FCC Consumer Complaints – October 2025
Introduction
In October 2025, the Federal Communications Commission recorded 492 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services, complaint volume fell from 29830 complaints the month before. Reports were received from 47 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. Billing recorded a slightly higher number of complaints than other issues.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 492
- Days with complaint data
- 31
- Days with complaints
- 31
- States & territories reporting
- 47
- Government shutdown days
- 31
- Most common issue
- Billing (120)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (79)
Daily complaint activity
All 31 days in this month fell within a government shutdown period, so daily complaint volumes may not be comparable with normal reporting periods.
Each bar represents one day of the month. Taller bars indicate more complaints.
Where the complaints came from
Across 345 cities in 47 states and territories, a total of 492 complaints were recorded in October 2025. The distribution of complaints was relatively even, with no single state or territory contributing a dominant share. At the city level, complaints were similarly dispersed, with no single location accounting for a notable share of the total.
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 | 79 | 16.1% |
| Texas | 47 | 9.6% |
| Florida | 31 | 6.3% |
| New York | 29 | 5.9% |
| Pennsylvania | 24 | 4.9% |
| Georgia | 21 | 4.3% |
| Ohio | 21 | 4.3% |
| Virginia | 18 | 3.7% |
| Maryland | 16 | 3.3% |
| North Carolina | 16 | 3.3% |
| Other states and territories | 190 | 38.6% |
Location highlight
Complaints in California were reported across 57 cities, the widest spread observed during the month.
What the complaints were about
A total of 6 complaint categories were represented in the complaints recorded during the month. Phone was the most reported category, with 310 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 310 | 63.0% |
| Internet | 84 | 17.1% |
| Emergency | 63 | 12.8% |
| TV | 20 | 4.1% |
| Radio | 9 | 1.8% |
| Accessibility | 6 | 1.2% |
Phone complaints
310 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 63.0% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 100 | 32.3% |
| Billing | 74 | 23.9% |
| Equipment | 42 | 13.5% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 40 | 12.9% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 17 | 5.5% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 15 | 4.8% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 10 | 3.2% |
| Privacy | 9 | 2.9% |
| Junk Faxes | 1 | 0.3% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 1 | 0.3% |
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, Equipment and Availability (including rural call completion).
Internet complaints
84 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 17.1% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 35 | 41.7% |
| Availability | 23 | 27.4% |
| Equipment | 12 | 14.3% |
| Interference | 7 | 8.3% |
| Speed | 4 | 4.8% |
| Privacy | 3 | 3.6% |
Billing and Availability were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
Emergency complaints
63 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 12.8% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 36 | 57.1% |
| Phone | 14 | 22.2% |
| Tower | 9 | 14.3% |
| Other | 4 | 6.3% |
Interference and Phone were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.
Unwanted calls
There were 100 complaints relating to unwanted calls on this date, representing 20.3% of all complaints. Caller ID and business contact number details are listed below where there is enough concentration to make the data meaningful.
Key patterns
- Other Services was reported slightly more often than other service types.
- Live Voice was reported slightly more often than other call types.
- Reports were spread across many different business contact numbers, with no single number dominating.
- Reports were spread across many different caller ID numbers, with no single number dominating.
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.