In late October, the FCC launched a “Notice of Inquiry that seeks information on current customer service practices to build a public record on the current state of customer support and ways that the FCC can “protect families and businesses that rely on these critical services.” The FCC sought comments from the public about broadband, cable, and telephone providers.

The associations for the big ISPs responded to the docket and basically said that their member companies offer great customer service. NCTA – The Internet and Television Association, which represents the big cable companies, filed comments that said that cable companies provide great service in today’s competitive market as a way to attract and retain customers. USTelecom, the lobbyist for the largest telcos, said that competition gives them no choice but to provide high-quality customer service.

I’ve written a few blogs over the years about the American Customer Service Index (ACSI), which measures customer satisfaction across all major industries each year. The ACSI historically ranked the ISP and cable industry at the bottom compared to other major industries. That put ISPs and cable companies below insurance companies, banks, and airlines in terms of customer satisfaction.

The current ACSI shows a lot of improvement over time for some parts of the industry. I looked back at the ACSI index from 2019 to make the following comparisons: The overall rating for ISPs since then increased from 62 to 71. This is due almost entirely to higher customer ratings today for fiber ISPs, at 76. Overall, cable companies improved from 62 to 68, although some cable companies still have low rankings, like Mediacom (61) and Optimum/Altice (63). The two biggest cable companies current rankings are Comcast (67) and Charter (68). Almost all other industries have rankings in the high 70s into the 80s.

One of the issues highlighted by the FCC inquiry suggests that ISPs should “offer live customer service support by phone within a reasonable time frame.” USTelecom responded by saying that telco online chatbots are quickly getting better at addressing customer needs.

The few smaller ISPs and municipal ISPs that made it into the ACSI survey show a high level of customer satisfaction – the public ire is aimed at the biggest companies only.

There were numerous filings in the FCC docket from groups representing the public. The filings documented customers who had long service outages and other significant problems. Comments were filed about the problems encountered by customers trying to resolve problems with online customer service. The California Public Utility Commission said in a filing that it believes that big ISPs don’t focus on customer service because they don’t have to – the CPUC said only 26% of California residents have a choice between two fast ISPs.

There was no telling where the FCC under Chairperson Jessica Rosenworcel was headed with this docket, but there likely would have eventually been some guidelines or regulations defining good customer service. It seems almost certain that the issue will be dropped by the new FCC, since Republican-led FCCs have generally favored ISPs over the public.