FCC Consumer Complaints – 22 September 2022

Introduction

On 22 September 2022, 1038 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded in the Federal Communications Commission system, complaint volume increased from 1019 complaints the day before. Submissions were made from 51 states and territories, with California accounting for the highest number of complaints at 189. Complaints were most commonly associated with Unwanted Calls, accounting for 532 complaints.

Key statistics

Total complaints
1038
States & territories reporting
51
Most common issue
Unwanted Calls (532)
Most reported state/territory
California (189)

Where the complaints came from

Reports recorded on 22 September 2022 show 1038 complaints originating from 603 cities across 51 states and territories. Complaints were less evenly distributed than usual, with California accounting for the highest proportion of reports. The strongest city-level concentration occurred in Missouri, where Kansas city accounted for 38 of the 51 reports recorded.

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

State/Territory Complaints
California 189 18.2%
New York 92 8.9%
Texas 76 7.3%
Florida 65 6.3%
Missouri 51 4.9%
Illinois 36 3.5%
Georgia 33 3.2%
Pennsylvania 27 2.6%
Ohio 26 2.5%
Washington 26 2.5%
Other states and territories 417 40.2%

Location highlights

  • A large share of complaints in Missouri originated from Kansas city, which accounted for most reports within the state.
  • Complaints in California were reported across 68 cities, the widest spread observed on this date.

What the complaints were about

A total of 7 complaint categories were represented in the complaints recorded on this date. Phone accounted for the largest share, with 797 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Phone 797 76.8%
Internet 176 17.0%
TV 46 4.4%
Radio 12 1.2%
Accessibility 5 0.5%
Emergency 1 0.1%
Request for Dispute Assistance 1 0.1%

Phone complaints

797 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 76.8% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Unwanted Calls 532 66.8%
Availability (including rural call completion) 95 11.9%
Billing 64 8.0%
Equipment 42 5.3%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 26 3.3%
Privacy 12 1.5%
Interference (including signal jammers) 11 1.4%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 8 1.0%
Junk Faxes 5 0.6%
Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) 2 0.3%

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 Availability (including rural call completion), Billing and Equipment.

Internet complaints

176 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 17.0% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Availability 71 40.3%
Billing 68 38.6%
Equipment 10 5.7%
Speed 10 5.7%
Privacy 9 5.1%
Interference 8 4.5%

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

TV complaints

46 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 4.4% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 15 32.6%
Availability 14 30.4%
Loud Commercials 9 19.6%
Indecency 4 8.7%
Equipment 1 2.2%
Interference 1 2.2%
Privacy 1 2.2%

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

Page last updated: 23 September 2022 with FCC complaints data from 22 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.