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Tell us your landline story

How do people feel about losing their landline phone service? “They’re terrified,” Julie Vahling, AARP Illinois associate state director, said in a recent TV interview. We want to hear how YOU feel. AT&T has won state legislation to eventually end landline phone service in Illinois—but it still needs to get…...

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Are you cooling an empty home? There’s a solution

Amid the hottest month of the year, consumer advocates joined with Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) and the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) to make Chicago-area consumers aware that cooling an empty home while they are away at work or on vacation can cause summer energy bills to soar at a news conference…...

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New state report: $340 million in consumer losses with alternative suppliers

More than 1 in 5 Northern Illinois electric customers are signed up to get their electric supply from a company other than Commonwealth Edison, and many are paying more than they need to. A recent report shows that over the last year households using alternative suppliers paid a total of…...

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Net Neutrality update: Record number of comments

In response to a planned overhaul of net neutrality rules, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has received a record breaking number of comments, a few thousand of which have come from CUB supporters. Roughly 2 million comments were filed in one day last week, when thousands of activists, individuals and…...

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State Capitol Update: LIHEAP and solar funds saved!

  CUB wants to thank those of you who took action to protect two excellent state programs: Illinois Solar for All and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). A few weeks ago, funding for those programs was in danger of being “swept”—or used for different purposes in the…...

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Quick poll: Robocall update

ROBOCALLS UPDATE: Major developments since April, when we sent federal regulators 2,900 petition signatures urging them to fight “spoofed” robocalls. (Robocalls that alter Caller ID to get you to pick up.) This summer, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proposed its highest fine ever ($120 million) against a robocall scheme. Get this:…...

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Are you getting these robocalls?

Have you had this robocall nuisance hit your phone? Just last week, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to fight “ringless voicemails”—robocalls that go straight to your voicemail box. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said: “We’ll take a look.” “With billions of robocalls made to…...

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Disappointing: General Assembly overrides veto of AT&T’s legislation

The General Assembly has overridden the veto of AT&T’s legislation. CUB’s statement: CHICAGO, July 1, 2017—CUB is disappointed that the General Assembly has overridden the governor’s veto of AT&T-backed legislation that would eventually allow the company to end traditional landline phone service in its Illinois territory. Not only does this…...

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No override: Protect veto of SB 1839, AT&T’s bad bill

URGENT: Gov. Rauner has vetoed AT&T’s Senate Bill 1839—bad legislation that would lead to the end of landline phone service. But the General Assembly could override the veto TODAY (Saturday, July 1)! Please, take immediate action to STOP the override. This is our best chance to win this battle!...

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Statement by CUB Executive Director David Kolata on veto of SB 1839

We thank Gov. Bruce Rauner for his veto of Senate Bill 1839. This legislation would have hurt people who depend on a landline as their most reliable link to vital services. Also, SB 1839 did nothing to require AT&T to modernize its network, and it would have pushed the state…...

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