Scott Allen, the environmental outreach coordinator in CUB’s Hillsboro office, travels hundreds of miles a week to deliver advice on utility bills, partner with neighborhood organizations, and promote energy efficiency across the state. It “gets a little hectic sometimes,” but Scott says he wouldn’t have it any other way. “I…...
CUB helps granddaughter secure $1,286 refund for grandmother
By Samantha Vercellino Ever since her grandmother fell ill, Cheryl took over the responsibility of paying her utility bills. Handling her affairs never troubled Cheryl until the 97-year old racked up $1,200 in electric and gas charges with the alternative supplier Spark Energy. Concerned her grandmother signed up with Spark…...
AT&T Mobility faces $100M fine for misleading consumers
Feel like your mobile Internet connection has been slower than usual? Well, if you’re an AT&T Mobility customer, that may be the case. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) plans to slap AT&T Mobility with a $100 million fine for allegedly “throttling” speeds for unlimited data customers— the largest fine ever of its…...
Why Northern Illinois should care about the rate hikes in Central and Southern Illinois
Lately we’ve been discussing an Illinois electricity auction that sparked a 12-35% price spike for many Central and Southern Illinois customers. The spike was due to an increase in capacity prices—what consumers pay to ensure power plants can deliver electricity on the highest-demand days of the year. Every spring, MISO (the…...
Consumer sends heartfelt thank you after CUB saves her $60/month
By Samantha Vercellino Wanda Cunningham didn’t know how CUB could help her lower her high phone bills when she first called the consumer group. Now—one year later—the Olympia Fields resident credits her $60 a month savings to that fateful call. Wanda’s call was fielded by Bilingual Environmental Outreach Coordinator Ivonne Hernandez…...
Let’s not foot the bill for a gas utility’s mistakes!
The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) is investigating a Peoples Gas pipe-replacement program after an audit found that it has been plagued by mismanagement. The ICC’s audit reveals projected costs for the program have ballooned to $4.6 billion—and that could cause consumer rates to double over the next decade. If that’s not…...
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…...
