FCC Claims Impovements to Online Complaint System
A new FCC Consumer Help Center announced by the agency Monday will make several changes to the previous online complaint system, including giving consumers the ability to track the status of their complaints, an agency official told us. The site…
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operates on its own cloud-based platform instead of on the agency’s server, the official said. As before, the complaint system is separate from the Electronic Comment Filing System, though both appear on the agency's homepage. In addition to new functions, the official said, the $1.1 million cost of launching and then maintaining the new system over the next five years will be less than the estimated $2.3 million cost of maintaining the aging old system. Among the changes, online complaints will be forwarded to carriers daily instead of weekly, and cumulative tallies of complaints by type and state will be available on the site, the official said. The system guides consumers through filling out complaints, and provides information on common issues about service, and the commission’s jurisdiction over them, the official said. The system was praised by the Consumers Union, in a release. “This site will make it easier for people to file and track complaints about problems like annoying robocalls and fraudulent charges, and it will help the FCC spot emerging trends in the marketplace,” said Delara Derakhshani, the organization’s policy counsel. “This is a one-stop shop for consumers, and it’s a real improvement over the old system, where forms and information were spread out and hard to find.” The site was also praised by Danielle Kehl, a policy analyst at New America’s Open Technology Institute, in a release. “The new system will enable greater transparency about the type and volume of these complaints, and the system is a critical component of two broader goals: modernizing the FCC’s infrastructure and improving data collection practices,” Kehl said. "This is something that should help consumers better hold companies accountable," Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said in a statement.