FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: News Media Contact: October 23, 2001 Rosemary Kimball at (202) 418-0511 e-mail: rkimball@fcc.gov FCC CONSUMER INFORMATION BUREAU RELEASES FIRST REPORT ON COMPLAINTS AND INQUIRIES PROCESSED Data Will Help Commission, Companies and the Public To Track Trends Washington, DC – The FCC's Consumer Information Bureau (CIB) has released the first of what will be quarterly reports on the numbers and types of complaints and inquiries the Bureau has received from the public. The attached report is a tabulation of the most common complaints and inquiries received at CIB's Consumer Centers during the third quarter of this year on broadcast, cable, wireless and wireline telecommunications issues. The statistics illustrate that, for both wireline and wireless telecommunications services, billing-related complaints comprise the largest category. While these data indicate the volume of complaints received at the Commission's Consumer Centers, they do not include complaints received by other FCC offices or complaints made to state agencies and the companies themselves. The data also indicate that the Commission receives mass mailings, which are classified as neither complaints nor inquiries but are considered in the Commission's decision-making processes. Consumer Information Bureau Chief K. Dane Snowden said, "The statistics in this report will allow CIB to play a pro-active role in alerting the Commission to potential problems that may require further consumer education efforts or policy changes. They also help in the Commission's strategic goal of acting as a bridge between government, industry and consumers to ensure that consumers' voices are heard and their concerns are addressed. We are well aware, of course, that many of the complaints we receive do not involve violations of FCC rules and the existence of a complaint does not necessarily indicate any wrongdoing by the company involved." Complaints are defined as correspondence received at the FCC from individuals who complain about the actions or omissions of entities regulated by the FCC. Inquiries are defined as correspondence received at the Commission from individuals seeking information on matters under the FCC's jurisdiction. Attached to the report is a subject reference guide that defines each complaint category and a list of questions and answers about the statistics. - FCC – Consumer Information Bureau contact: Thomas Wyatt at (202) 418-1400. For more information about this or any other FCC matter contact the FCC's Consumer Center at 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322), voice; or 1-888-TELL-FCC (1-888-835-5322), TTY; email us at fccinfo@fcc.gov or visit our Web site at www.fcc.gov/cib. News Media Information 202 / 418-0500 TTY 202 / 418-2555 Fax-On-Demand 202 / 418-2830 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov ftp.fcc.gov Federal Communications Commission 445 12th Street, S.W. Washington, D. C. 20554 This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974).