FCC Consumer Complaints – 18 January 2026

Introduction

On Sunday, 18 January 2026, the Federal Communications Commission recorded 468 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services, this was lower than the 661 complaints recorded the previous day. The complaints came from 44 states and territories, with California reporting a modestly higher count than the other locations. Billing recorded a slightly higher number of complaints than other issues.

Key statistics

Total complaints
468
States & territories reporting
44
Most common issue
Billing (156)
Most reported state/territory
California (62)

Where the complaints came from

Reports recorded on 18 January 2026 show 468 complaints originating from 361 cities across 44 states and territories. Complaint reports were spread across multiple states and territories, without any one location accounting for a large share. This pattern continues at the city level, where complaints were distributed across multiple locations without a single city standing out.

The distribution of complaints by state and territory is shown below, with locations ranked by the number of reports recorded.

State/Territory Complaints
California 62 13.2%
Texas 51 10.9%
Florida 41 8.8%
New York 32 6.8%
Virginia 25 5.3%
Georgia 17 3.6%
Arizona 16 3.4%
Michigan 15 3.2%
North Carolina 15 3.2%
Pennsylvania 14 3.0%
Other states and territories 180 38.5%

What the complaints were about

The complaints recorded on this date were spread across 6 complaint categories. Phone was the most reported category, with 321 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Phone 321 68.6%
Internet 85 18.2%
TV 43 9.2%
Radio 10 2.1%
Emergency 5 1.1%
Accessibility 4 0.9%

Phone complaints

321 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 68.6% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 104 32.4%
Unwanted Calls 93 29.0%
Availability (including rural call completion) 45 14.0%
Equipment 37 11.5%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 17 5.3%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 17 5.3%
Privacy 3 0.9%
Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) 3 0.9%
Interference (including signal jammers) 2 0.6%

Billing and Unwanted Calls accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.

Internet complaints

85 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 18.2% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 40 47.1%
Availability 25 29.4%
Speed 9 10.6%
Interference 8 9.4%
Equipment 2 2.4%
Privacy 1 1.2%

Billing and Availability accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.

TV complaints

43 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 9.2% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 12 27.9%
Availability 9 20.9%
Indecency 9 20.9%
Loud Commercials 5 11.6%
Privacy 4 9.3%
Equipment 2 4.7%
Interference 2 4.7%

Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Billing, Availability and Indecency.

Page last updated: 19 January 2026 with FCC complaints data from 18 January 2026.

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.