FCC Consumer Complaints – September 2023
Introduction
In September 2023, 20495 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded in the Federal Communications Commission system, this was lower than the 23140 complaints recorded the month before. The complaints came from 53 states and territories, with California reporting a modestly higher count than the other locations. Unwanted Calls was reported slightly more frequently than other issues.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 20495
- Days with complaint data
- 30
- Days with complaints
- 30
- States & territories reporting
- 53
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (7081)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (2452)
Daily complaint activity
Daily complaint activity averaged 683.2 complaints per day during the month. The busiest day was 26 September 2023, when 1008 complaints were recorded, and 20 days were above the monthly daily average. The lowest daily total was 277 complaints on 24 September 2023, well below the monthly average.
Each bar represents one day of the month. Taller bars indicate more complaints.
Where the complaints came from
A total of 20495 complaints were recorded in September 2023, with reports originating from 5175 cities in 53 states and territories. Complaints were relatively evenly spread across states and territories, with no individual location contributing a dominant share. A notable concentration at the city level was observed in District of Columbia, where Washington accounted for 81 of the 90 complaints recorded in the state.
The table below shows the distribution of complaints by state and territory for this month, highlighting the locations with the highest number of reports.
| State/Territory | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| California | 2452 | 12.0% |
| Texas | 1826 | 8.9% |
| Florida | 1492 | 7.3% |
| New York | 1313 | 6.4% |
| Illinois | 775 | 3.8% |
| Pennsylvania | 765 | 3.7% |
| Ohio | 692 | 3.4% |
| North Carolina | 673 | 3.3% |
| Georgia | 656 | 3.2% |
| Washington | 636 | 3.1% |
| Other states and territories | 9208 | 44.9% |
Location highlight
Complaint activity in District of Columbia was almost entirely concentrated in Washington.
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded during the month were spread across 8 complaint categories. Phone accounted for the largest share, with 13212 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 13212 | 64.5% |
| Internet | 4709 | 23.0% |
| TV | 1946 | 9.5% |
| Radio | 421 | 2.1% |
| Accessibility | 95 | 0.5% |
| Emergency | 80 | 0.4% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 31 | 0.2% |
| Broadband Story | 1 | 0.0% |
Phone complaints
13212 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 64.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 7081 | 53.6% |
| Billing | 1842 | 13.9% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 1583 | 12.0% |
| Equipment | 1064 | 8.1% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 482 | 3.6% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 332 | 2.5% |
| Junk Faxes | 255 | 1.9% |
| Privacy | 254 | 1.9% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 244 | 1.8% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 52 | 0.4% |
| Rural Call Completion | 16 | 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
4709 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 23.0% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 1839 | 39.1% |
| Availability | 1640 | 34.8% |
| Speed | 366 | 7.8% |
| Interference | 323 | 6.9% |
| Equipment | 305 | 6.5% |
| Privacy | 236 | 5.0% |
Billing and Availability were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
TV complaints
1946 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 9.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | 828 | 42.5% |
| Billing | 618 | 31.8% |
| Indecency | 200 | 10.3% |
| Loud Commercials | 144 | 7.4% |
| Equipment | 79 | 4.1% |
| Interference | 47 | 2.4% |
| Privacy | 20 | 1.0% |
Availability and Billing were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
Radio complaints
421 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 2.1% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 148 | 35.2% |
| Pirate Radio | 77 | 18.3% |
| Availability | 74 | 17.6% |
| Indecency | 73 | 17.3% |
| Equipment | 19 | 4.5% |
| Commercials/Promotions | 17 | 4.0% |
| Billing | 11 | 2.6% |
Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Interference, Pirate Radio and Availability.
Accessibility complaints
95 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) | 28 | 29.5% |
| Closed Captioning over the Internet | 27 | 28.4% |
| Closed Captioning on TV | 10 | 10.5% |
| Emergency Information on TV | 3 | 3.2% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireless Phones | 3 | 3.2% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireline Phones | 1 | 1.1% |
| Video Description | 1 | 1.1% |
Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS), Closed Captioning over the Internet and Closed Captioning on TV.
Emergency complaints
80 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.4% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 35 | 43.8% |
| Phone | 22 | 27.5% |
| Other | 14 | 17.5% |
| Tower | 9 | 11.3% |
Interference and Phone were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
Request for Dispute Assistance complaints
31 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|
Unwanted calls
A total of 7081 complaints relating to unwanted calls were recorded on this date, representing 34.5% 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) 762-2200 | 16 | 0.2% |
| (860) 590-4840 | 16 | 0.2% |
| (903) 378-5413 | 6 | 0.1% |
| (405) 347-7421 | 4 | 0.1% |
| (513) 696-1920 | 4 | 0.1% |
| (555) 555-5555 | 4 | 0.1% |
| (571) 272-3275 | 4 | 0.1% |
| (731) 418-8740 | 4 | 0.1% |
| (336) 916-5279 | 3 | 0.0% |
| (360) 242-6054 | 3 | 0.0% |
Most reported business contact numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (833) 652-7555 | 31 | 0.4% |
| (855) 762-2200 | 21 | 0.3% |
| (860) 590-4840 | 17 | 0.2% |
| (555) 555-5555 | 14 | 0.2% |
| (877) 813-1115 | 11 | 0.2% |
| (888) 402-6918 | 9 | 0.1% |
| (607) 201-0221 | 7 | 0.1% |
| (714) 694-7603 | 7 | 0.1% |
| (877) 824-3977 | 6 | 0.1% |
| (231) 221-3813 | 5 | 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.
- (833) 652-7555 was reported slightly more often than other business contact numbers.
- Several caller ID numbers were reported multiple times, with no single number clearly ahead of the others.
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.