
79 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.4% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|
Emergency complaints
66 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 30 | 45.5% |
| Other | 16 | 24.2% |
| Phone | 15 | 22.7% |
| Tower | 5 | 7.6% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Interference and Other, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Unwanted calls
There were 9348 complaints relating to unwanted calls on this date, representing 45.3% of all complaints. Caller ID and business contact number details are listed below where there is enough concentration to make the data meaningful.
Most reported caller ID numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (510) 264-7564 | 23 | 0.2% |
| (346) 444-9394 | 7 | 0.1% |
| (256) 918-2039 | 5 | 0.1% |
| (555) 555-5555 | 5 | 0.1% |
| (661) 263-9214 | 5 | 0.1% |
| (720) 204-7402 | 5 | 0.1% |
| (223) 225-7679 | 4 | 0.0% |
| (228) 335-7264 | 4 | 0.0% |
| (254) 253-2862 | 4 | 0.0% |
| (562) 268-0879 | 4 | 0.0% |
Most reported business contact numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (510) 264-7564 | 23 | 0.2% |
| (555) 555-5555 | 23 | 0.2% |
| (714) 694-7603 | 13 | 0.1% |
| (866) 699-3085 | 13 | 0.1% |
| (999) 999-9999 | 11 | 0.1% |
| (855) 607-3273 | 9 | 0.1% |
| (833) 382-2390 | 8 | 0.1% |
| (833) 919-0977 | 7 | 0.1% |
| (844) 266-2462 | 7 | 0.1% |
| (855) 484-1729 | 7 | 0.1% |
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.
- Several business contact numbers were reported multiple times, with no single number clearly ahead of the others.
- (510) 264-7564 stood out as the most frequently reported caller ID number.
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.