FCC Consumer Complaints – February 2022
Introduction
In February 2022, 19057 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded in the Federal Communications Commission system, this was lower than the 20650 complaints recorded the previous month. Reports were received from 56 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. Complaints were most commonly associated with Unwanted Calls, accounting for 9313 complaints.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 19057
- Days with complaint data
- 28
- Days with complaints
- 28
- States & territories reporting
- 56
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (9313)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (2533)
Daily complaint activity
The month averaged 680.6 complaints per day. The highest daily count was 954 complaints on 23 February 2022, with 19 days recording more complaints than the monthly daily average. The quietest day was 20 February 2022, with 244 complaints, noticeably below the monthly average.
Each bar represents one day of the month. Taller bars indicate more complaints.
Where the complaints came from
Reports recorded in February 2022 show 19057 complaints originating from 4821 cities across 56 states and territories. The distribution of complaints was relatively even, with no single state or territory contributing a dominant share. A notable concentration at the city level was observed in District of Columbia, where Washington accounted for 45 of the 55 complaints recorded in the state.
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 | 2533 | 13.3% |
| Texas | 1522 | 8.0% |
| Florida | 1323 | 6.9% |
| New York | 1288 | 6.8% |
| Pennsylvania | 705 | 3.7% |
| North Carolina | 648 | 3.4% |
| Illinois | 641 | 3.4% |
| Georgia | 618 | 3.2% |
| Ohio | 596 | 3.1% |
| New Jersey | 548 | 2.9% |
| Other states and territories | 8595 | 45.1% |
Location highlight
Complaints in District of Columbia were heavily concentrated in Washington, which accounted for the majority of reports within the state.
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 13825 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 13825 | 72.5% |
| Internet | 3152 | 16.5% |
| TV | 1493 | 7.8% |
| Radio | 358 | 1.9% |
| Accessibility | 87 | 0.5% |
| Emergency | 61 | 0.3% |
| Broadband Story | 57 | 0.3% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 24 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
13825 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 72.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 9313 | 67.4% |
| Billing | 1481 | 10.7% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 1078 | 7.8% |
| Equipment | 698 | 5.0% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 485 | 3.5% |
| Privacy | 224 | 1.6% |
| Junk Faxes | 194 | 1.4% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 165 | 1.2% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 154 | 1.1% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 22 | 0.2% |
| Rural Call Completion | 5 | 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. 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
3152 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 16.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 1123 | 35.6% |
| Availability | 1097 | 34.8% |
| Speed | 368 | 11.7% |
| Interference | 230 | 7.3% |
| Privacy | 169 | 5.4% |
| Equipment | 165 | 5.2% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Billing and Availability, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
TV complaints
1493 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 7.8% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 529 | 35.4% |
| Availability | 361 | 24.2% |
| Loud Commercials | 283 | 19.0% |
| Indecency | 169 | 11.3% |
| Equipment | 81 | 5.4% |
| Interference | 42 | 2.8% |
| Privacy | 17 | 1.1% |
A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Billing, Availability and Loud Commercials among the most common.
Radio complaints
358 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 1.9% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 108 | 30.2% |
| Pirate Radio | 75 | 20.9% |
| Availability | 72 | 20.1% |
| Indecency | 60 | 16.8% |
| Commercials/Promotions | 17 | 4.7% |
| Equipment | 12 | 3.4% |
| Billing | 8 | 2.2% |
A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Interference, Pirate Radio and Availability among the most common.
Accessibility complaints
87 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) | 31 | 35.6% |
| Closed Captioning on TV | 19 | 21.8% |
| Closed Captioning over the Internet | 8 | 9.2% |
| Video Description | 8 | 9.2% |
| Emergency Information on TV | 2 | 2.3% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireless Phones | 2 | 2.3% |
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.
Emergency complaints
61 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 31 | 50.8% |
| Phone | 25 | 41.0% |
| Other | 3 | 4.9% |
| Tower | 2 | 3.3% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Interference and Phone, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Broadband Story complaints
57 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|
Unwanted calls
There were 9313 complaints relating to unwanted calls on this date, representing 48.9% 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 | 13 | 0.1% |
| (415) 876-5309 | 6 | 0.1% |
| (614) 896-9945 | 5 | 0.1% |
| (844) 612-6477 | 5 | 0.1% |
| (866) 616-5069 | 5 | 0.1% |
| (925) 655-0195 | 5 | 0.1% |
| (214) 757-6505 | 4 | 0.0% |
| (321) 251-4540 | 4 | 0.0% |
| (404) 595-9819 | 4 | 0.0% |
| (512) 782-4546 | 4 | 0.0% |
Most reported business contact numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (555) 555-5555 | 17 | 0.2% |
| (510) 264-7564 | 13 | 0.1% |
| (352) 900-2564 | 10 | 0.1% |
| (714) 694-7603 | 10 | 0.1% |
| (833) 700-2307 | 9 | 0.1% |
| (949) 272-9292 | 9 | 0.1% |
| (844) 727-4745 | 7 | 0.1% |
| (970) 707-5751 | 6 | 0.1% |
| (213) 648-0003 | 5 | 0.1% |
| (563) 292-0064 | 5 | 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.
- (555) 555-5555 was reported slightly more often than other business contact numbers.
- (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.