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Verizon to Acquire Yahoo: Is Your Privacy For Sale?

By Sagar Dommaraju Verizon has its eyes on the lucrative advertising market, as it announced a deal to buy Yahoo for $4.8 billion. But the move, which follows Verizon’s purchase of AOL just last year, has privacy activists worried. “The acquisition of Yahoo  will help accelerate our revenue stream in digital advertising,”…...

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What we’re doing on our summer vacation

By Sagar Dommaraju This summer, or any other time, CUB’s not taking a vacation from rate-hike battles. ComEd has asked for a $138 million rate increase to help pay for upgrades to the power grid. CUB’s legal team is analyzing the proposal to weed out wasteful spending. The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC)…...

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90-year-old winner of CUB’s $100 giveaway says ‘Wow!’

By Sagar Dommaraju A 90-year-old CUB member was shocked to hear that her commitment to fighting rate hikes had just won her $100. Marian signed this petition to Illinois leaders in a special CUB Voice that was sent out recently: Please stand with CUB! Fight rate hikes and push for better energy efficiency…...

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CUB, NBC 5 Help a Couple Get a $1,500 Refund

By Sagar Dommaraju If you’re looking for a good reason to read your electricity and gas bills, just check out Vicki and Jim Pelton’s story.  The retired Ottawa couple overpaid by $1,500, until CUB and a TV station worked to get them a full refund after 17 months of inflated…...

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Comcast: Data caps are coming to Chicago

By Sagar Dommaraju Chicago-area Comcast customers will soon face limits to their data usage, as the company expands its nationwide data cap trials. CUB warned the caps might come to Illinois way back in December,  when the consumer group asked CUB Action Network members to sign a petition against such restrictions to…...

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Take CUB’s quick poll for a chance to win a smart thermostat!

By Sagar Dommaraju Take CUB’s quick poll and you could be randomly selected to win a free smart thermostat, valued at up to $250. CUB will pick a winner at midnight Sunday, July 31. If you take the poll, we’ll also send you information on smart thermostat rebates (up to…...

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Join the fight for faster Internet!

By Sagar Dommaraju The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will vote on July 14 on new rules that would open the door to ultra-fast 5G wireless networks Not only could this legislation help spur billions of dollars in economic activity but it could also provide millions of Americans with reliable Internet…...

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Give yourself (and your power bill) a relaxing Fourth of July

By Sagar Dommaraju What better holiday than Independence Day to free yourself from high electricity costs. Follow these tips for the perfect Fourth of July weekend. First, take a holiday from the daily bustle and leave your electronics—computers, TVs, phones, printers—alone for the weekend. Make sure to unplug them completely…...

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AT&T tells her ‘the check’s in the mail;’ (but it wasn’t!)

By: Sagar Dommaraju All Barbara Hardin wanted was the $11.78 AT&T owed her. For 11 months, she called the company a dozen times to try to get her money back. She had no such luck, until CUB got involved. When the retired homecare worker first noticed that she overpaid on…...

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CUB, NBC 5 Responds team up to get $1,500 refund

CUB worked with NBC 5 Responds to get a $1,500 refund for a retired couple on a “monumentally bad” natural gas deal. Here’s an odd twist: They did NOT sign up for the plan. Their neighbor did. This story is another good reason to ALWAYS read your gas/electric bills. ...

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