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

Consumer and Government Affairs Bureau (CGB)

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.

Disability Rights Office (DRO)

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.

FCC Captioned Forums

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/.

Updates

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

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FCC Releases Complaint Data

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.

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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.