FCC Consumer Complaints – May 2022
Introduction
The Federal Communications Commission recorded 22210 consumer complaints in May 2022 relating to telecommunications services, this represented a decline from the 22246 complaints recorded the month before. The complaints came from 53 states and territories, with California reporting a modestly higher count than the other locations. Complaints were most commonly associated with Unwanted Calls, accounting for 10931 complaints.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 22210
- Days with complaint data
- 31
- Days with complaints
- 31
- States & territories reporting
- 53
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (10931)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (3054)
Daily complaint activity
Across the month, the FCC recorded an average of 716.5 complaints per day. The highest daily total was 1258 complaints on 31 May 2022, while 20 days recorded more complaints than the monthly daily average. The quietest day was 1 May 2022, with 264 complaints, noticeably below the monthly average.
Each bar represents one day of the month. Taller bars indicate more complaints.
Where the complaints came from
Across 5318 cities in 53 states and territories, a total of 22210 complaints were recorded in May 2022. Complaint reports were spread across multiple states and territories, without any one location accounting for a large share. At the city level, a significant concentration was observed in District of Columbia, where Washington accounted for 81 of the 89 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 | 3054 | 13.8% |
| Texas | 1823 | 8.2% |
| Florida | 1467 | 6.6% |
| New York | 1401 | 6.3% |
| Ohio | 898 | 4.0% |
| North Carolina | 841 | 3.8% |
| Illinois | 768 | 3.5% |
| Pennsylvania | 734 | 3.3% |
| Virginia | 674 | 3.0% |
| Michigan | 653 | 2.9% |
| Other states and territories | 9861 | 44.4% |
Location highlight
Nearly all complaints reported in District of Columbia originated from Washington.
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded during the month fell into 8 different complaint categories. Phone accounted for the largest share, with 15990 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 15990 | 72.0% |
| Internet | 4250 | 19.1% |
| TV | 1426 | 6.4% |
| Radio | 297 | 1.3% |
| Accessibility | 115 | 0.5% |
| Emergency | 84 | 0.4% |
| Broadband Story | 25 | 0.1% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 23 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
15990 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 72.0% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 10931 | 68.4% |
| Billing | 1492 | 9.3% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 1350 | 8.4% |
| Equipment | 820 | 5.1% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 526 | 3.3% |
| Privacy | 260 | 1.6% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 203 | 1.3% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 181 | 1.1% |
| Junk Faxes | 169 | 1.1% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 41 | 0.3% |
| Rural Call Completion | 4 | 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. The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Availability (including rural call completion) and Equipment.
Internet complaints
4250 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 19.1% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | 1628 | 38.3% |
| Billing | 1577 | 37.1% |
| Speed | 334 | 7.9% |
| Equipment | 255 | 6.0% |
| Interference | 245 | 5.8% |
| Privacy | 211 | 5.0% |
Availability and Billing accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
TV complaints
1426 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 6.4% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 571 | 40.0% |
| Availability | 364 | 25.5% |
| Loud Commercials | 221 | 15.5% |
| Indecency | 134 | 9.4% |
| Equipment | 73 | 5.1% |
| Interference | 36 | 2.5% |
| Privacy | 24 | 1.7% |
Billing and Availability accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
Radio complaints
297 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 1.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 100 | 33.7% |
| Availability | 69 | 23.2% |
| Indecency | 43 | 14.5% |
| Pirate Radio | 42 | 14.1% |
| Billing | 15 | 5.1% |
| Commercials/Promotions | 13 | 4.4% |
| Equipment | 8 | 2.7% |
The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Interference, Availability and Indecency.
Accessibility complaints
115 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Closed Captioning over the Internet | 34 | 29.6% |
| Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) | 27 | 23.5% |
| Closed Captioning on TV | 25 | 21.7% |
| Video Description | 8 | 7.0% |
| Emergency Information on TV | 2 | 1.7% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireless Phones | 1 | 0.9% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireline Phones | 1 | 0.9% |
The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Closed Captioning over the Internet, Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) and Closed Captioning on TV.
Emergency complaints
84 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.4% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 40 | 47.6% |
| Phone | 29 | 34.5% |
| Other | 8 | 9.5% |
| Tower | 7 | 8.3% |
Interference and Phone accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
Unwanted calls
There were 10931 complaints relating to unwanted calls on this date, representing 49.2% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| (866) 409-4196 | 8 | 0.1% |
| (206) 360-8543 | 6 | 0.1% |
| (614) 810-6619 | 6 | 0.1% |
| (973) 327-0123 | 6 | 0.1% |
| (866) 352-0207 | 5 | 0.0% |
| (929) 299-1708 | 5 | 0.0% |
| (405) 543-2682 | 4 | 0.0% |
| (720) 204-7402 | 4 | 0.0% |
| (818) 914-1072 | 4 | 0.0% |
| (267) 998-1048 | 3 | 0.0% |
Most reported business contact numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (855) 203-8863 | 17 | 0.2% |
| (888) 586-2188 | 17 | 0.2% |
| (555) 555-5555 | 16 | 0.1% |
| (949) 603-3852 | 13 | 0.1% |
| (866) 409-4196 | 9 | 0.1% |
| (888) 402-6918 | 9 | 0.1% |
| (866) 352-0207 | 8 | 0.1% |
| (206) 360-8543 | 7 | 0.1% |
| (833) 900-3738 | 7 | 0.1% |
| (855) 770-0634 | 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.
- (866) 409-4196 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.