FCC Consumer Complaints – 16 January 2022

Introduction

On Sunday, 16 January 2022, the Federal Communications Commission recorded 322 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services, this was lower than the 417 complaints recorded the day before. Reports were received from 44 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. Unwanted Calls was the most frequently reported issue, with 105 complaints recorded.

Key statistics

Total complaints
322
States & territories reporting
44
Most common issue
Unwanted Calls (105)
Most reported state/territory
California (33)

Where the complaints came from

On 16 January 2022, the 322 complaints recorded by the Federal Communications Commission were reported from 244 cities across 44 states and territories. Complaint activity was fairly evenly distributed, with no single state or territory accounting for a large share of reports. A similar pattern is observed at the city level, with complaints spread across locations rather than concentrated in a single area.

The distribution of complaints by state and territory is shown below, with locations ranked by the number of reports recorded.

State/Territory Complaints
California 33 10.2%
New York 28 8.7%
Florida 25 7.8%
Minnesota 21 6.5%
Arizona 13 4.0%
Iowa 12 3.7%
Texas 12 3.7%
Washington 12 3.7%
Maryland 11 3.4%
New Jersey 11 3.4%
Other states and territories 143 44.4%

What the complaints were about

The complaints recorded on this date fell into 8 different complaint categories. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 184 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Phone 184 57.1%
Internet 83 25.8%
TV 40 12.4%
Radio 11 3.4%
Accessibility 1 0.3%
Broadband Story 1 0.3%
Emergency 1 0.3%
Request for Dispute Assistance 1 0.3%

Phone complaints

184 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 57.1% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Unwanted Calls 105 57.1%
Billing 25 13.6%
Availability (including rural call completion) 22 12.0%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 10 5.4%
Privacy 7 3.8%
Equipment 6 3.3%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 4 2.2%
Interference (including signal jammers) 3 1.6%
Junk Faxes 2 1.1%

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 Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers).

Internet complaints

83 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 25.8% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Availability 28 33.7%
Billing 18 21.7%
Privacy 12 14.5%
Speed 12 14.5%
Interference 8 9.6%
Equipment 5 6.0%

The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Availability, Billing and Privacy.

TV complaints

40 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 12.4% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Availability 12 30.0%
Billing 9 22.5%
Loud Commercials 9 22.5%
Indecency 6 15.0%
Equipment 1 2.5%
Interference 1 2.5%
Privacy 1 2.5%

The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Availability, Billing and Loud Commercials.

Page last updated: 17 January 2022 with FCC complaints data from 16 January 2022.

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.