Bill Text: IL SB0107 | 2009-2010 | 96th General Assembly | Engrossed

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Amends the Public Utilities Act. Makes a technical change in the short title Section.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Passed) 2010-06-15 - Public Act . . . . . . . . . 96-0927 [SB0107 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2009-SB0107-Engrossed.html

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AN ACT concerning regulation.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Public Utilities Act is amended by changing
Section 22-501 as follows:
(220 ILCS 5/22-501)
Sec. 22-501. Customer service and privacy protection. All
cable or video providers in this State shall comply with the
following customer service requirements and privacy
protections. The provisions of this Act shall not apply to an
incumbent cable operator prior to January 1, 2008. For purposes
of this paragraph, an incumbent cable operator means a person
or entity that provided cable services in a particular area
under a franchise agreement with a local unit of government
pursuant to Section 11-42-11 of the Illinois Municipal Code or
Section 5-1095 of the Counties Code on January 1, 2007. A
master antenna television, satellite master antenna
television, direct broadcast satellite, multipoint
distribution service, and other provider of video programming
shall only be subject to the provisions of this Article to the
extent permitted by federal law.
The following definitions apply to the terms used in this
Article:

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"Basic cable or video service" means any service offering
or tier that includes the retransmission of local television
broadcast signals.
"Cable or video provider" means any person or entity
providing cable service or video service pursuant to
authorization under (i) the Cable and Video Competition Law of
2007; (ii) Section 11-42-11 of the Illinois Municipal Code;
(iii) Section 5-1095 of the Counties Code; or (iv) a master
antenna television, satellite master antenna television,
direct broadcast satellite, multipoint distribution services,
and other providers of video programming, whatever their
technology. A cable or video provider shall not include a
landlord providing only broadcast video programming to a
single-family home or other residential dwelling consisting of
4 units or less.
"Franchise" has the same meaning as found in 47 U.S.C.
522(9).
"Local unit of government" means a city, village,
incorporated town, or a county.
"Normal business hours" means those hours during which most
similar businesses in the geographic area of the local unit of
government are open to serve customers. In all cases, "normal
business hours" must include some evening hours at least one
night per week or some weekend hours.
"Normal operating conditions" means those service
conditions that are within the control of cable or video

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providers. Those conditions that are not within the control of
cable or video providers include, but are not limited to,
natural disasters, civil disturbances, power outages,
telephone network outages, and severe or unusual weather
conditions. Those conditions that are ordinarily within the
control of cable or video providers include, but are not
limited to, special promotions, pay-per-view events, rate
increases, regular peak or seasonal demand periods, and
maintenance or upgrade of the cable service or video service
network.
"Service interruption" means the loss of picture or sound
on one or more cable service or video service on one or more
cable or video channels.
"Service line drop" means the point of connection between a
premises and the cable or video network that enables the
premises to receive cable service or video service.
(a) General customer service standards:
(1) Cable or video providers shall establish general
standards related to customer service, which shall
include, but not be limited to, installation,
disconnection, service and repair obligations; appointment
hours and employee ID requirements; customer service
telephone numbers and hours; procedures for billing,
charges, deposits, refunds, and credits; procedures for
termination of service; notice of deletion of programming
service; changes related to transmission of programming;

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changes or increases in rates; the use and availability of
parental control or lock-out devices; the use and
availability of an A/B switch if applicable; complaint
procedures and procedures for bill dispute resolution; a
description of the rights and remedies available to
consumers if the cable or video provider does not
materially meet its customer service standards; and
special services for customers with visual, hearing, or
mobility disabilities.
(2) Cable or video providers' rates for each level of
service, rules, regulations, and policies related to its
cable service or video service described in paragraph (1)
of this subsection (a) must be made available to the public
and displayed clearly and conspicuously on the cable or
video provider's site on the Internet. If a promotional
price or a price for a specified period of time is offered,
the cable or video provider shall display the price at the
end of the promotional period or specified period of time
clearly and conspicuously with the display of the
promotional price or price for a specified period of time.
The cable or video provider shall provide this information
upon request.
(3) Cable or video providers shall provide notice
concerning their general customer service standards to all
customers. This notice shall be offered when service is
first activated and annually thereafter. The information

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in the notice shall include all of the information
specified in paragraph (1) of this subsection (a), as well
as the following: a listing of services offered by the
cable or video providers, which shall clearly describe
programming for all services and all levels of service; the
rates for all services and levels of service; a telephone
number through which customers may subscribe to, change, or
terminate service, request customer service, or seek
general or billing information; instructions on the use of
the cable or video services; and a description of rights
and remedies that the cable or video providers shall make
available to their customers if they do not materially meet
the general customer service standards described in this
Act.
(b) General customer service obligations:
(1) Cable or video providers shall render reasonably
efficient service, promptly make repairs, and interrupt
service only as necessary and for good cause, during
periods of minimum use of the system and for no more than
24 hours.
(2) All service representatives or any other person who
contacts customers or potential customers on behalf of the
cable or video provider shall have a visible identification
card with their name and photograph and shall orally
identify themselves upon first contact with the customer.
Customer service representatives shall orally identify

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themselves to callers immediately following the greeting
during each telephone contact with the public.
(3) The cable or video providers shall: (i) maintain a
customer service facility within the boundaries of a local
unit of government staffed by customer service
representatives that have the capacity to accept payment,
adjust bills, and respond to repair, installation,
reconnection, disconnection, or other service calls and
distribute or receive converter boxes, remote control
units, digital stereo units, or other equipment related to
the provision of cable or video service; (ii) provide
customers with bill payment facilities through retail,
financial, or other commercial institutions located within
the boundaries of a local unit of government; (iii) provide
an address, toll-free telephone number or electronic
address to accept bill payments and correspondence and
provide secure collection boxes for the receipt of bill
payments and the return of equipment, provided that if a
cable or video provider provides secure collection boxes,
it shall provide a printed receipt when items are
deposited; or (iv) provide an address, toll-free telephone
number, or electronic address to accept bill payments and
correspondence and provide a method for customers to return
equipment to the cable or video provider at no cost to the
customer.
(4) In each contact with a customer, the service

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representatives or any other person who contacts customers
or potential customers on behalf of the cable or video
provider shall state the estimated cost of the service,
repair, or installation orally prior to delivery of the
service or before any work is performed, shall provide the
customer with an oral statement of the total charges before
terminating the telephone call or other contact in which a
service is ordered, whether in-person or over the Internet,
and shall provide a written statement of the total charges
before leaving the location at which the work was
performed. In the event that the cost of service is a
promotional price or is for a limited period of time, the
cost of service at the end of the promotion or limited
period of time shall be disclosed.
(5) Cable or video providers shall provide customers a
minimum of 30 days' written notice before increasing rates
or eliminating transmission of programming and shall
submit the notice to the local unit of government in
advance of distribution to customers, provided that the
cable or video provider is not in violation of this
provision if the elimination of transmission of
programming was outside the control of the provider, in
which case the provider shall use reasonable efforts to
provide as much notice as possible, and any rate decrease
related to the elimination of transmission of programming
shall be applied to the date of the change.

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(6) Cable or video providers shall provide clear visual
and audio reception that meets or exceeds applicable
Federal Communications Commission technical standards. If
a customer experiences poor video or audio reception due to
the equipment of the cable or video provider, the cable or
video provider shall promptly repair the problem at its own
expense.
(c) Bills, payment, and termination:
(1) Cable or video providers shall render monthly bills
that are clear, accurate, and understandable.
(2) Every residential customer who pays bills directly
to the cable or video provider shall have at least 28 days
from the date of the bill to pay the listed charges.
(3) Customer payments shall be posted promptly. When
the payment is sent by United States mail, payment is
considered paid on the date it is postmarked.
(4) Cable or video providers may not terminate
residential service for nonpayment of a bill unless the
cable or video provider furnishes notice of the delinquency
and impending termination at least 21 days prior to the
proposed termination. Notice of proposed termination shall
be mailed, postage prepaid, to the customer to whom service
is billed. Notice of proposed termination shall not be
mailed until the 29th day after the date of the bill for
services. Notice of delinquency and impending termination
may be part of a billing statement only if the notice is

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presented in a different color than the bill and is
designed to be conspicuous. The cable or video providers
may not assess a late fee prior to the 29th day after the
date of the bill for service.
(5) Every notice of impending termination shall
include all of the following: the name and address of
customer; the amount of the delinquency; the date on which
payment is required to avoid termination; and the telephone
number of the cable or video provider's service
representative to make payment arrangements and to provide
additional information about the charges for failure to
return equipment and for reconnection, if any. No customer
may be charged a fee for termination or disconnection of
service, irrespective of whether the customer initiated
termination or disconnection or the cable or video provider
initiated termination or disconnection.
(6) Service may only be terminated on days when the
customer is able to reach a service representative of the
cable or video providers, either in person or by telephone.
(7) Any service terminated by a cable or video provider
without good cause shall be restored without any
reconnection fee, charge, or penalty; good cause for
termination includes, but is not limited to, failure to pay
a bill by the date specified in the notice of impending
termination, payment by check for which there are
insufficient funds, theft of service, abuse of equipment or

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personnel, or other similar subscriber actions.
(8) Cable or video providers shall cease charging a
customer for any or all services within one business day
after it receives a request to immediately terminate
service or on the day requested by the customer if such a
date is at least 5 days from the date requested by the
customer. Nothing in this subsection (c) shall prohibit the
provider from billing for charges that the customer incurs
prior to the date of termination. Cable or video providers
shall issue a credit or a refund or return a deposit within
10 business days after the close of the customer's billing
cycle following the request for termination or the return
of equipment, if any, whichever is later.
(9) The customers or subscribers of a cable or video
provider shall be allowed to disconnect their service at
any time within the first 60 days after subscribing to or
upgrading the service. Within this 60-day period, cable or
video providers shall not charge or impose any fees or
penalties on the customer for disconnecting service,
including, but not limited to, any installation charge or
the imposition of an early termination charge, except the
cable or video provider may impose a charge or fee to
offset any rebates or credits received by the customer and
may impose monthly service or maintenance charges,
including pay-per-view and premium services charges,
during such 60-day period.

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(10) Cable and video providers shall guarantee
customer satisfaction for new or upgraded service and the
customer shall receive a pro-rata credit in an amount equal
to the pro-rata charge for the remaining days of service
being disconnected or replaced upon the customers request
if the customer is dissatisfied with the service and
requests to discontinue the service within the first 60
days after subscribing to the upgraded service.
(d) Response to customer inquiries:
(1) Cable or video providers will maintain a toll-free
telephone access line that is available to customers 24
hours a day, 7 days a week to accept calls regarding
installation, termination, service, and complaints.
Trained, knowledgeable, qualified service representatives
of the cable or video providers will be available to
respond to customer telephone inquiries during normal
business hours. Customer service representatives shall be
able to provide credit, waive fees, schedule appointments,
and change billing cycles. Any difficulties that cannot be
resolved by the customer service representatives shall be
referred to a supervisor who shall make his or her best
efforts to resolve the issue immediately. If the supervisor
does not resolve the issue to the customer's satisfaction,
the customer shall be informed of the cable or video
provider's complaint procedures and procedures for billing
dispute resolution and given a description of the rights

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and remedies available to customers to enforce the terms of
this Article, including the customer's rights to have the
complaint reviewed by the local unit of government, to
request mediation, and to review in a court of competent
jurisdiction.
(2) After normal business hours, the access line may be
answered by a service or an automated response system,
including an answering machine. Inquiries received by
telephone or e-mail after normal business hours shall be
responded to by a trained service representative on the
next business day. The cable or video provider shall
respond to a written billing inquiry within 10 days of
receipt of the inquiry.
(3) Cable or video providers shall provide customers
seeking non-standard installations with a total
installation cost estimate and an estimated date of
completion. The actual charge to the customer shall not
exceed 10% of the estimated cost without the written
consent of the customer.
(4) If the cable or video provider receives notice that
an unsafe condition exists with respect to its equipment,
it shall investigate such condition immediately and shall
take such measures as are necessary to remove or eliminate
the unsafe condition. The cable or video provider shall
inform the local unit of government promptly, but no later
than 2 hours after it receives notification of an unsafe

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condition that it has not remedied.
(5) Under normal operating conditions, telephone
answer time by the cable or video provider's customer
representative, including wait time, shall not exceed 30
seconds when the connection is made. If the call needs to
be transferred, transfer time shall not exceed 30 seconds.
These standards shall be met no less than 90% of the time
under normal operating conditions, measured on a quarterly
basis.
(6) Under normal operating conditions, the cable or
video provider's customers will receive a busy signal less
than 3% of the time.
(e) Under normal operating conditions, each of the
following standards related to installations, outages, and
service calls will be met no less than 95% of the time measured
on a quarterly basis:
(1) Standard installations will be performed within 7
business days after an order has been placed. "Standard"
installations are those that are located up to 125 feet
from the existing distribution system.
(2) Excluding conditions beyond the control of the
cable or video providers, the cable or video providers will
begin working on "service interruptions" promptly and in no
event later than 24 hours after the interruption is
reported by the customer or otherwise becomes known to the
cable or video providers. Cable or video providers must

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begin actions to correct other service problems the next
business day after notification of the service problem and
correct the problem within 48 hours after the interruption
is reported by the customer 95% of the time, measured on a
quarterly basis.
(3) The "appointment window" alternatives for
installations, service calls, and other installation
activities will be either a specific time or, at a maximum,
a 4-hour time block during evening, weekend, and normal
business hours. The cable or video provider may schedule
service calls and other installation activities outside of
these hours for the express convenience of the customer.
(4) Cable or video providers may not cancel an
appointment with a customer after 5:00 p.m. on the business
day prior to the scheduled appointment. If the cable or
video provider's representative is running late for an
appointment with a customer and will not be able to keep
the appointment as scheduled, the customer will be
contacted. The appointment will be rescheduled, as
necessary, at a time that is convenient for the customer,
even if the rescheduled appointment is not within normal
business hours.
(f) Public benefit obligation:
(1) All cable or video providers offering service
pursuant to the Cable and Video Competition Law of 2007,
the Illinois Municipal Code, or the Counties Code shall

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provide a free service line drop and free basic service to
all current and future public buildings within their
footprint, including, but not limited to, all local unit of
government buildings, public libraries, and public primary
and secondary schools, whether owned or leased by that
local unit of government ("eligible buildings"). Such
service shall be used in a manner consistent with the
government purpose for the eligible building and shall not
be resold.
(2) This obligation only applies to those cable or
video service providers whose cable service or video
service systems pass eligible buildings and its cable or
video service is generally available to residential
subscribers in the same local unit of government in which
the eligible building is located. The burden of providing
such service at each eligible building shall be shared by
all cable and video providers whose systems pass the
eligible buildings in an equitable and competitively
neutral manner, and nothing herein shall require
duplicative installations by more than one cable or video
provider at each eligible building. Cable or video
providers operating in a local unit of government shall
meet as necessary and determine who will provide service to
eligible buildings under this subsection (f). If the cable
or video providers are unable to reach an agreement, they
shall meet with the local unit of government, which shall

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determine which cable or video providers will serve each
eligible building. The local unit of government shall bear
the costs of any inside wiring or video equipment costs not
ordinarily provided as part of the cable or video
provider's basic offering.
(g) After the cable or video providers have offered service
for one year, the cable or video providers shall make an annual
report to the Commission, to the local unit of government, and
to the Attorney General that it is meeting the standards
specified in this Article, identifying the number of complaints
it received over the prior year in the State and specifying the
number of complaints related to each of the following: (1)
billing, charges, refunds, and credits; (2) installation or
termination of service; (3) quality of service and repair; (4)
programming; and (5) miscellaneous complaints that do not fall
within these categories. Thereafter, the cable or video
providers shall also provide, upon request by the local unit of
government where service is offered and to the Attorney
General, an annual public report that includes performance data
described in subdivisions (5) and (6) of subsection (d) and
subdivisions (1) and (2) of subsection (e) of this Section for
cable services or video services. The performance data shall be
disaggregated for each requesting local unit of government or
local exchange, as that term is defined in Section 13-206 of
this Act, in which the cable or video providers have customers.
(h) To the extent consistent with federal law, cable or

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video providers shall offer the lowest-cost basic cable or
video service as a stand-alone service to residential customers
at reasonable rates. Cable or video providers shall not require
the subscription to any service other than the lowest-cost
basic service or to any telecommunications or information
service, as a condition of access to cable or video service,
including programming offered on a per channel or per program
basis. Cable or video providers shall not discriminate between
subscribers to the lowest-cost basic service, subscribers to
other cable services or video services, and other subscribers
with regard to the rates charged for cable or video programming
offered on a per channel or per program basis.
(i) To the extent consistent with federal law, cable or
video providers shall ensure that charges for changes in the
subscriber's selection of services or equipment shall be based
on the cost of such change and shall not exceed nominal amounts
when the system's configuration permits changes in service tier
selection to be effected solely by coded entry on a computer
terminal or by other similarly simple method.
(j) To the extent consistent with federal law, cable or
video providers shall have a rate structure for the provision
of cable or video service that is uniform throughout the area
within the boundaries of the local unit of government. This
subsection (j) is not intended to prohibit bulk discounts to
multiple dwelling units or to prohibit reasonable discounts to
senior citizens or other economically disadvantaged groups.

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(k) To the extent consistent with federal law, cable or
video providers shall not charge a subscriber for any service
or equipment that the subscriber has not affirmatively
requested by name. For purposes of this subsection (k), a
subscriber's failure to refuse a cable or video provider's
proposal to provide service or equipment shall not be deemed to
be an affirmative request for such service or equipment.
(l) No contract or service offering cable services or video
services or any bundle including such services shall be for a
term longer than 2 years one year. Any contract or service
offering with a term of service that contains an early
termination fee shall limit the early termination fee to not
more than the amount of the discount reflected in the price for
cable services or video services for the period during which
the consumer benefited from the discount.
(m) Cable or video providers shall not discriminate in the
provision of services for the hearing and visually impaired,
and shall comply with the accessibility requirements of 47
U.S.C. 613. Cable or video providers shall deliver and pick-up
or provide customers with pre-paid shipping and packaging for
the return of converters and other necessary equipment at the
home of customers with disabilities. Cable or video providers
shall provide free use of a converter or remote control unit to
mobility impaired customers.
(n)(1) To the extent consistent with federal law, cable or
video providers shall comply with the provisions of 47 U.S.C.

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532(h) and (j). The cable or video providers shall not exercise
any editorial control over any video programming provided
pursuant to this Section, or in any other way consider the
content of such programming, except that a cable or video
provider may refuse to transmit any leased access program or
portion of a leased access program that contains obscenity,
indecency, or nudity and may consider such content to the
minimum extent necessary to establish a reasonable price for
the commercial use of designated channel capacity by an
unaffiliated person. This subsection (n) shall permit cable or
video providers to enforce prospectively a written and
published policy of prohibiting programming that the cable or
video provider reasonably believes describes or depicts sexual
or excretory activities or organs in a patently offensive
manner as measured by contemporary community standards.
(2) Upon customer request, the cable or video provider
shall, without charge, fully scramble or otherwise fully
block the audio and video programming of each channel
carrying such programming so that a person who is not a
subscriber does not receive the channel or programming.
(3) In providing sexually explicit adult programming
or other programming that is indecent on any channel of its
service primarily dedicated to sexually oriented
programming, the cable or video provider shall fully
scramble or otherwise fully block the video and audio
portion of such channel so that a person who is not a

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subscriber to such channel or programming does not receive
it.
(4) Scramble means to rearrange the content of the
signal of the programming so that the programming cannot be
viewed or heard in an understandable manner.
(o) Cable or video providers will maintain a listing,
specific to the level of street address, of the areas where its
cable or video services are available. Customers who inquire
about purchasing cable or video service shall be informed about
whether the cable or video provider's cable or video services
are currently available to them at their specific location.
(p) Cable or video providers shall not disclose the name,
address, telephone number or other personally identifying
information of a cable service or video service customer to be
used in mailing lists or to be used for other commercial
purposes not reasonably related to the conduct of its business
unless the cable or video provider has provided to the customer
a notice, separately or included in any other customer service
notice, that clearly and conspicuously describes the
customer's ability to prohibit the disclosure. Cable or video
providers shall provide an address and telephone number for a
customer to use without a toll charge to prevent disclosure of
the customer's name and address in mailing lists or for other
commercial purposes not reasonably related to the conduct of
its business to other businesses or affiliates of the cable or
video provider. Cable or video providers shall comply with the

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consumer privacy requirements of the Communications Consumer
Privacy Act, the Restricted Call Registry Act, and 47 U.S.C.
551 that are in effect as of June 30, 2007 (the effective date
of Public Act 95-9) and as amended thereafter.
(q) Cable or video providers shall implement an informal
process for handling inquiries from local units of government
and customers concerning billing issues, service issues,
privacy concerns, and other consumer complaints. In the event
that an issue is not resolved through this informal process, a
local unit of government or the customer may request nonbinding
mediation with the cable or video provider, with each party to
bear its own costs of such mediation. Selection of the mediator
will be by mutual agreement, and preference will be given to
mediation services that do not charge the consumer for their
services. In the event that the informal process does not
produce a satisfactory result to the customer or the local unit
of government, enforcement may be pursued as provided in
subdivision (4) of subsection (r) of this Section.
(r) The Attorney General and the local unit of government
may enforce all of the customer service and privacy protection
standards of this Section with respect to complaints received
from residents within the local unit of government's
jurisdiction, but it may not adopt or seek to enforce any
additional or different customer service or performance
standards under any other authority or provision of law.
(1) The local unit of government may, by ordinance,

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provide a schedule of penalties for any material breach of
this Section by cable or video providers in addition to the
penalties provided herein. No monetary penalties shall be
assessed for a material breach if it is out of the
reasonable control of the cable or video providers or its
affiliate. Monetary penalties adopted in an ordinance
pursuant to this Section shall apply on a competitively
neutral basis to all providers of cable service or video
service within the local unit of government's
jurisdiction. In no event shall the penalties imposed under
this subsection (r) exceed $750 for each day of the
material breach, and these penalties shall not exceed
$25,000 for each occurrence of a material breach per
customer.
(2) For purposes of this Section, "material breach"
means any substantial failure of a cable or video service
provider to comply with service quality and other standards
specified in any provision of this Act. The Attorney
General or the local unit of government shall give the
cable or video provider written notice of any alleged
material breaches of this Act and allow such provider at
least 30 days from receipt of the notice to remedy the
specified material breach.
(3) A material breach, for the purposes of assessing
penalties, shall be deemed to have occurred for each day
that a material breach has not been remedied by the cable

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service or video service provider after the expiration of
the period specified in subdivision (2) of this subsection
(r) in each local unit of government's jurisdiction,
irrespective of the number of customers affected.
(4) Any customer, the Attorney General, or a local unit
of government may pursue alleged violations of this Act by
the cable or video provider in a court of competent
jurisdiction. A cable or video provider may seek judicial
review of a decision of a local unit of government imposing
penalties in a court of competent jurisdiction. No local
unit of government shall be subject to suit for damages or
other relief based upon its action in connection with its
enforcement or review of any of the terms, conditions, and
rights contained in this Act except a court may require the
return of any penalty it finds was not properly assessed or
imposed.
(s) Cable or video providers shall credit customers for
violations in the amounts stated herein. The credits shall be
applied on the statement issued to the customer for the next
monthly billing cycle following the violation or following the
discovery of the violation. Cable or video providers are
responsible for providing the credits described herein and the
customer is under no obligation to request the credit. If the
customer is no longer taking service from the cable or video
provider, the credit amount will be refunded to the customer by
check within 30 days of the termination of service. A local

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unit of government may, by ordinance, adopt a schedule of
credits payable directly to customers for breach of the
customer service standards and obligations contained in this
Article, provided the schedule of customer credits applies on a
competitively neutral basis to all providers of cable service
or video service in the local unit of government's jurisdiction
and the credits are not greater than the credits provided in
this Section.
(1) Failure to provide notice of customer service
standards upon initiation of service: $25.00.
(2) Failure to install service within 7 days: Waiver of
50% of the installation fee or the monthly fee for the
lowest-cost basic service, whichever is greater. Failure
to install service within 14 days: Waiver of 100% of the
installation fee or the monthly fee for the lowest-cost
basic service, whichever is greater.
(3) Failure to remedy service interruptions or poor
video or audio service quality within 48 hours: Pro-rata
credit of total regular monthly charges equal to the number
of days of the service interruption.
(4) Failure to keep an appointment or to notify the
customer prior to the close of business on the business day
prior to the scheduled appointment: $25.00.
(5) Violation of privacy protections: $150.00.
(6) Failure to comply with scrambling requirements:
$50.00 per month.

SB0107 Engrossed - 25 - LRB096 05740 MJR 15810 b
(7) Violation of customer service and billing
standards in subsections (c) and (d) of this Section:
$25.00 per occurrence.
(8) Violation of the bundling rules in subsection (h)
of this Section: $25.00 per month.
(t) The enforcement powers granted to the Attorney General
in Article XXI of this Act shall apply to this Article, except
that the Attorney General may not seek penalties for violation
of this Article other than in the amounts specified herein.
Nothing in this Section shall limit or affect the powers of the
Attorney General to enforce the provisions of Article XXI of
this Act or the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices
Act.
(u) This Article applies to all cable and video providers
in the State, including but not limited to those operating
under a local franchise as that term is used in 47 U.S.C.
522(9), those operating under authorization pursuant to
Section 11-42-11 of the Illinois Municipal Code, those
operating under authorization pursuant to Section 5-1095 of the
Counties Code, and those operating under a State-issued
authorization pursuant to Article XXI of this Act.
(Source: P.A. 95-9, eff. 6-30-07; 95-876, eff. 8-21-08.)
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.