FCC Consumer Complaints – May 2026
Introduction
In May 2026, the Federal Communications Commission recorded 28950 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services, this represented a decline from the 29148 complaints recorded the previous month. Reports were received from 56 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. Unwanted Calls was reported slightly more frequently than other issues.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 28950
- Days with complaint data
- 31
- Days with complaints
- 31
- States & territories reporting
- 56
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (10238)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (3378)
Daily complaint activity
The month averaged 933.9 complaints per day. The highest daily count was 1341 complaints on 19 May 2026, with 20 days recording more complaints than the monthly daily average. The quietest day was 3 May 2026, with 416 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 2026, the 28950 complaints recorded by the Federal Communications Commission were reported from 5867 cities across 56 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 382 of the 392 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 | 3378 | 11.7% |
| Texas | 2497 | 8.6% |
| Florida | 2478 | 8.6% |
| New York | 1746 | 6.0% |
| Colorado | 1085 | 3.7% |
| Georgia | 1085 | 3.7% |
| North Carolina | 1066 | 3.7% |
| Illinois | 1012 | 3.5% |
| Pennsylvania | 1010 | 3.5% |
| Ohio | 890 | 3.1% |
| Other states and territories | 12679 | 43.8% |
Location highlight
Nearly all complaints reported in District of Columbia originated from Washington.
What the complaints were about
Complaints recorded during the month related to 7 different complaint categories. Phone was the most reported category, with 21813 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 21813 | 75.3% |
| Internet | 5344 | 18.5% |
| TV | 1097 | 3.8% |
| Radio | 393 | 1.4% |
| Emergency | 194 | 0.7% |
| Accessibility | 83 | 0.3% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 26 | 0.1% |
Phone complaints
21813 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 75.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 10238 | 46.9% |
| Billing | 5731 | 26.3% |
| Equipment | 1778 | 8.2% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 1286 | 5.9% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 1019 | 4.7% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 630 | 2.9% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 416 | 1.9% |
| Privacy | 381 | 1.7% |
| Junk Faxes | 134 | 0.6% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 131 | 0.6% |
| Rural Call Completion | 45 | 0.2% |
Unwanted calls again accounted for the largest share of complaints in this category. These reports are examined in more detail in the section below. A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Billing, Equipment and Availability (including rural call completion) among the most common.
Internet complaints
5344 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 18.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 2353 | 44.0% |
| Availability | 961 | 18.0% |
| Interference | 734 | 13.7% |
| Equipment | 594 | 11.1% |
| Speed | 462 | 8.6% |
| Privacy | 240 | 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
1097 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 3.8% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 345 | 31.4% |
| Indecency | 243 | 22.2% |
| Availability | 180 | 16.4% |
| Loud Commercials | 138 | 12.6% |
| Equipment | 83 | 7.6% |
| Interference | 80 | 7.3% |
| Privacy | 25 | 2.3% |
A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Billing, Indecency and Availability among the most common.
Radio complaints
393 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 1.4% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 180 | 45.8% |
| Pirate Radio | 104 | 26.5% |
| Indecency | 53 | 13.5% |
| Equipment | 25 | 6.4% |
| Commercials/Promotions | 13 | 3.3% |
| Availability | 10 | 2.5% |
| Billing | 3 | 0.8% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Interference and Pirate Radio, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Emergency complaints
194 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.7% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 112 | 57.7% |
| Other | 40 | 20.6% |
| Phone | 25 | 12.9% |
| Tower | 17 | 8.8% |
The largest share of complaints in this category related to Interference and Other, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.
Accessibility complaints
83 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) | 27 | 32.5% |
| Closed Captioning on TV | 21 | 25.3% |
| Closed Captioning over the Internet | 15 | 18.1% |
| Emergency Information on TV | 3 | 3.6% |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility of Wireless Phones | 2 | 2.4% |
| Video Description | 2 | 2.4% |
A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS), Closed Captioning on TV and Closed Captioning over the Internet among the most common.
Unwanted calls
A total of 10238 complaints relating to unwanted calls were recorded on this date, representing 35.4% of all complaints. Caller ID and business contact numbers are shown below where sufficient data is available.
Most reported caller ID numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (855) 357-2205 | 15 | 0.1% |
| (877) 578-1940 | 11 | 0.1% |
| (877) 578-1953 | 11 | 0.1% |
| (407) 612-7120 | 7 | 0.1% |
| (302) 927-3338 | 6 | 0.1% |
| (650) 215-5272 | 6 | 0.1% |
| (786) 783-3666 | 5 | 0.0% |
| (855) 357-2005 | 4 | 0.0% |
| (201) 426-8971 | 3 | 0.0% |
| (217) 834-9414 | 3 | 0.0% |
Most reported business contact numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (855) 357-2205 | 81 | 0.8% |
| (877) 578-1953 | 44 | 0.4% |
| (877) 578-1811 | 29 | 0.3% |
| (877) 578-1940 | 29 | 0.3% |
| (877) 556-9255 | 27 | 0.3% |
| (217) 834-9517 | 20 | 0.2% |
| (224) 301-9872 | 19 | 0.2% |
| (877) 578-1736 | 19 | 0.2% |
| (877) 961-0995 | 19 | 0.2% |
| (279) 499-8870 | 18 | 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.
- (855) 357-2205 was reported slightly more often than other business contact numbers.
- (855) 357-2205 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.