FCC Consumer Complaints – March 2023
Introduction
The Federal Communications Commission recorded 24433 consumer complaints in March 2023 relating to telecommunications services, complaint volume increased from 20691 complaints the previous month. Complaints were reported across 56 states and territories, with California slightly ahead of the other locations. Unwanted Calls recorded a slightly higher number of complaints than other issues.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 24433
- Days with complaint data
- 31
- Days with complaints
- 31
- States & territories reporting
- 56
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (8860)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (3131)
Daily complaint activity
Daily complaint activity averaged 788.2 complaints per day during the month. The busiest day was 10 March 2023, when 1046 complaints were recorded, and 23 days were above the monthly daily average. The lowest daily total was 344 complaints on 5 March 2023, well below the monthly average.
Each bar represents one day of the month. Taller bars indicate more complaints.
Where the complaints came from
The 24433 complaints recorded in March 2023 originated from 5900 cities across 56 states and territories. Complaints were distributed across states and territories in a broadly even manner, with no individual location standing out significantly. Despite the overall distribution, a notable concentration at the city level was observed in District of Columbia, where Washington accounted for 76 of the 89 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 | 3131 | 12.8% |
| Texas | 1808 | 7.4% |
| Florida | 1690 | 6.9% |
| New York | 1524 | 6.2% |
| Illinois | 1158 | 4.7% |
| Pennsylvania | 987 | 4.0% |
| Georgia | 834 | 3.4% |
| Ohio | 796 | 3.3% |
| North Carolina | 760 | 3.1% |
| Virginia | 726 | 3.0% |
| Other states and territories | 11004 | 45.0% |
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
The complaints recorded during the month fell into 8 different complaint categories. Phone was the most reported category, with 16232 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 16232 | 66.4% |
| Internet | 5078 | 20.8% |
| TV | 2458 | 10.1% |
| Radio | 377 | 1.5% |
| Accessibility | 143 | 0.6% |
| Emergency | 94 | 0.4% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 43 | 0.2% |
| Broadband Story | 8 | 0.0% |
Phone complaints
16232 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 66.4% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 8860 | 54.6% |
| Billing | 2225 | 13.7% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 1615 | 9.9% |
| Equipment | 1245 | 7.7% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 1133 | 7.0% |
| Privacy | 334 | 2.1% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 256 | 1.6% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 245 | 1.5% |
| Junk Faxes | 224 | 1.4% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 62 | 0.4% |
| Rural Call Completion | 24 | 0.1% |
Unwanted calls again accounted for the largest share of complaints in this category. These reports are examined in more detail in the section below. Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Billing, Availability (including rural call completion) and Equipment.
Internet complaints
5078 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 20.8% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | 1877 | 37.0% |
| Billing | 1815 | 35.7% |
| Speed | 377 | 7.4% |
| Interference | 360 | 7.1% |
| Privacy | 334 | 6.6% |
| Equipment | 314 | 6.2% |
Availability and Billing accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
TV complaints
2458 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 10.1% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 1056 | 43.0% |
| Availability | 611 | 24.9% |
| Indecency | 343 | 14.0% |
| Loud Commercials | 202 | 8.2% |
| Equipment | 136 | 5.5% |
| Interference | 67 | 2.7% |
| Privacy | 32 | 1.3% |
Billing and Availability accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
Radio complaints
377 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 1.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 138 | 36.6% |
| Availability | 72 | 19.1% |
| Pirate Radio | 72 | 19.1% |
| Indecency | 54 | 14.3% |
| Commercials/Promotions | 19 | 5.0% |
| Equipment | 12 | 3.2% |
| Billing | 7 | 1.9% |
Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Interference, Availability and Pirate Radio.
Accessibility complaints
143 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.6% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Closed Captioning over the Internet | 40 | 28.0% |
| Closed Captioning on TV | 39 | 27.3% |
| Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) | 35 | 24.5% |
| Video Description | 4 | 2.8% |
| Emergency Information on TV | 2 | 1.4% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireless Phones | 1 | 0.7% |
Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Closed Captioning over the Internet, Closed Captioning on TV and Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS).
Emergency complaints
94 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.4% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 42 | 44.7% |
| Phone | 35 | 37.2% |
| Tower | 10 | 10.6% |
| Other | 7 | 7.4% |
Interference and Phone accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
Request for Dispute Assistance complaints
43 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|
Unwanted calls
There were 8860 complaints relating to unwanted calls on this date, representing 36.3% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| (855) 563-5635 | 22 | 0.2% |
| (877) 813-7604 | 7 | 0.1% |
| (404) 806-4812 | 5 | 0.1% |
| (585) 510-1260 | 4 | 0.0% |
| (585) 510-1311 | 4 | 0.0% |
| (678) 321-9589 | 4 | 0.0% |
| (803) 943-1002 | 4 | 0.0% |
| (203) 769-9465 | 3 | 0.0% |
| (213) 370-2244 | 3 | 0.0% |
| (240) 201-3552 | 3 | 0.0% |
Most reported business contact numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (555) 555-5555 | 26 | 0.3% |
| (949) 603-3504 | 12 | 0.1% |
| (866) 625-0021 | 10 | 0.1% |
| (888) 264-6961 | 10 | 0.1% |
| (949) 686-3008 | 10 | 0.1% |
| (714) 694-7603 | 9 | 0.1% |
| (844) 204-6421 | 8 | 0.1% |
| (833) 213-3718 | 7 | 0.1% |
| (833) 213-9482 | 7 | 0.1% |
| (877) 813-7604 | 7 | 0.1% |
Key patterns
- None accounted for the largest share of unwanted call complaints by service type.
- Live Voice was reported slightly more often than other call types.
- (555) 555-5555 stood out as the most frequently reported business contact number.
- (855) 563-5635 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.