The FCC has released its latest quarterly report on informal consumer inquiries and complaints, covering the first quarter of 2005. Complaints about both wireline and wireless services increased, as did complaints related to cable and satellite services, where the biggest increase was in the "Programming" category. However, there was a decline in the number of radio and TV broadcasting complaints. A decline in the number of complaints received in connection with e-mail or write-in campaigns directed at specific broadcasts accounted for the over-all decline, according to the FCC.
The number of inquiries about radio and TV broadcasting dropped sharply, from 20,565 in the fourth quarter of 2004 to 9,072 in the first quarter of 2005. The only broadcasting categories where inquiries increased was the programming and content category, which increased only "modestly."
The Report on Informal Consumer Inquiries and Complaints runs 18 pages, including a one page news release summarizing the results. Looking at the tables in the report, I noticed there were 745 inquiries about the FCC's Over the Air Reception Device rules; The FCC received 418 inquires about how to start a broadcast station. In the wireless telecommunications section, the report shows 6,361 electrical interference inquiries.
