Slow Internet Speed? Throttling Issues? Now You Can Complain To The FCC

Internet customers who think they have a slow connection speed, billing concerns, equipment issues or think their Internet service provider (ISP) is violating net neutrality rules can now complain to the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC has updated a submission form on its website to address customer complaints now that the open Internet rules have become official.

While Internet connection speed and other concerns were already listed on the FCC's website, the new net neutrality rules prohibit blocking legal content, throttling and paid prioritization, which occurs when an ISP provides faster Internet speeds to companies that pay more.

When annoyed customers first make their complaint, they're assigned a tracking number that enables them to check the status of their complaint online. From there, if the complaint is “actionable or constitute(s) a rule violation,” the FCC then forwards the complaint to the ISP in question. The ISP then has 30 days to officially respond, copying the customer who made the original complaint in its message to the FCC.

“The FCC cannot resolve all individual complaints, but we can provide information about your next possible steps,” the commission said in a statement on its complaints page. “Complaints about issues such as loud commercials, the Do Not Call List, robocalls, unwanted telephone calls, unsolicited faxes and similar issues covered by the Telephone Consumer Protection Act are shared among FCC bureaus and offices. ... However, the collective data we receive helps us keep a pulse on what consumers are experiencing, may lead to investigations and serves as a deterrent to the companies we regulate.”