FCC Consumer Complaints – August 2024
Introduction
In August 2024, the Federal Communications Commission recorded 27329 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services, this was lower than the 29355 complaints recorded the previous month. Complaints were reported across 55 states and territories, with California slightly ahead of the other locations. The most common issue reported was Unwanted Calls, accounting for 11039 complaints.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 27329
- Days with complaint data
- 31
- Days with complaints
- 31
- States & territories reporting
- 55
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (11039)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (3068)
Daily complaint activity
Daily complaint activity averaged 881.6 complaints per day during the month. The busiest day was 1 August 2024, when 1303 complaints were recorded, and 22 days were above the monthly daily average. The lowest daily total was 363 complaints on 18 August 2024, 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 27329 complaints were recorded in August 2024, with reports originating from 5847 cities in 55 states and territories. Overall, complaint activity was broadly distributed, with no single state or territory representing a significant proportion of the total. Despite the overall distribution, a notable concentration at the city level was observed in District of Columbia, where Washington accounted for 97 of the 107 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 | 3068 | 11.2% |
| Texas | 2463 | 9.0% |
| Florida | 1980 | 7.2% |
| New York | 1772 | 6.5% |
| Pennsylvania | 1052 | 3.8% |
| Washington | 966 | 3.5% |
| Georgia | 946 | 3.5% |
| Ohio | 941 | 3.4% |
| North Carolina | 937 | 3.4% |
| New Jersey | 878 | 3.2% |
| Other states and territories | 12311 | 45.0% |
Location highlight
Washington accounted for nearly all complaints recorded in District of Columbia.
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded during the month were spread across 7 complaint categories. Phone was the most reported category, with 18749 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 18749 | 68.6% |
| Internet | 5853 | 21.4% |
| TV | 2013 | 7.4% |
| Radio | 436 | 1.6% |
| Emergency | 163 | 0.6% |
| Accessibility | 103 | 0.4% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 12 | 0.0% |
Phone complaints
18749 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 68.6% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 11039 | 58.9% |
| Billing | 2355 | 12.6% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 1916 | 10.2% |
| Equipment | 1385 | 7.4% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 643 | 3.4% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 358 | 1.9% |
| Privacy | 334 | 1.8% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 311 | 1.7% |
| Junk Faxes | 309 | 1.6% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 90 | 0.5% |
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
5853 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 21.4% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 2185 | 37.3% |
| Availability | 2016 | 34.4% |
| Equipment | 488 | 8.3% |
| Speed | 469 | 8.0% |
| Interference | 430 | 7.3% |
| Privacy | 265 | 4.5% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Billing and Availability, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
TV complaints
2013 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 7.4% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Indecency | 688 | 34.2% |
| Billing | 473 | 23.5% |
| Availability | 393 | 19.5% |
| Loud Commercials | 268 | 13.3% |
| Interference | 77 | 3.8% |
| Equipment | 75 | 3.7% |
| Privacy | 26 | 1.3% |
Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Indecency, Billing and Availability.
Radio complaints
436 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 1.6% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 144 | 33.0% |
| Pirate Radio | 108 | 24.8% |
| Availability | 95 | 21.8% |
| Indecency | 53 | 12.2% |
| Equipment | 14 | 3.2% |
| Commercials/Promotions | 11 | 2.5% |
| Billing | 6 | 1.4% |
Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Interference, Pirate Radio and Availability.
Emergency complaints
163 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.6% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 55 | 33.7% |
| Other | 54 | 33.1% |
| Interference | 45 | 27.6% |
| Tower | 9 | 5.5% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Phone and Other, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Accessibility complaints
103 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.4% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Closed Captioning on TV | 30 | 29.1% |
| Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) | 25 | 24.3% |
| Closed Captioning over the Internet | 24 | 23.3% |
| Video Description | 7 | 6.8% |
| Emergency Information on TV | 3 | 2.9% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireless Phones | 3 | 2.9% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireline Phones | 2 | 1.9% |
Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Closed Captioning on TV, Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) and Closed Captioning over the Internet.
Unwanted calls
11039 complaints relating to unwanted calls were recorded on this date, accounting for 40.4% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| (602) 825-2138 | 11 | 0.1% |
| (608) 351-2824 | 10 | 0.1% |
| (877) 406-5590 | 9 | 0.1% |
| (573) 203-1131 | 8 | 0.1% |
| (201) 778-2007 | 7 | 0.1% |
| (771) 208-0374 | 7 | 0.1% |
| (866) 420-8101 | 7 | 0.1% |
| (617) 693-6902 | 6 | 0.1% |
| (830) 431-9763 | 6 | 0.1% |
| (916) 534-8973 | 6 | 0.1% |
Most reported business contact numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (877) 941-1150 | 47 | 0.4% |
| (866) 659-0805 | 27 | 0.2% |
| (877) 406-5590 | 19 | 0.2% |
| (833) 390-3968 | 14 | 0.1% |
| (866) 644-0156 | 14 | 0.1% |
| (202) 987-9841 | 13 | 0.1% |
| (833) 733-0844 | 13 | 0.1% |
| (877) 556-9255 | 12 | 0.1% |
| (608) 351-2824 | 11 | 0.1% |
| (844) 581-2185 | 11 | 0.1% |
Key patterns
- Other Services accounted for the largest share of unwanted call complaints by service type.
- Live Voice was reported slightly more often than other call types.
- (877) 941-1150 was reported slightly more often than other business contact numbers.
- (602) 825-2138 was reported slightly more often than other caller ID numbers.
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.