Fwd: [Open-Data] FCC Open Data re: Consumer Complaints

[Gray Brooks]

FYI, more APIs from the FCC.  

https://www.fcc.gov/consumer-help-center-api

Gray 

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FCC LAUNCHES CONSUMER COMPLAINT DATA CENTER

New Platform Will Provide the Public with

Improved Access to Consumer Complaint Data

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WASHINGTON, May 18, 2016 - The Federal Communications Commission today launched its new online Consumer Complaint Data Center to provide greater transparency into consumer complaints received by the Commission.  This online platform will provide the public with more information about consumer complaints and tools to customize how they view the data.



"We take very seriously the input we get from American consumers and the issues they bring to our attention," said FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler.  "Greater transparency of our consumer complaint data further empowers consumers and provides the public - as well as communications providers - with greater insight into consumers' concerns."



Informal complaints submitted to the FCC are added to the database, which is updated on a daily basis.  The database includes the service the consumer is complaining about (phone, TV, Internet, radio, emergency, or accessibility), the method by which the consumer receives the service (such as wireless vs. VoIP phone), the issue the consumer is complaining about and the consumer's general location information.



Consumer complaints are an essential resource for the Commission's work.  Such complaints can be used to inform policy decisions by the Commission, allow companies to facilitate resolutions to specific problems raised, and can be used by the Enforcement Bureau to track trends and enforce the Commission's rules.  In addition, raw data sets help stakeholders track consumer sentiment and provide useful analysis to the public.



Today's launch expands the data that the Commission produces from a handful of charts and graphs to a comprehensive database of individual complaints filed at the Commission since 2015.  The Consumer Complaint Data Center allows users to easily track, search, sort and download information.  Consumers can build their own visualizations, charts and graphs. The data is also available via API (application programming interface), which allows developers to build applications, conduct analyses and perform research. The data can also be embedded on other websites.  The data center includes visualizations of various communications issues profiled in the consumer complaints as well as geographic search features by city, state and zip code.



This launch is another step in the broader effort of the FCC to streamline its consumer complaint processing and make more detailed, real-time data available to the public.

The Consumer Complaint Data Center can be found at https://www.fcc.gov/consumer-help-center-data <https://www.fcc.gov/consumer-help-center-data> .  The FCC plans to continue to provide more access to more granular data as appropriate.



###


Office of Media Relations: (202) 418-0500

TTY: (888) 835-5322

Twitter: @FCC

www.fcc.gov/office-media-relations <http://www.fcc.gov/office-media-relations>



This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action.  Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action.  See MCI v. FCC, 515 F.2d 385 (D.C. Cir. 1974).







Renee R. Gregory

Senior Advisor, Telecom

Office of Science and Technology Policy

Executive Office of the President

rgre...@ostp.eop.gov

Direct: (202) 456-6014





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[Alan deLevie]

I applaud the FCC for collecting and releasing this data. It will help the FCC make priorities internally, and will also inform the public and policymakers about areas for improvement.

I looked at the Socrata data (sample here: https://gist.github.com/adelevie/6cb2235652a9aa7fb2cb754c57862065) includes what seems to be overly-precise geo-points. For example, this point appears to point to a specific building/address. Moreover, lat/long fields don't appear to be mentioned in the FCC's docs (https://www.fcc.gov/consumer-help-center-data) and I cannot find a data dictionary on the Socrata site (implying these fields might have been erroneously included in the Socrata dataset).

Moreover, the complaint map (https://opendata.fcc.gov/Consumer-and-Government-Affairs/CGB-Map-of-All-Complaints-by-State/yku2-yagi) has phone numbers of the parties who made complaints (associated with a lat/long, time of call, and other data).

Anyways, releasing complaint data is fantastic, but I do wonder about the included phone number geo-data. Could someone clear this up?

 

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[Meyer, Erie]

The phone numbers are from the people who were harassing the consumers. Publish ‘em.

 

From: us-govern...@googlegroups.com [mailto:us-govern...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Alan deLevie
Sent: Friday, May 20, 2016 4:10 PM
To: gray....@gsa.gov
Cc: <us-govern...@googlegroups.com> <us-govern...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [Gov't APIs] Fwd: [Open-Data] FCC Open Data re: Consumer Complaints

 

I applaud the FCC for collecting and releasing this data. It will help the FCC make priorities internally, and will also inform the public and policymakers about areas for improvement.

 

I looked at the Socrata data (sample here: >https://gist.github.com/adelevie/6cb2235652a9aa7fb2cb754c57862065<) includes what seems to be overly-precise geo-points. For example, this point appears to point to a specific building/address. Moreover, lat/long fields don't appear to be mentioned in the FCC's docs (>https://www.fcc.gov/consumer-help-center-data<) and I cannot find a data dictionary on the Socrata site (implying these fields might have been erroneously included in the Socrata dataset).

 

Moreover, the complaint map (>https://opendata.fcc.gov/Consumer-and-Government-Affairs/CGB-Map-of-All-Complaints-by-State/yku2-yagi<) has phone numbers of the parties who made complaints (associated with a lat/long, time of call, and other data).

[Maher, Mary - ERS]

I suspect there might be privacy implications of publishing the phone numbers, but love it

 

 

Mary Maher

Chief, Web Services Branch

Information Services Division

USDA’s Economic Research Service

202.694.5126   |   mem...@ers.usda.gov 

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[Alan deLevie]

It turns out the lat/long is just geocoded from the city and ZIP (https://twitter.com/AndrewNebus/status/733755943742275584). However this isn't documented anywhere. Rather, they do give the appearance of pointing to the precise location of the caller/complainer.

Re phone numbers of spammers/telemarketers, I share your lack of sympathy, Erie! I do wonder, however, if these numbers were vetted/verified before publishing. And even so, as Mary said, there could still be some privacy implications. I'd be interested in reading about the policy/legal reasoning behind this.

[David Berlind]

"shared lack of sympathy"  

LOL!