1FCC Consumer Advisory Committee
Recommendation Regarding FCC IVR and Web-based complaint handling 
process
The Consumer Advisory Committee (CAC) of the Federal Communications 
Commission (Commission) respectfully submits these comments in response to a 
request from FCC staff to review the Commission’s telephone interactive voice 
response (IVR) and online complaint processes.  This review comes in the context of 
a broad review of the FCC’s complaint-handling process currently under way.  
The purpose of the CAC is to make recommendations to the Commission regarding 
consumer issues within the jurisdiction of the Commission and to facilitate 
participation of all consumers in proceedings before the Commission.  To 
accommodate staff’s request, the CAC established a Consumer Complaint Task Force 
(CCTF)1 that was charged with testing the IVR (i.e. the FCC Consumer Center 
accessed via the 888-225-5322 telephone number) and web-based complaint 
processes (accessed at www.fcc.gov/complaints) and providing feedback to the 
CAC.  To date the CCTF has met via teleconference three times and provided an 
informal briefing to FCC staff to discuss the task force’s findings.
  
1 The full list of CCTF member representatives is as follows: Ed Bartholme (Call For Action), Scott 
Bergmann (CTIA – The Wireless Association), Debra Berlyn (National Consumers League), Lise 
Hamlin (Hearing Loss Associaiton of America), Mitsuko Herrera (Montgomery County, MD Office of 
Cable and Broadband Services), Irene Leech (Consumer Federation of America), Mia Martinez 
(National Asian American Coalition), Ken McEldowney (Consumer Action), Art Neill (New Media 
Rights Project), Stephanie Podey (National Cable & Telecommunications Association), Paul Schroeder 
(America Foundation for the Blind), Dorothy Walt (Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind) and 
Olivia Wein (National Consumer Law Center).
2Based on the CCTF’s findings, the CAC makes the following recommendations for 
ways that the Commission should improve its complaint-handling process:
Regarding the IVR process:
· The Commission should create an IVR system for consumer-related issues 
separate from industry-related issues;
· The Commission should create a dedicated phone number exclusively for the 
submission of consumer complaints;
· Where possible, the Commission should seek to reduce the number of 
options presented in the IVR menus and allow for more functionality to ease 
navigation between menus;
· Wordiness and overuse of industry jargon (e.g. “slamming,” “DTV,” “wireless 
spectrum management”) should be reduced or eliminated;
· The Commission should make it easier for consumers to reach a live 
specialist; and
· The hours of the call center should be extended, or at the very least the 
Commission should provide clear notification of the hours a live specialist 
may be reached.
Regarding the online complaint process:
· The Commission should review the three levels of the online complaint 
system (i.e. complaint types, categories and forms) to ensure that complaints 
3about specific categories of service (e.g. bundled services) are more 
apparent;
· The Commission should seek to reduce confusing and/or misleading 
verbiage in the online complaint website’s menus;
· The Commission should ensure that all menus and forms are screen-reader 
compatible;
· The Commission should lift the 1,000 character limit in online form comment 
fields to allow consumers sufficient room to accurately convey their 
concerns; and
· The Commission should ensure that the complaint forms specify what 
information is required and what is optional in order for consumers to 
continue with the complaint process.
Regarding the complaint-handling process generally:
· The Commission should seek guidance from complaint specialists at the 
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Federal Trade Commission 
regarding those agencies’ complaint-handling processes;
· The Commission should make instructions on how to file a complaint more 
prominent on both the www.FCC.gov homepage and the online complaints 
landing page (www.fcc.gov/complaints);
· The Commission should prominently include instruction on how to reach a 
live complaint specialist by phone (and the business hours for the call center 
and ASL operator) on the www.fcc.gov/complaints page; and
4· The Commission should streamline the process for forwarding complaints to 
telecommunications providers for investigation.
In conclusion, we appreciate the Commission’s consideration of the CAC’s input on 
this topic.  Given the importance of the Commission’s complaint-handling process in 
providing guidance to the Commission’s enforcement, policy-making and consumer 
education activities, it is imperative that the complaint-handling process be made
more consumer-friendly.
DATE ADOPTED: September 21, 2012
Respectfully Submitted:
Debra Berlyn
Chairperson
FCC Consumer Advisory Committee