FCC Consumer Complaints – May 2025
Introduction
A total of 28603 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded by the Federal Communications Commission in May 2025, complaint volume increased from 24895 complaints the previous month. Complaints were reported across 55 states and territories, with California slightly ahead of the other locations. The largest number of complaints related to Unwanted Calls, with 12594 complaints.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 28603
- Days with complaint data
- 31
- Days with complaints
- 31
- States & territories reporting
- 55
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (12594)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (3172)
Daily complaint activity
The month averaged 922.7 complaints per day. The highest daily count was 1317 complaints on 13 May 2025, with 19 days recording more complaints than the monthly daily average. The quietest day was 4 May 2025, with 362 complaints, noticeably below the monthly average.
Each bar represents one day of the month. Taller bars indicate more complaints.
Where the complaints came from
In May 2025, the 28603 complaints recorded by the Federal Communications Commission were reported from 5830 cities across 55 states and territories. 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 73 of the 86 complaints recorded.
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 | 3172 | 11.1% |
| Florida | 3056 | 10.7% |
| Texas | 2349 | 8.2% |
| New York | 1566 | 5.5% |
| Pennsylvania | 1340 | 4.7% |
| North Carolina | 1172 | 4.1% |
| New Jersey | 947 | 3.3% |
| Georgia | 922 | 3.2% |
| Illinois | 903 | 3.2% |
| Ohio | 853 | 3.0% |
| Other states and territories | 12313 | 43.0% |
Location highlight
Complaints in District of Columbia were heavily concentrated in Washington, which accounted for the majority of reports within the state.
What the complaints were about
The complaints recorded during the month were spread across 7 complaint categories. Phone accounted for the largest share, with 22159 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 22159 | 77.5% |
| Internet | 4415 | 15.4% |
| TV | 1114 | 3.9% |
| Radio | 577 | 2.0% |
| Emergency | 165 | 0.6% |
| Accessibility | 153 | 0.5% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 20 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
22159 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 77.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 12594 | 56.8% |
| Billing | 2927 | 13.2% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 1966 | 8.9% |
| Equipment | 1669 | 7.5% |
| Junk Faxes | 1016 | 4.6% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 817 | 3.7% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 386 | 1.7% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 362 | 1.6% |
| Privacy | 348 | 1.6% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 63 | 0.3% |
| Rural Call Completion | 1 | 0.0% |
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, Availability (including rural call completion) and Equipment among the most common.
Internet complaints
4415 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 15.4% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 1805 | 40.9% |
| Availability | 1186 | 26.9% |
| Interference | 515 | 11.7% |
| Speed | 335 | 7.6% |
| Equipment | 326 | 7.4% |
| Privacy | 248 | 5.6% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Billing and Availability, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
TV complaints
1114 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 3.9% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 378 | 33.9% |
| Availability | 244 | 21.9% |
| Indecency | 152 | 13.6% |
| Loud Commercials | 150 | 13.5% |
| Equipment | 68 | 6.1% |
| Privacy | 60 | 5.4% |
| Interference | 56 | 5.0% |
A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Billing, Availability and Indecency among the most common.
Radio complaints
577 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 2.0% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 198 | 34.3% |
| Indecency | 130 | 22.5% |
| Availability | 104 | 18.0% |
| Pirate Radio | 92 | 15.9% |
| Equipment | 22 | 3.8% |
| Commercials/Promotions | 15 | 2.6% |
| Billing | 9 | 1.6% |
A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Interference, Indecency and Availability among the most common.
Emergency complaints
165 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.6% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 53 | 32.1% |
| Tower | 40 | 24.2% |
| Phone | 39 | 23.6% |
| Other | 33 | 20.0% |
A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Interference, Tower and Phone among the most common.
Accessibility complaints
153 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Closed Captioning on TV | 70 | 45.8% |
| Closed Captioning over the Internet | 25 | 16.3% |
| Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) | 20 | 13.1% |
| Video Description | 7 | 4.6% |
| Emergency Information on TV | 6 | 3.9% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireless Phones | 2 | 1.3% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireline Phones | 2 | 1.3% |
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.
Unwanted calls
There were 12594 complaints relating to unwanted calls on this date, representing 44% of all complaints. Caller ID and business contact number details are listed below where there is enough concentration to make the data meaningful.
Most reported caller ID numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (231) 786-7386 | 13 | 0.1% |
| (704) 937-1228 | 8 | 0.1% |
| (833) 225-8017 | 8 | 0.1% |
| (773) 948-8586 | 7 | 0.1% |
| (201) 201-4155 | 4 | 0.0% |
| (406) 306-0254 | 4 | 0.0% |
| (515) 379-8062 | 4 | 0.0% |
| (877) 310-8276 | 4 | 0.0% |
| (203) 880-9197 | 3 | 0.0% |
| (212) 540-6696 | 3 | 0.0% |
Most reported business contact numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (866) 450-5552 | 31 | 0.2% |
| (866) 450-4447 | 27 | 0.2% |
| (844) 672-0683 | 25 | 0.2% |
| (866) 450-3339 | 24 | 0.2% |
| (866) 457-0045 | 24 | 0.2% |
| (833) 421-0745 | 23 | 0.2% |
| (833) 704-0812 | 22 | 0.2% |
| (833) 704-3824 | 20 | 0.2% |
| (844) 672-0673 | 19 | 0.2% |
| (855) 535-0390 | 19 | 0.2% |
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.
- (866) 450-5552 was reported slightly more often than other business contact numbers.
- (231) 786-7386 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.