FCC Responds to Congressional Study

The study, conducted by the Government Accountability Office, concluded that about 83 percent of the consumer complaint investigations conducted by the FCC between 2003 and 2006 were closed without any enforcement action taken because the agency did not collect enough data to follow up.

"Without an effective FCC enforcement program, consumers are left out in the cold," Edward Markey, chairman of the House subcommittee on telecommunications and the Internet, said.

The government agency is responsible for looking into complaints about phone carriers, as well as alleged violations of do-not-call restrictions by telemarketers, and alleged violation of indecency rules by broadcasters.

According to the GAO, the Federal Communication Commission's enforcement bureau eventually took enforcement action in 3,400 cases, or about 9 percent of the time. However, in another 32,200 consumer complaints, the government agency closed them without taking any action. In the remaining 3,200 cases, the GAO said, it was "not able to determine whether enforcement actions had been taken."

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"Without key management tools, FCC may have difficulty fully assuring Congress and other stakeholders that it is meeting its enforcement mission of protecting the consumer, ensuring public safety, and encouraging competition," the GAO said.

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin responded to the GAO findings by saying, "I appreciate the GAO's examination of the FCC's enforcement efforts and welcome its recommendations."

However, the FCC disputed many of the GAO's conclusions. It said 71 percent of its original investigations were closed after the FCC determined there was no violation, while another 11 percent were closed because not enough information was provided by the people who filed those complaints.

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