FCC Consumer Complaints – April 2024

Introduction

The Federal Communications Commission recorded 22588 consumer complaints in April 2024 relating to telecommunications services, this represented an increase from the 17973 complaints recorded the previous month. Complaints were reported across 55 states and territories, with California slightly ahead of the other locations. Unwanted Calls was the most frequently reported issue, with 8875 complaints recorded.

Key statistics

Total complaints
22588
Days with complaint data
30
Days with complaints
30
States & territories reporting
55
Most common issue
Unwanted Calls (8875)
Most reported state/territory
California (3294)

Daily complaint activity

The month averaged 752.9 complaints per day. The highest daily count was 1113 complaints on 18 April 2024, with 16 days recording more complaints than the monthly daily average. The quietest day was 7 April 2024, with 247 complaints, noticeably below the monthly average.

Each bar represents one day of the month. Taller bars indicate more complaints.

Where the complaints came from

The 22588 complaints recorded in April 2024 were submitted from 5172 cities across 55 states and territories. The distribution of complaints was relatively even, with no single state or territory contributing a dominant share. A notable concentration at the city level was observed in District of Columbia, where Washington accounted for 89 of the 95 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 3294 14.6%
Texas 1692 7.5%
Florida 1530 6.8%
Alabama 1198 5.3%
New York 1134 5.0%
Ohio 830 3.7%
Illinois 809 3.6%
Pennsylvania 806 3.6%
North Carolina 700 3.1%
Georgia 689 3.1%
Other states and territories 9898 43.8%

Location highlight

Nearly all complaints reported in District of Columbia originated from Washington.

What the complaints were about

Complaints recorded during the month related to 8 different complaint categories. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 15438 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Phone 15438 68.3%
Internet 4384 19.4%
TV 2085 9.2%
Radio 445 2.0%
Accessibility 111 0.5%
Emergency 100 0.4%
Request for Dispute Assistance 24 0.1%
Broadband Story 1 0.0%

Phone complaints

15438 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 68.3% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Unwanted Calls 8875 57.5%
Billing 2051 13.3%
Availability (including rural call completion) 1273 8.2%
Equipment 1002 6.5%
Interference (including signal jammers) 876 5.7%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 447 2.9%
Privacy 339 2.2%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 274 1.8%
Junk Faxes 233 1.5%
Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) 55 0.4%
Rural Call Completion 7 0.0%

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

4384 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 19.4% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 1771 40.4%
Availability 1395 31.8%
Speed 370 8.4%
Interference 334 7.6%
Equipment 303 6.9%
Privacy 211 4.8%

Billing and Availability were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.

TV complaints

2085 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 9.2% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Availability 1189 57.0%
Billing 459 22.0%
Loud Commercials 176 8.4%
Indecency 134 6.4%
Equipment 55 2.6%
Interference 46 2.2%
Privacy 21 1.0%

Availability and Billing were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.

Radio complaints

445 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 2.0% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Interference 125 28.1%
Availability 114 25.6%
Pirate Radio 93 20.9%
Indecency 66 14.8%
Equipment 17 3.8%
Commercials/Promotions 15 3.4%
Billing 10 2.2%

Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Interference, Availability and Pirate Radio.

Accessibility complaints

111 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.5% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Closed Captioning on TV 46 41.4%
Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) 26 23.4%
Closed Captioning over the Internet 23 20.7%
Emergency Information on TV 3 2.7%
Video Description 1 0.9%

Closed Captioning on TV and Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.

Emergency complaints

100 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.4% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Other 42 42.0%
Interference 33 33.0%
Phone 13 13.0%
Tower 12 12.0%

Other and Interference were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.

Unwanted calls

8875 complaints relating to unwanted calls were recorded on this date, accounting for 39.3% of all complaints. Reports referenced both caller ID numbers and business contact numbers, with number tables shown where meaningful patterns are present.

Most reported caller ID numbers

Telephone number Complaints Share
(571) 272-4000 11 0.1%
(833) 862-0724 10 0.1%
(202) 539-9268 8 0.1%
(800) 947-5096 6 0.1%
(843) 867-3683 6 0.1%
(859) 756-4455 6 0.1%
(888) 899-6650 6 0.1%
(202) 798-8524 5 0.1%
(508) 316-5367 5 0.1%
(513) 696-1920 5 0.1%

Most reported business contact numbers

Telephone number Complaints Share
(888) 769-4085 15 0.2%
(877) 346-0334 14 0.2%
(888) 769-2086 12 0.1%
(555) 555-5555 11 0.1%
(877) 346-1334 11 0.1%
(800) 508-1077 10 0.1%
(833) 862-0724 10 0.1%
(877) 294-6328 9 0.1%
(609) 701-7028 8 0.1%
(617) 517-7600 8 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.
  • (888) 769-4085 was reported slightly more often than other business contact numbers.
  • (571) 272-4000 was reported slightly more often than other caller ID numbers.
Page last updated: 1 May 2024 with FCC complaints data from April 2024.

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.