FCC Consumer Complaints – 7 September 2022

Introduction

On Wednesday, 7 September 2022, 995 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded in the Federal Communications Commission system, this represented an increase from the 843 complaints recorded the day before. The complaints came from 51 states and territories, with California reporting a modestly higher count than the other locations. Unwanted Calls was the most frequently reported issue, with 422 complaints recorded.

Key statistics

Total complaints
995
States & territories reporting
51
Most common issue
Unwanted Calls (422)
Most reported state/territory
California (140)

Where the complaints came from

On 7 September 2022, the 995 complaints recorded by the Federal Communications Commission were reported from 693 cities across 51 states and territories. Complaints were distributed across states and territories in a broadly even manner, with no individual location standing out significantly. This pattern continues at the city level, where complaints were distributed across multiple locations without a single city standing out.

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

State/Territory Complaints
California 140 14.1%
Texas 90 9.0%
New York 69 6.9%
Florida 66 6.6%
Pennsylvania 42 4.2%
Georgia 38 3.8%
Ohio 38 3.8%
Virginia 37 3.7%
Illinois 33 3.3%
Maryland 33 3.3%
Other states and territories 408 41.0%

Location highlight

California had the widest distribution of complaints, with reports originating from 78 different cities.

What the complaints were about

The complaints recorded on this date were spread across 8 complaint categories. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 696 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Phone 696 69.9%
Internet 223 22.4%
TV 49 4.9%
Radio 15 1.5%
Broadband Story 6 0.6%
Accessibility 4 0.4%
Emergency 1 0.1%
Request for Dispute Assistance 1 0.1%

Phone complaints

696 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 69.9% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Unwanted Calls 422 60.6%
Billing 98 14.1%
Availability (including rural call completion) 86 12.4%
Equipment 26 3.7%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 20 2.9%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 11 1.6%
Junk Faxes 11 1.6%
Interference (including signal jammers) 10 1.4%
Privacy 9 1.3%
Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) 1 0.1%

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. Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Billing, Availability (including rural call completion) and Equipment.

Internet complaints

223 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 22.4% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Availability 93 41.7%
Billing 78 35.0%
Equipment 18 8.1%
Speed 14 6.3%
Interference 10 4.5%
Privacy 10 4.5%

Availability and Billing accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.

TV complaints

49 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 4.9% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 18 36.7%
Availability 13 26.5%
Loud Commercials 7 14.3%
Equipment 3 6.1%
Indecency 3 6.1%
Interference 3 6.1%
Privacy 1 2.0%

Billing and Availability accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.

Page last updated: 8 September 2022 with FCC complaints data from 7 September 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.