Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Catch up on the day's biggest business stories
Subscribe to Axios Closer for insights into the day’s business news and trends and why they matter
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Sign up for Axios NW Arkansas
Stay up-to-date on the most important and interesting stories affecting NW Arkansas, authored by local reporters
Internet users are complaining more about net neutrality-related issues since the FCC voted to repeal the existing net neutrality rules earlier this month, according to the FCC's consumer complaint data.
Why it matters: The FCC allows consumers to submit complaints about a variety of telecom-related problems, from receiving unwanted phone calls to billing fraud. After adopting net neutrality rules in 2015, the FCC added net neutrality to the list of possible gripes, such as slowed-down internet service or content being blocked. The FCC can use those complaints to spot trends or even launch investigations.
The details: According to the data (via the FCC's Consumer Complaint Center), people appear to file more net neutrality complaints when the topic is in the news and people are paying more attention to their internet performance. For example:
- The complaints spiked to around 11,000 in May 2016, shortly before the DC Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the FCC's rules that the telecom industry had sued to stop.
- Consumers filed more than 6,400 complaints in October 2016, shortly before the 2016 election. Republicans had made clear they would weaken the rules if they took office.
- A small uptick of complaints took place in April, the same month FCC Chairman Ajit Pai released an initial proposal to roll back the rules.
- As of Friday, consumers filed 2,388 in December, a sharp increase over the 157 complaints filed in October. The FCC voted to reverse the net neutrality rules on Dec. 14.
How it works: When a consumer files a complaint, the FCC serves the complaint to the telecom provider in question. That company is required to respond to the consumer within 30 days, and must provide the FCC a copy of that response.
- The FCC is not obligated to act on "informal" complaints (which can be filed for free online), but can choose to look into issues as they arise.
- The FCC has a separate process for "formal" complaints, which usually involve lawyers, filing fees and specific procedural rules. (More details on the process can be found here.)
Between the lines: It's often difficult for consumers to pinpoint the cause of internet connection issues. Net neutrality supporters will say a rise in informal complaints indicates bad behavior by internet providers without the rules. While the FCC isn't required to investigate such complaints, the agency's new transparency requirements could encourage companies to be forthcoming in their responses to them.