There are three types of we cover: complaints about the local phone company's services, DSL complaints, which also may be caused by the local phone companies, and long distance complaints -- complaints about long distance services that are caused by long distance companies.

• Local Phone Service Complaints
• Long Distance Phone Service Complaint
• DSL Complaints

This discussion covers mostly residential and small business problems. These complaints can be filed as "consumer" complaints, without the need for a lawyer. Larger complaints require lawyers and are seen more as court cases. For example, a Formal Complaint for a business taken at the FCC is usually a two-year process, costing thousands of dollars in legal fees.

Each complaint type is handled by different regulators.

• The state Public Service Commissions are supposed to handle local phone complaints.
• The FCC handles "interstate" complaints --- that is a complaint against the long distance companies for calls that cross state-lines, i.e.; a call from New York to Massachusetts.
• The FCC is supposed to handle all DSL complaints -- because it has declared DSL an interstate service. However, many state Public Service Commissions are also receptive to these complaints

• In some states the Bell companies are penalized millions of dollars when they have too many complaints. So, in some small way, you can make a difference.
• By filing a complaint you have a better chance of getting some settlement out of the phone company.

Even though the complaint process is a total mess, if you feel your case is serious and that it might be effecting others, then filing a complaint is a good thing.