FCC Consumer Complaints – July 2022
Introduction
In July 2022, the Federal Communications Commission recorded 22682 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services, complaint volume fell from 23493 complaints the month before. The complaints came from 54 states and territories, with California reporting a modestly higher count than the other locations. Complaints were most commonly associated with Unwanted Calls, accounting for 9684 complaints.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 22682
- Days with complaint data
- 31
- Days with complaints
- 31
- States & territories reporting
- 54
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (9684)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (2740)
Daily complaint activity
Daily complaint activity averaged 731.7 complaints per day during the month. The busiest day was 27 July 2022, when 1041 complaints were recorded, and 20 days were above the monthly daily average. The quietest day was 10 July 2022, with 292 complaints, noticeably below the monthly average.
Each bar represents one day of the month. Taller bars indicate more complaints.
Where the complaints came from
In July 2022, the 22682 complaints recorded by the Federal Communications Commission were reported from 5559 cities across 54 states and territories. 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 78 of the 88 complaints recorded.
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 | 2740 | 12.1% |
| Florida | 1896 | 8.4% |
| Texas | 1588 | 7.0% |
| New York | 1333 | 5.9% |
| Ohio | 810 | 3.6% |
| North Carolina | 781 | 3.4% |
| Pennsylvania | 763 | 3.4% |
| Illinois | 705 | 3.1% |
| Georgia | 703 | 3.1% |
| Virginia | 673 | 3.0% |
| Other states and territories | 10643 | 46.9% |
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
The complaints recorded during the month were spread across 8 complaint categories. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 15636 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 15636 | 68.9% |
| Internet | 4867 | 21.5% |
| TV | 1645 | 7.3% |
| Radio | 296 | 1.3% |
| Accessibility | 89 | 0.4% |
| Emergency | 87 | 0.4% |
| Broadband Story | 31 | 0.1% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 31 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
15636 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 68.9% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 9684 | 61.9% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 1925 | 12.3% |
| Billing | 1736 | 11.1% |
| Equipment | 933 | 6.0% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 536 | 3.4% |
| Privacy | 236 | 1.5% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 210 | 1.3% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 187 | 1.2% |
| Junk Faxes | 130 | 0.8% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 39 | 0.2% |
| Rural Call Completion | 5 | 0.0% |
As is often the case in this category, unwanted calls were the most frequently reported issue. Further analysis of these complaints is provided below. A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Availability (including rural call completion), Billing and Equipment among the most common.
Internet complaints
4867 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 21.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | 1969 | 40.5% |
| Billing | 1602 | 32.9% |
| Speed | 434 | 8.9% |
| Interference | 301 | 6.2% |
| Privacy | 282 | 5.8% |
| Equipment | 279 | 5.7% |
Availability and Billing were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
TV complaints
1645 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 7.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 498 | 30.3% |
| Availability | 490 | 29.8% |
| Loud Commercials | 289 | 17.6% |
| Indecency | 235 | 14.3% |
| Equipment | 74 | 4.5% |
| Interference | 29 | 1.8% |
| Privacy | 20 | 1.2% |
Billing and Availability were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
Radio complaints
296 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 1.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | 82 | 27.7% |
| Interference | 69 | 23.3% |
| Pirate Radio | 53 | 17.9% |
| Indecency | 48 | 16.2% |
| Commercials/Promotions | 15 | 5.1% |
| Billing | 12 | 4.1% |
| Equipment | 10 | 3.4% |
A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Availability, Interference and Pirate Radio among the most common.
Accessibility complaints
89 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.4% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Closed Captioning over the Internet | 27 | 30.3% |
| Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) | 22 | 24.7% |
| Closed Captioning on TV | 15 | 16.9% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireline Phones | 2 | 2.2% |
| Emergency Information on TV | 1 | 1.1% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireless Phones | 1 | 1.1% |
| Video Description | 1 | 1.1% |
A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Closed Captioning over the Internet, Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) and Closed Captioning on TV among the most common.
Emergency complaints
87 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.4% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 43 | 49.4% |
| Phone | 30 | 34.5% |
| Other | 9 | 10.3% |
| Tower | 5 | 5.7% |
Interference and Phone were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
Broadband Story complaints
31 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.1% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|
Request for Dispute Assistance complaints
31 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.1% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|
Unwanted calls
9684 complaints relating to unwanted calls were recorded on this date, accounting for 42.7% of all complaints. Reports referenced both caller ID numbers and business contact numbers, with number tables shown where meaningful patterns are present.
Most reported caller ID numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (720) 817-3241 | 14 | 0.1% |
| (866) 409-4196 | 10 | 0.1% |
| (720) 743-4345 | 7 | 0.1% |
| (502) 688-7212 | 5 | 0.1% |
| (720) 817-3666 | 5 | 0.1% |
| (831) 275-8074 | 5 | 0.1% |
| (888) 910-6896 | 5 | 0.1% |
| (213) 510-7110 | 4 | 0.0% |
| (270) 812-0029 | 4 | 0.0% |
| (315) 508-6870 | 4 | 0.0% |
Most reported business contact numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (555) 555-5555 | 24 | 0.2% |
| (614) 379-0328 | 24 | 0.2% |
| (720) 817-3241 | 14 | 0.1% |
| (833) 213-0993 | 13 | 0.1% |
| (833) 213-1002 | 12 | 0.1% |
| (209) 298-1598 | 10 | 0.1% |
| (833) 213-3714 | 10 | 0.1% |
| (866) 409-4196 | 9 | 0.1% |
| (888) 487-2027 | 9 | 0.1% |
| (787) 296-9450 | 8 | 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.
- (720) 817-3241 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.