State regulators should require Peoples Gas to use a cutting-edge technology called “methane mapping” to locate Chicago’s leakiest gas pipes, according to expert testimony filed by CUB. CUB is urging Chicagoans to send a message to state regulators in favor of methane mapping as a way to improve the utility’s pipeline replacement…...
CUB Power Calculator update with new power prices
CUB’s Power Calculator, a free tool to help you judge alternative electricity supplier offers in Illinois, has been updated with new winter power prices. Here’s how you use it: Go to www.CUBPowerCalcuator.com Just plug in the price per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of an alternative electricity supplier’s offer. (Make sure to ask…...
Consumer Alert: PIPP is back! (but funds are going fast)
A program that helps low-income seniors and families stay current with their utility bills was reinstated after budget disputes in Springfield suspended it for a year. However, due to the program’s popularity the funding has run out in Cook County and is going fast in other counties. The Percentage of Income…...
Breaking: ComEd and Ameren have new power prices
As of Oct. 1, ComEd and Ameren Illinois are charging new electricity prices. ComEd: 6.388¢/kilowatt-hour (kWh) Ameren: 6.514¢/kilowatt-hour (kWh) for the first 800 kWh used; 4.776¢/kWh for usage over 800 kWh Why is it important to know this? Because the prices above are what you compare to any alternative supplier offer that is…...
Cable box proposal: FCC delays vote, get ready for round 2!
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has delayed a vote on a plan that would have allowed a lot of consumers to avoid paying set-top box rental fees to pay-TV companies. In the last few weeks, more than 4,000 CUB Action Network members signed our petition in favor of the plan. But we knew…...
Big vote today: Will the FCC free you from cable-box rental fees?
Update: The Washington Post reports that the FCC was unable to come to an agreement regarding new rules that would free consumers from expensive cable box rental fees. There’s no word when the vote will be rescheduled. ++++++++++++ Today the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is set to vote on a…...
CUB: Clean Power Plan is good for consumers
Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia will hear arguments both for and against the Clean Power Plan. The plan’s national goal is to help cut carbon pollution from the power sector by about 30 percent by 2030. It encourages states to meet individual targets through a number…...
Utility spending on rate-hike cases shows what CUB is up against
Since 2010, Illinois’ biggest utilities have spent $40 million trying to raise consumer rates before the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC)—an amount that could fund CUB’s entire outreach, legal and consumer advocacy operations for at least 15 years. The lofty figure illustrates what CUB’s legal and policy teams are up against…...
Are you due for an AT&T refund?
AT&T has agreed to pay nearly $7.8 million to settle government allegations that the phone giant allowed scammers to charge some customers about $9 a month for a fake directory assistance service. The settlement, announced by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in August, is the latest action against the “cramming” scam. Cramming is…...
