FCC Consumer Complaints – 2025
Introduction
The Federal Communications Commission recorded 287519 consumer complaints in 2025 relating to telecommunications services. Reports were received from 56 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. Unwanted Calls was the most frequently reported issue, with 125197 complaints recorded.
This year included 43 days across 2 months that fell within a government shutdown period from 1 October 2025 to 12 November 2025. Complaint volumes during affected periods may be lower than usual.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 287519
- Months with complaint data
- 12
- Months with complaints
- 12
- Days with complaint data
- 365
- Days with complaints
- 365
- States & territories reporting
- 56
- Government shutdown days
- 43
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (125197)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (34019)
Monthly complaint activity
Monthly complaint volumes varied during the year, with 2 months including government shutdown days. The average was 23959.9 complaints per month, while the highest monthly total was 29830 complaints in September 2025. 10 months recorded more complaints than the yearly monthly average.
Each bar represents one month of the year. Taller bars indicate more complaints.
Where the complaints came from
Across 16309 cities in 56 states and territories, a total of 287519 complaints were recorded in 2025. Overall, complaint activity was broadly distributed, with no single state or territory representing a significant proportion of the total. At the city level, a significant concentration was observed in District of Columbia, where Washington accounted for 889 of the 1016 complaints recorded.
The table below summarises the number of complaints reported in each state and territory during the year, ordered by total reports.
| State/Territory | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| California | 34019 | 11.8% |
| Florida | 23754 | 8.3% |
| Texas | 23741 | 8.3% |
| New York | 16090 | 5.6% |
| Pennsylvania | 11327 | 3.9% |
| North Carolina | 10801 | 3.8% |
| Georgia | 10032 | 3.5% |
| Illinois | 9952 | 3.5% |
| Ohio | 9387 | 3.3% |
| New Jersey | 8859 | 3.1% |
| Other states and territories | 129461 | 45.0% |
Location highlight
A large share of complaints in District of Columbia originated from Washington, which accounted for most reports within the state.
What the complaints were about
Complaints recorded during the year related to 7 different complaint categories. Phone accounted for the largest share, with 216953 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 216953 | 75.5% |
| Internet | 46964 | 16.3% |
| TV | 15519 | 5.4% |
| Radio | 4956 | 1.7% |
| Accessibility | 1473 | 0.5% |
| Emergency | 1471 | 0.5% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 183 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
216953 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 75.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 125197 | 57.7% |
| Billing | 34951 | 16.1% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 18096 | 8.3% |
| Equipment | 15350 | 7.1% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 8826 | 4.1% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 4150 | 1.9% |
| Privacy | 3646 | 1.7% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 2990 | 1.4% |
| Junk Faxes | 2766 | 1.3% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 842 | 0.4% |
| Rural Call Completion | 16 | 0.0% |
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
46964 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 16.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 20097 | 42.8% |
| Availability | 12965 | 27.6% |
| Interference | 4019 | 8.6% |
| Speed | 3811 | 8.1% |
| Equipment | 3495 | 7.4% |
| Privacy | 2575 | 5.5% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Billing and Availability, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
TV complaints
15519 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 5.4% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 4529 | 29.2% |
| Availability | 4380 | 28.2% |
| Indecency | 3243 | 20.9% |
| Loud Commercials | 1421 | 9.2% |
| Interference | 816 | 5.3% |
| Equipment | 682 | 4.4% |
| Privacy | 382 | 2.5% |
Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Billing, Availability and Indecency.
Radio complaints
4956 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 1.7% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 1562 | 31.5% |
| Pirate Radio | 1121 | 22.6% |
| Availability | 1005 | 20.3% |
| Indecency | 756 | 15.3% |
| Equipment | 179 | 3.6% |
| Commercials/Promotions | 157 | 3.2% |
| Billing | 102 | 2.1% |
Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Interference, Pirate Radio and Availability.
Accessibility complaints
1473 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 0.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Closed Captioning on TV | 604 | 41.0% |
| Closed Captioning over the Internet | 340 | 23.1% |
| Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) | 255 | 17.3% |
| Video Description | 43 | 2.9% |
| Emergency Information on TV | 28 | 1.9% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireless Phones | 24 | 1.6% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireline Phones | 5 | 0.3% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Closed Captioning on TV and Closed Captioning over the Internet, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Emergency complaints
1471 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 0.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 561 | 38.1% |
| Phone | 443 | 30.1% |
| Other | 278 | 18.9% |
| Tower | 189 | 12.8% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Interference and Phone, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Request for Dispute Assistance complaints
183 complaints were recorded in this category during the year, representing 0.1% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment | 3 | 1.6% |
| Billing | 1 | 0.5% |
Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Equipment and Billing.
Unwanted calls
125197 complaints relating to unwanted calls were recorded on this date, accounting for 43.5% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| (800) 733-2767 | 28 | 0.0% |
| (216) 243-2260 | 24 | 0.0% |
| (877) 200-2515 | 23 | 0.0% |
| (773) 466-7206 | 21 | 0.0% |
| (773) 466-9282 | 18 | 0.0% |
| (833) 225-8017 | 18 | 0.0% |
| (216) 428-2570 | 15 | 0.0% |
| (231) 786-7386 | 15 | 0.0% |
| (800) 869-3557 | 15 | 0.0% |
| (866) 930-8034 | 15 | 0.0% |
Most reported business contact numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (877) 200-2515 | 524 | 0.4% |
| (888) 324-9444 | 165 | 0.1% |
| (833) 746-6947 | 147 | 0.1% |
| (877) 556-9255 | 140 | 0.1% |
| (877) 200-5098 | 126 | 0.1% |
| (877) 200-4023 | 120 | 0.1% |
| (877) 867-5139 | 113 | 0.1% |
| (872) 354-8569 | 81 | 0.1% |
| (855) 768-4424 | 69 | 0.1% |
| (833) 487-2543 | 66 | 0.1% |
Key patterns
- Other Services accounted for the largest share of unwanted call complaints by service type.
- Prerecorded Voice was reported slightly more often than other call types.
- (877) 200-2515 stood out as the most frequently reported business contact number.
- (800) 733-2767 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.