1) Utilities get an exemption: The legislation contains a four- to five-year exemption for key customers, such as utilities. It proves copper landlines still play a key role—and it also begs the question: If it’s so important to protect landline service for those customers, then why not for the millions…...
IL watchdogs sound the alarm on AT&T’s plan to eliminate landlines
Have you seen the headlines? This week, Illinois top consumer advocates held news conferences in seven cities across the state to fight bad legislation from AT&T. The company, which made $13 billion in profits in 2016, wants to end traditional home phone service (landlines) in its service territory—but consumer advocates…...
AARP, IL PIRG, CUB Launch Save Our Service (SOS) Campaign
Today, AARP, the Illinois Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) and CUB joined forces to launch the Save Our Service (SOS) campaign to block AT&T-backed legislation that would hang up on Illinois’ most vulnerable phone customers. Consumer advocates urged Illinoisans to visit SaveOurPhoneService.com to send messages to the General Assembly against AT&T’s deregulation…...
Act now! Fight irritating, illegal robocalls
Today, CUB asked Illinois consumers to sign a petition to fight illegal “robocalls.” It’s the perfect time to take action, now that Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Tom Wheeler has urged big phone companies to give customers free technology to block these computer-generated telemarketing calls. We’re all annoyed by these…...
The local phone plans that AT&T just doesn’t like
Read CUB Executive Director David Kolata’s statement on the General Assembly’s passage of a revised Illinois Telecommunications Act over the weekend. After a months-long Save Our Service (SOS) Campaign fighting Big Telecom, the revisions were a mixed bag for consumer advocates. CUB was glad that big phone companies failed in their…...
CUB Director: Consumer protections never go out of date
AT&T has made no secret of the fact that the company wants to strip the Illinois Telecom Act of consumer protections and completely deregulate traditional home phone service. In the company’s perfect world, it would no longer have to fulfill the “obligation to serve” requirement— and would be able to abandon…...
Save home phone service before it’s too late!
The Illinois Telecommunications Act—legislation that protects your rights and keeps telephone rates down— is up for review at the end of the month, and legislators must determine to renew it as is, or change it. Unlike CUB and other consumer advocacy groups, Big Telecom companies like AT&T and Frontier hope…...
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