FCC Consumer Complaints – 31 March 2023
Introduction
On Friday, 31 March 2023, 869 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded in the Federal Communications Commission system, this was lower than the 924 complaints recorded the day before. Complaints were reported across 50 states and territories, with California slightly ahead of the other locations. Unwanted Calls was the most frequently reported issue, with 380 complaints recorded.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 869
- States & territories reporting
- 50
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (380)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (113)
Where the complaints came from
The 869 complaints recorded on 31 March 2023 were submitted from 595 cities across 50 states and territories. Complaints were relatively evenly spread across states and territories, with no individual location contributing a dominant share. A similar pattern is observed at the city level, with complaints spread across locations rather than concentrated in a single area.
The distribution of complaints by state and territory is shown below, with locations ranked by the number of reports recorded.
| State/Territory | Complaints | |
|---|---|---|
| California | 113 | 13.0% |
| New York | 88 | 10.1% |
| Texas | 61 | 7.0% |
| Florida | 57 | 6.6% |
| Washington | 48 | 5.5% |
| North Carolina | 39 | 4.5% |
| Illinois | 38 | 4.4% |
| Pennsylvania | 27 | 3.1% |
| Virginia | 27 | 3.1% |
| Maryland | 24 | 2.8% |
| Other states and territories | 347 | 39.9% |
What the complaints were about
A total of 7 complaint categories were represented in the complaints recorded on this date. Phone was the most reported category, with 612 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 612 | 70.4% |
| Internet | 159 | 18.3% |
| TV | 77 | 8.9% |
| Radio | 13 | 1.5% |
| Accessibility | 5 | 0.6% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 2 | 0.2% |
| Emergency | 1 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
612 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 70.4% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 380 | 62.1% |
| Billing | 75 | 12.3% |
| Equipment | 59 | 9.6% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 31 | 5.1% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 27 | 4.4% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 16 | 2.6% |
| Privacy | 10 | 1.6% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 8 | 1.3% |
| Junk Faxes | 3 | 0.5% |
| Rural Call Completion | 2 | 0.3% |
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 Billing, Equipment and Availability (including rural call completion) among the most common.
Internet complaints
159 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 18.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 60 | 37.7% |
| Availability | 57 | 35.8% |
| Equipment | 15 | 9.4% |
| Speed | 13 | 8.2% |
| Interference | 9 | 5.7% |
| Privacy | 5 | 3.1% |
Billing and Availability were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
TV complaints
77 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 8.9% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 31 | 40.3% |
| Availability | 25 | 32.5% |
| Indecency | 7 | 9.1% |
| Equipment | 6 | 7.8% |
| Interference | 4 | 5.2% |
| Loud Commercials | 3 | 3.9% |
| Privacy | 1 | 1.3% |
Billing and Availability were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
Unwanted calls
A total of 380 complaints relating to unwanted calls were recorded on this date, representing 43.7% of all complaints. Caller ID and business contact numbers are shown below where sufficient data is available.
Most reported caller ID numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (855) 563-5635 | 11 | 2.9% |
| (585) 510-1260 | 3 | 0.8% |
| (717) 997-6142 | 2 | 0.5% |
| (201) 605-9834 | 1 | 0.3% |
| (207) 231-3302 | 1 | 0.3% |
| (207) 768-7211 | 1 | 0.3% |
| (208) 598-5805 | 1 | 0.3% |
| (209) 315-3720 | 1 | 0.3% |
| (209) 703-1956 | 1 | 0.3% |
| (210) 801-9668 | 1 | 0.3% |
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.
- Reports were spread across many different business contact numbers, with no single number dominating.
- (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.