Federal
Communications Commission (FCC)
The Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) is an independent United States government agency,
directly responsible to Congress. The FCC was established by the
Communications Act of 1934 and is charged with regulating interstate and
international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and
cable. The FCC's jurisdiction covers the 50 states, the District of
Columbia, and U.S. possessions.
Federal
Communications Commission
445 12th Street
SW
Washington, DC
20554
888-CALL-FCC
(225-5322) (Voice)
888-TELL-FCC
(835-5322) (TTY)
202-418-0232
(FAX)
fccinfo@fcc.gov
www.fcc.gov
This bureau seems to have
inherited most of the functions of the old Disabilities Issues Task
Force and the Consumer Information Bureau. It is the place to go for
consumer issues, including how
to file a comment.
The main CGB website is www.fcc.gov/cgb.
The Disability Rights Office
seems to have retained a separate presence throughout the organization
and continues to serve the disabled community. The DRO
website is the place to go for disabilities issues.
July 2005 -
Here's a report on current
issues by DRO Chief Tom Chandler at the 2005 TDI Conference.
The FCC has been providing
multimedia coverage of many of its consumer forums for several years -
and they're captioned! Check it out at www.fcc.gov/realaudio/.
August 2001 - One of the
highlights of the TDI 2001 convention was a presentation
by newly appointed FCC Commissioner Copps. If you're interested in where
the FCC is heading, here's your opportunity to find out from one of the
people who will be steering!
October 2001 - The Federal
Communications Commission has been instrumental in providing
communications access to the hearing loss community. At the TDI
convention, Karen
Peltz-Strauss discusses
what they've been up to recently.
November 2001 - FCC
Releases Complaint Data
July 2005 - Here's Cheryl
Heppner's report on Commissioner Copp's presentation at the 2005 SHHH
Convention.
February 2008 -
FCC Makes Complaining Easier! New Online Form for
Disability Concerns
February 2008 -
The UK
Model for Handling Captioning Problems
September 2009 - FCC Reports on Informal
Consumer Complaints
March 2010 - Working with the FCC's Consumer
Advisory Committee
August 2010 - FCC
Moves to Improve Cell Phone Accessibility
August 2010 - FCC
Takes Strong Action on Accessibility of Wireless Phones
~~~~~~~~~~~~
November 2001
Editor: Ever wonder what kinds of complaints the FCC gets about TV or
phone service? You might be surprised by the answer. They have just
released a report on complaints during the third quarter, and you can
check it out on the Internet. Here's the scoop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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 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.
