Illinois 2023-2024 Regular Session

Illinois House Bill HB4078 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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1	1	103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 HB4078 Introduced , by Rep. Martin J. Moylan SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 220 ILCS 5/22-501 Amends the Public Utilities Act. Provides that the amendatory Act may be referred to as the Pay For Only The Channels You Want Act. Provides that, to the extent consistent with federal law, cable or video providers shall not charge a subscriber for any channel, service, or equipment (rather than service or equipment) that the subscriber has not affirmatively requested or affirmatively agreed to by name. Provides that, notwithstanding any other provision of law and to the extent consistent with federal law, cable or video providers shall not deny the ability of any subscriber to refuse to be charged for any particular channel and shall allow any subscriber to remove any specific channel and associated carriage fees from the subscriber's monthly bill. Provides that cable and video providers shall allow any subscriber to remove any channel and all associated carriage fees assessed to that subscriber via a website or toll-free telephone number. Provides that cable and video providers shall, for every new or renewing subscriber, list all channels offered in every particular service to all subscribers and allow the subscriber to approve or reject each channel and the associated carriage fee for that channel. Effective immediately. LRB103 32041 SPS 60952 b A BILL FOR 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 HB4078 Introduced , by Rep. Martin J. Moylan SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 220 ILCS 5/22-501 220 ILCS 5/22-501 Amends the Public Utilities Act. Provides that the amendatory Act may be referred to as the Pay For Only The Channels You Want Act. Provides that, to the extent consistent with federal law, cable or video providers shall not charge a subscriber for any channel, service, or equipment (rather than service or equipment) that the subscriber has not affirmatively requested or affirmatively agreed to by name. Provides that, notwithstanding any other provision of law and to the extent consistent with federal law, cable or video providers shall not deny the ability of any subscriber to refuse to be charged for any particular channel and shall allow any subscriber to remove any specific channel and associated carriage fees from the subscriber's monthly bill. Provides that cable and video providers shall allow any subscriber to remove any channel and all associated carriage fees assessed to that subscriber via a website or toll-free telephone number. Provides that cable and video providers shall, for every new or renewing subscriber, list all channels offered in every particular service to all subscribers and allow the subscriber to approve or reject each channel and the associated carriage fee for that channel. Effective immediately. LRB103 32041 SPS 60952 b LRB103 32041 SPS 60952 b A BILL FOR
2	2	103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 HB4078 Introduced , by Rep. Martin J. Moylan SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
3	3	220 ILCS 5/22-501 220 ILCS 5/22-501
4	4	220 ILCS 5/22-501
5	5	Amends the Public Utilities Act. Provides that the amendatory Act may be referred to as the Pay For Only The Channels You Want Act. Provides that, to the extent consistent with federal law, cable or video providers shall not charge a subscriber for any channel, service, or equipment (rather than service or equipment) that the subscriber has not affirmatively requested or affirmatively agreed to by name. Provides that, notwithstanding any other provision of law and to the extent consistent with federal law, cable or video providers shall not deny the ability of any subscriber to refuse to be charged for any particular channel and shall allow any subscriber to remove any specific channel and associated carriage fees from the subscriber's monthly bill. Provides that cable and video providers shall allow any subscriber to remove any channel and all associated carriage fees assessed to that subscriber via a website or toll-free telephone number. Provides that cable and video providers shall, for every new or renewing subscriber, list all channels offered in every particular service to all subscribers and allow the subscriber to approve or reject each channel and the associated carriage fee for that channel. Effective immediately.
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11	11	1 AN ACT concerning regulation.
12	12	2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
13	13	3 represented in the General Assembly:
14	14	4 Section 1. This Act may be referred to as the Pay For Only
15	15	5 The Channels You Want Act.
16	16	6 Section 5. The Public Utilities Act is amended by changing
17	17	7 Section 22-501 as follows:
18	18	8 (220 ILCS 5/22-501)
19	19	9 Sec. 22-501. Customer service and privacy protection. All
20	20	10 cable or video providers in this State shall comply with the
21	21	11 following customer service requirements and privacy
22	22	12 protections. The provisions of this Act shall not apply to an
23	23	13 incumbent cable operator prior to January 1, 2008. For
24	24	14 purposes of this paragraph, an incumbent cable operator means
25	25	15 a person or entity that provided cable services in a
26	26	16 particular area under a franchise agreement with a local unit
27	27	17 of government pursuant to Section 11-42-11 of the Illinois
28	28	18 Municipal Code or Section 5-1095 of the Counties Code on
29	29	19 January 1, 2007. A master antenna television, satellite master
30	30	20 antenna television, direct broadcast satellite, multipoint
31	31	21 distribution service, and other provider of video programming
32	32	22 shall only be subject to the provisions of this Article to the
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36	36	103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 HB4078 Introduced , by Rep. Martin J. Moylan SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
37	37	220 ILCS 5/22-501 220 ILCS 5/22-501
38	38	220 ILCS 5/22-501
39	39	Amends the Public Utilities Act. Provides that the amendatory Act may be referred to as the Pay For Only The Channels You Want Act. Provides that, to the extent consistent with federal law, cable or video providers shall not charge a subscriber for any channel, service, or equipment (rather than service or equipment) that the subscriber has not affirmatively requested or affirmatively agreed to by name. Provides that, notwithstanding any other provision of law and to the extent consistent with federal law, cable or video providers shall not deny the ability of any subscriber to refuse to be charged for any particular channel and shall allow any subscriber to remove any specific channel and associated carriage fees from the subscriber's monthly bill. Provides that cable and video providers shall allow any subscriber to remove any channel and all associated carriage fees assessed to that subscriber via a website or toll-free telephone number. Provides that cable and video providers shall, for every new or renewing subscriber, list all channels offered in every particular service to all subscribers and allow the subscriber to approve or reject each channel and the associated carriage fee for that channel. Effective immediately.
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67	67	1 extent permitted by federal law.
68	68	2 The following definitions apply to the terms used in this
69	69	3 Article:
70	70	4 "Basic cable or video service" means any service offering
71	71	5 or tier that includes the retransmission of local television
72	72	6 broadcast signals.
73	73	7 "Cable or video provider" means any person or entity
74	74	8 providing cable service or video service pursuant to
75	75	9 authorization under (i) the Cable and Video Competition Law of
76	76	10 2007; (ii) Section 11-42-11 of the Illinois Municipal Code;
77	77	11 (iii) Section 5-1095 of the Counties Code; or (iv) a master
78	78	12 antenna television, satellite master antenna television,
79	79	13 direct broadcast satellite, multipoint distribution services,
80	80	14 and other providers of video programming, whatever their
81	81	15 technology. A cable or video provider shall not include a
82	82	16 landlord providing only broadcast video programming to a
83	83	17 single-family home or other residential dwelling consisting of
84	84	18 4 units or less.
85	85	19 "Franchise" has the same meaning as found in 47 U.S.C.
86	86	20 522(9).
87	87	21 "Local unit of government" means a city, village,
88	88	22 incorporated town, or a county.
89	89	23 "Normal business hours" means those hours during which
90	90	24 most similar businesses in the geographic area of the local
91	91	25 unit of government are open to serve customers. In all cases,
92	92	26 "normal business hours" must include some evening hours at
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103	103	1 least one night per week or some weekend hours.
104	104	2 "Normal operating conditions" means those service
105	105	3 conditions that are within the control of cable or video
106	106	4 providers. Those conditions that are not within the control of
107	107	5 cable or video providers include, but are not limited to,
108	108	6 natural disasters, civil disturbances, power outages,
109	109	7 telephone network outages, and severe or unusual weather
110	110	8 conditions. Those conditions that are ordinarily within the
111	111	9 control of cable or video providers include, but are not
112	112	10 limited to, special promotions, pay-per-view events, rate
113	113	11 increases, regular peak or seasonal demand periods, and
114	114	12 maintenance or upgrade of the cable service or video service
115	115	13 network.
116	116	14 "Service interruption" means the loss of picture or sound
117	117	15 on one or more cable service or video service on one or more
118	118	16 cable or video channels.
119	119	17 "Service line drop" means the point of connection between
120	120	18 a premises and the cable or video network that enables the
121	121	19 premises to receive cable service or video service.
122	122	20 (a) General customer service standards:
123	123	21 (1) Cable or video providers shall establish general
124	124	22 standards related to customer service, which shall
125	125	23 include, but not be limited to, installation,
126	126	24 disconnection, service and repair obligations; appointment
127	127	25 hours and employee ID requirements; customer service
128	128	26 telephone numbers and hours; procedures for billing,
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139	139	1 charges, deposits, refunds, and credits; procedures for
140	140	2 termination of service; notice of deletion of programming
141	141	3 service; changes related to transmission of programming;
142	142	4 changes or increases in rates; the use and availability of
143	143	5 parental control or lock-out devices; the use and
144	144	6 availability of an A/B switch if applicable; complaint
145	145	7 procedures and procedures for bill dispute resolution; a
146	146	8 description of the rights and remedies available to
147	147	9 consumers if the cable or video provider does not
148	148	10 materially meet its customer service standards; and
149	149	11 special services for customers with visual, hearing, or
150	150	12 mobility disabilities.
151	151	13 (2) Cable or video providers' rates for each level of
152	152	14 service, rules, regulations, and policies related to its
153	153	15 cable service or video service described in paragraph (1)
154	154	16 of this subsection (a) must be made available to the
155	155	17 public and displayed clearly and conspicuously on the
156	156	18 cable or video provider's site on the Internet. If a
157	157	19 promotional price or a price for a specified period of
158	158	20 time is offered, the cable or video provider shall display
159	159	21 the price at the end of the promotional period or
160	160	22 specified period of time clearly and conspicuously with
161	161	23 the display of the promotional price or price for a
162	162	24 specified period of time. The cable or video provider
163	163	25 shall provide this information upon request.
164	164	26 (3) Cable or video providers shall provide notice
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175	175	1 concerning their general customer service standards to all
176	176	2 customers. This notice shall be offered when service is
177	177	3 first activated and upon request thereafter. The
178	178	4 information in the notice shall also be available on the
179	179	5 cable or video providers' websites and shall include all
180	180	6 of the information specified in paragraph (1) of this
181	181	7 subsection (a), as well as the following: a listing of
182	182	8 services offered by the cable or video providers, which
183	183	9 shall clearly describe programming for all services and
184	184	10 all levels of service; the rates for all services and
185	185	11 levels of service; a telephone number through which
186	186	12 customers may subscribe to, change, or terminate service,
187	187	13 request customer service, or seek general or billing
188	188	14 information; instructions on the use of the cable or video
189	189	15 services; and a description of rights and remedies that
190	190	16 the cable or video providers shall make available to their
191	191	17 customers if they do not materially meet the general
192	192	18 customer service standards described in this Act.
193	193	19 (b) General customer service obligations:
194	194	20 (1) Cable or video providers shall render reasonably
195	195	21 efficient service, promptly make repairs, and interrupt
196	196	22 service only as necessary and for good cause, during
197	197	23 periods of minimum use of the system and for no more than
198	198	24 24 hours.
199	199	25 (2) All service representatives or any other person
200	200	26 who contacts customers or potential customers on behalf of
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211	211	1 the cable or video provider shall have a visible
212	212	2 identification card with their name and photograph and
213	213	3 shall orally identify themselves upon first contact with
214	214	4 the customer. Customer service representatives shall
215	215	5 orally identify themselves to callers immediately
216	216	6 following the greeting during each telephone contact with
217	217	7 the public.
218	218	8 (3) The cable or video providers shall: (i) maintain a
219	219	9 customer service facility within the boundaries of a local
220	220	10 unit of government staffed by customer service
221	221	11 representatives that have the capacity to accept payment,
222	222	12 adjust bills, and respond to repair, installation,
223	223	13 reconnection, disconnection, or other service calls and
224	224	14 distribute or receive converter boxes, remote control
225	225	15 units, digital stereo units, or other equipment related to
226	226	16 the provision of cable or video service; (ii) provide
227	227	17 customers with bill payment facilities through retail,
228	228	18 financial, or other commercial institutions located within
229	229	19 the boundaries of a local unit of government; (iii)
230	230	20 provide an address, toll-free telephone number or
231	231	21 electronic address to accept bill payments and
232	232	22 correspondence and provide secure collection boxes for the
233	233	23 receipt of bill payments and the return of equipment,
234	234	24 provided that if a cable or video provider provides secure
235	235	25 collection boxes, it shall provide a printed receipt when
236	236	26 items are deposited; or (iv) provide an address, toll-free
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247	247	1 telephone number, or electronic address to accept bill
248	248	2 payments and correspondence and provide a method for
249	249	3 customers to return equipment to the cable or video
250	250	4 provider at no cost to the customer.
251	251	5 (4) In each contact with a customer, the service
252	252	6 representatives or any other person who contacts customers
253	253	7 or potential customers on behalf of the cable or video
254	254	8 provider shall state the estimated cost of the service,
255	255	9 repair, or installation orally prior to delivery of the
256	256	10 service or before any work is performed, shall provide the
257	257	11 customer with an oral statement of the total charges
258	258	12 before terminating the telephone call or other contact in
259	259	13 which a service is ordered, whether in-person or over the
260	260	14 Internet, and shall provide a written statement of the
261	261	15 total charges before leaving the location at which the
262	262	16 work was performed. In the event that the cost of service
263	263	17 is a promotional price or is for a limited period of time,
264	264	18 the cost of service at the end of the promotion or limited
265	265	19 period of time shall be disclosed.
266	266	20 (5) Cable or video providers shall provide customers a
267	267	21 minimum of 30 days' written notice before increasing rates
268	268	22 or eliminating transmission of programming and shall
269	269	23 submit the notice of any rate increase to the local unit of
270	270	24 government in advance of distribution to customers,
271	271	25 provided that the cable or video provider is not in
272	272	26 violation of this provision if the elimination of
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283	283	1 transmission of programming was outside the control of the
284	284	2 provider, in which case the provider shall use reasonable
285	285	3 efforts to provide as much notice as possible, and any
286	286	4 rate decrease related to the elimination of transmission
287	287	5 of programming shall be applied to the date of the change.
288	288	6 (6) Cable or video providers shall provide clear
289	289	7 visual and audio reception that meets or exceeds
290	290	8 applicable Federal Communications Commission technical
291	291	9 standards. If a customer experiences poor video or audio
292	292	10 reception due to the equipment of the cable or video
293	293	11 provider, the cable or video provider shall promptly
294	294	12 repair the problem at its own expense.
295	295	13 (c) Bills, payment, and termination:
296	296	14 (1) Cable or video providers shall render monthly
297	297	15 bills that are clear, accurate, and understandable.
298	298	16 (2) Every residential customer who pays bills directly
299	299	17 to the cable or video provider shall have at least 28 days
300	300	18 from the date of the bill to pay the listed charges.
301	301	19 (3) Customer payments shall be posted promptly. When
302	302	20 the payment is sent by United States mail, payment is
303	303	21 considered paid on the date it is postmarked.
304	304	22 (4) Cable or video providers may not terminate
305	305	23 residential service for nonpayment of a bill unless the
306	306	24 cable or video provider furnishes notice of the
307	307	25 delinquency and impending termination at least 15 days
308	308	26 prior to the proposed termination. Notice of proposed
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319	319	1 termination shall be mailed, postage prepaid, to the
320	320	2 customer to whom service is billed. Notice of proposed
321	321	3 termination shall not be mailed until the 24th day after
322	322	4 the date of the bill for services. Notice of delinquency
323	323	5 and impending termination may be part of a billing
324	324	6 statement only if the notice is designed to be
325	325	7 conspicuous. The cable or video providers may not assess a
326	326	8 late fee prior to the 24th day after the date of the bill
327	327	9 for service.
328	328	10 (5) Every notice of impending termination shall
329	329	11 include all of the following: the name and address of
330	330	12 customer; the amount of the delinquency; the date on which
331	331	13 payment is required to avoid termination; and the
332	332	14 telephone number of the cable or video provider's service
333	333	15 representative to make payment arrangements and to provide
334	334	16 additional information about the charges for failure to
335	335	17 return equipment and for reconnection, if any.
336	336	18 (6) Service may only be terminated on days when the
337	337	19 customer is able to reach a service representative of the
338	338	20 cable or video providers, either in person or by
339	339	21 telephone.
340	340	22 (7) Any service terminated by a cable or video
341	341	23 provider without good cause shall be restored without any
342	342	24 reconnection fee, charge, or penalty; good cause for
343	343	25 termination includes, but is not limited to, failure to
344	344	26 pay a bill by the date specified in the notice of impending
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355	355	1 termination, payment by check for which there are
356	356	2 insufficient funds, theft of service, abuse of equipment
357	357	3 or personnel, or other similar subscriber actions.
358	358	4 (8) Cable or video providers shall cease charging a
359	359	5 customer for any or all services within one business day
360	360	6 after it receives a request to immediately terminate
361	361	7 service or on the day requested by the customer if such a
362	362	8 date is at least 5 days from the date requested by the
363	363	9 customer. Nothing in this subsection (c) shall prohibit
364	364	10 the provider from billing for charges that the customer
365	365	11 incurs prior to the date of termination. Cable or video
366	366	12 providers shall issue a credit no later than the
367	367	13 customer's next billing cycle following the determination
368	368	14 that a credit is warranted. Cable or video providers shall
369	369	15 issue a refund or return a deposit promptly, but not later
370	370	16 than either the customer's next billing cycle following
371	371	17 resolution of the request or 30 days, whichever is
372	372	18 earlier, or the return of equipment, if any, whichever is
373	373	19 later.
374	374	20 (9) The customers or subscribers of a cable or video
375	375	21 provider shall be allowed to disconnect their service at
376	376	22 any time within the first 30 days after subscribing to or
377	377	23 upgrading the service. Within this 30-day period, cable or
378	378	24 video providers shall not charge or impose any fees or
379	379	25 penalties on the customer for disconnecting service,
380	380	26 including, but not limited to, any installation charge or
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391	391	1 the imposition of an early termination charge, except the
392	392	2 cable or video provider may impose a charge or fee to
393	393	3 offset any rebates or credits received by the customer and
394	394	4 may impose monthly service or maintenance charges,
395	395	5 including pay-per-view and premium services charges,
396	396	6 during such 30-day period.
397	397	7 (d) Response to customer inquiries:
398	398	8 (1) Cable or video providers will maintain a toll-free
399	399	9 telephone access line that is available to customers 24
400	400	10 hours a day, 7 days a week to accept calls regarding
401	401	11 installation, termination, service, and complaints.
402	402	12 Trained, knowledgeable, qualified service representatives
403	403	13 of the cable or video providers will be available to
404	404	14 respond to customer telephone inquiries during normal
405	405	15 business hours. Customer service representatives shall be
406	406	16 able to provide credit, waive fees, schedule appointments,
407	407	17 and change billing cycles. Any difficulties that cannot be
408	408	18 resolved by the customer service representatives shall be
409	409	19 referred to a supervisor who shall make his or her best
410	410	20 efforts to resolve the issue immediately. If the
411	411	21 supervisor does not resolve the issue to the customer's
412	412	22 satisfaction, the customer shall be informed of the cable
413	413	23 or video provider's complaint procedures and procedures
414	414	24 for billing dispute resolution and given a description of
415	415	25 the rights and remedies available to customers to enforce
416	416	26 the terms of this Article, including the customer's rights
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427	427	1 to have the complaint reviewed by the local unit of
428	428	2 government, to request mediation, and to review in a court
429	429	3 of competent jurisdiction.
430	430	4 (2) After normal business hours, the access line may
431	431	5 be answered by a service or an automated response system,
432	432	6 including an answering machine. Inquiries received by
433	433	7 telephone or e-mail after normal business hours shall be
434	434	8 responded to by a trained service representative on the
435	435	9 next business day. The cable or video provider shall
436	436	10 respond to a written billing inquiry within 10 days of
437	437	11 receipt of the inquiry.
438	438	12 (3) Cable or video providers shall provide customers
439	439	13 seeking non-standard installations with a total
440	440	14 installation cost estimate and an estimated date of
441	441	15 completion. The actual charge to the customer shall not
442	442	16 exceed the estimated cost without the written consent of
443	443	17 the customer.
444	444	18 (4) If the cable or video provider receives notice
445	445	19 that an unsafe condition exists with respect to its
446	446	20 equipment, it shall investigate such condition immediately
447	447	21 and shall take such measures as are necessary to remove or
448	448	22 eliminate the unsafe condition. The cable or video
449	449	23 provider shall inform the local unit of government
450	450	24 promptly, but no later than 2 hours after it receives
451	451	25 notification of an unsafe condition that it has not
452	452	26 remedied.
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463	463	1 (5) Under normal operating conditions, telephone
464	464	2 answer time by the cable or video provider's customer
465	465	3 representative, including wait time, shall not exceed 30
466	466	4 seconds when the connection is made. If the call needs to
467	467	5 be transferred, transfer time shall not exceed 30 seconds.
468	468	6 These standards shall be met no less than 90% of the time
469	469	7 under normal operating conditions, measured on a quarterly
470	470	8 basis. The cable or video provider shall not be required
471	471	9 to acquire equipment or perform surveys to measure
472	472	10 compliance with these telephone answering standards unless
473	473	11 an historical record of complaints indicates a clear
474	474	12 failure to comply.
475	475	13 (6) Under normal operating conditions, the cable or
476	476	14 video provider's customers will receive a busy signal less
477	477	15 than 3% of the time.
478	478	16 (e) Under normal operating conditions, each of the
479	479	17 following standards related to installations, outages, and
480	480	18 service calls will be met no less than 95% of the time measured
481	481	19 on a quarterly basis:
482	482	20 (1) Standard installations will be performed within 7
483	483	21 business days after an order has been placed. "Standard"
484	484	22 installations are those that are located up to 125 feet
485	485	23 from the existing distribution system.
486	486	24 (2) Excluding conditions beyond the control of the
487	487	25 cable or video providers, the cable or video providers
488	488	26 will begin working on "service interruptions" promptly and
489	489
490	490
491	491
492	492
493	493
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495	495
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499	499	1 in no event later than 24 hours after the interruption is
500	500	2 reported by the customer or otherwise becomes known to the
501	501	3 cable or video providers. Cable or video providers must
502	502	4 begin actions to correct other service problems the next
503	503	5 business day after notification of the service problem and
504	504	6 correct the problem.
505	505	7 (3) The "appointment window" alternatives for
506	506	8 installations, service calls, and other installation
507	507	9 activities will be either a specific time or, at a
508	508	10 maximum, a 4-hour time block during evening, weekend, and
509	509	11 normal business hours. The cable or video provider may
510	510	12 schedule service calls and other installation activities
511	511	13 outside of these hours for the express convenience of the
512	512	14 customer.
513	513	15 (4) Cable or video providers may not cancel an
514	514	16 appointment with a customer after the close of business on
515	515	17 the business day prior to the scheduled appointment. If
516	516	18 the cable or video provider's representative is running
517	517	19 late for an appointment with a customer and will not be
518	518	20 able to keep the appointment as scheduled, the customer
519	519	21 will be contacted. The appointment will be rescheduled, as
520	520	22 necessary, at a time that is convenient for the customer,
521	521	23 even if the rescheduled appointment is not within normal
522	522	24 business hours.
523	523	25 (f) Public benefit obligation:
524	524	26 (1) All cable or video providers offering service
525	525
526	526
527	527
528	528
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531	531
532	532
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534	534	HB4078 - 15 - LRB103 32041 SPS 60952 b
535	535	1 pursuant to the Cable and Video Competition Law of 2007,
536	536	2 the Illinois Municipal Code, or the Counties Code shall
537	537	3 provide a free service line drop and free basic service to
538	538	4 all current and future public buildings within their
539	539	5 footprint, including, but not limited to, all local unit
540	540	6 of government buildings, public libraries, and public
541	541	7 primary and secondary schools, whether owned or leased by
542	542	8 that local unit of government ("eligible buildings"). Such
543	543	9 service shall be used in a manner consistent with the
544	544	10 government purpose for the eligible building and shall not
545	545	11 be resold.
546	546	12 (2) This obligation only applies to those cable or
547	547	13 video service providers whose cable service or video
548	548	14 service systems pass eligible buildings and its cable or
549	549	15 video service is generally available to residential
550	550	16 subscribers in the same local unit of government in which
551	551	17 the eligible building is located. The burden of providing
552	552	18 such service at each eligible building shall be shared by
553	553	19 all cable and video providers whose systems pass the
554	554	20 eligible buildings in an equitable and competitively
555	555	21 neutral manner, and nothing herein shall require
556	556	22 duplicative installations by more than one cable or video
557	557	23 provider at each eligible building. Cable or video
558	558	24 providers operating in a local unit of government shall
559	559	25 meet as necessary and determine who will provide service
560	560	26 to eligible buildings under this subsection (f). If the
561	561
562	562
563	563
564	564
565	565
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567	567
568	568
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570	570	HB4078 - 16 - LRB103 32041 SPS 60952 b
571	571	1 cable or video providers are unable to reach an agreement,
572	572	2 they shall meet with the local unit of government, which
573	573	3 shall determine which cable or video providers will serve
574	574	4 each eligible building. The local unit of government shall
575	575	5 bear the costs of any inside wiring or video equipment
576	576	6 costs not ordinarily provided as part of the cable or
577	577	7 video provider's basic offering.
578	578	8 (g) After the cable or video providers have offered
579	579	9 service for one year, the cable or video providers shall make
580	580	10 an annual report to the Commission, to the local unit of
581	581	11 government, and to the Attorney General that it is meeting the
582	582	12 standards specified in this Article, identifying the number of
583	583	13 complaints it received over the prior year in the State and
584	584	14 specifying the number of complaints related to each of the
585	585	15 following: (1) billing, charges, refunds, and credits; (2)
586	586	16 installation or termination of service; (3) quality of service
587	587	17 and repair; (4) programming; and (5) miscellaneous complaints
588	588	18 that do not fall within these categories.
589	589	19 (h) To the extent consistent with federal law, cable or
590	590	20 video providers shall offer the lowest-cost basic cable or
591	591	21 video service as a stand-alone service to residential
592	592	22 customers at reasonable rates. Cable or video providers shall
593	593	23 not require the subscription to any service other than the
594	594	24 lowest-cost basic service or to any telecommunications or
595	595	25 information service, as a condition of access to cable or
596	596	26 video service, including programming offered on a per channel
597	597
598	598
599	599
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607	607	1 or per program basis. Cable or video providers shall not
608	608	2 discriminate between subscribers to the lowest-cost basic
609	609	3 service, subscribers to other cable services or video
610	610	4 services, and other subscribers with regard to the rates
611	611	5 charged for cable or video programming offered on a per
612	612	6 channel or per program basis.
613	613	7 (i) To the extent consistent with federal law, cable or
614	614	8 video providers shall ensure that charges for changes in the
615	615	9 subscriber's selection of services or equipment shall be based
616	616	10 on the cost of such change and shall not exceed nominal amounts
617	617	11 when the system's configuration permits changes in service
618	618	12 tier selection to be effected solely by coded entry on a
619	619	13 computer terminal or by other similarly simple method.
620	620	14 (j) To the extent consistent with federal law, cable or
621	621	15 video providers shall have a rate structure for the provision
622	622	16 of cable or video service that is uniform throughout the area
623	623	17 within the boundaries of the local unit of government. This
624	624	18 subsection (j) is not intended to prohibit bulk discounts to
625	625	19 multiple dwelling units or to prohibit reasonable discounts to
626	626	20 senior citizens or other economically disadvantaged groups.
627	627	21 (k) To the extent consistent with federal law, cable or
628	628	22 video providers shall not charge a subscriber for any channel,
629	629	23 service, or equipment that the subscriber has not
630	630	24 affirmatively requested or affirmatively agreed to by name.
631	631	25 For purposes of this subsection (k), a subscriber's failure to
632	632	26 refuse a cable or video provider's proposal to provide a
633	633
634	634
635	635
636	636
637	637
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639	639
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642	642	HB4078 - 18 - LRB103 32041 SPS 60952 b
643	643	1 channel, service, or equipment shall not be deemed to be an
644	644	2 affirmative request for such channel, service, or equipment.
645	645	3 Notwithstanding any other provision of law and to the
646	646	4 extent consistent with federal law, cable or video providers
647	647	5 shall not deny the ability of any subscriber to refuse to be
648	648	6 charged for any particular channel and shall allow any
649	649	7 subscriber to remove any specific channel and associated
650	650	8 carriage fees from the subscriber's monthly bill. Cable and
651	651	9 video providers shall allow any subscriber to remove any
652	652	10 channel and all associated carriage fees assessed to that
653	653	11 subscriber via a website or toll-free telephone number. Cable
654	654	12 and video providers shall, for every new or renewing
655	655	13 subscriber, list all channels offered in every particular
656	656	14 service to all subscribers and allow the subscriber to approve
657	657	15 or reject each channel and the associated carriage fee for
658	658	16 that channel.
659	659	17 (l) No contract or service agreement containing an early
660	660	18 termination clause offering residential cable or video
661	661	19 services or any bundle including such services shall be for a
662	662	20 term longer than 2 years. Any contract or service offering
663	663	21 with a term of service that contains an early termination fee
664	664	22 shall limit the early termination fee to not more than the
665	665	23 value of any additional goods or services provided with the
666	666	24 cable or video services, the amount of the discount reflected
667	667	25 in the price for cable services or video services for the
668	668	26 period during which the consumer benefited from the discount,
669	669
670	670
671	671
672	672
673	673
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679	679	1 or a declining fee based on the remainder of the contract term.
680	680	2 (m) Cable or video providers shall not discriminate in the
681	681	3 provision of services for the hearing and visually impaired,
682	682	4 and shall comply with the accessibility requirements of 47
683	683	5 U.S.C. 613. Cable or video providers shall deliver and pick-up
684	684	6 or provide customers with pre-paid shipping and packaging for
685	685	7 the return of converters and other necessary equipment at the
686	686	8 home of customers with disabilities. Cable or video providers
687	687	9 shall provide free use of a converter or remote control unit to
688	688	10 mobility impaired customers.
689	689	11 (n)(1) To the extent consistent with federal law, cable or
690	690	12 video providers shall comply with the provisions of 47 U.S.C.
691	691	13 532(h) and (j). The cable or video providers shall not
692	692	14 exercise any editorial control over any video programming
693	693	15 provided pursuant to this Section, or in any other way
694	694	16 consider the content of such programming, except that a cable
695	695	17 or video provider may refuse to transmit any leased access
696	696	18 program or portion of a leased access program that contains
697	697	19 obscenity, indecency, or nudity and may consider such content
698	698	20 to the minimum extent necessary to establish a reasonable
699	699	21 price for the commercial use of designated channel capacity by
700	700	22 an unaffiliated person. This subsection (n) shall permit cable
701	701	23 or video providers to enforce prospectively a written and
702	702	24 published policy of prohibiting programming that the cable or
703	703	25 video provider reasonably believes describes or depicts sexual
704	704	26 or excretory activities or organs in a patently offensive
705	705
706	706
707	707
708	708
709	709
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711	711
712	712
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714	714	HB4078 - 20 - LRB103 32041 SPS 60952 b
715	715	1 manner as measured by contemporary community standards.
716	716	2 (2) Upon customer request, the cable or video provider
717	717	3 shall, without charge, fully scramble or otherwise fully
718	718	4 block the audio and video programming of each channel
719	719	5 carrying such programming so that a person who is not a
720	720	6 subscriber does not receive the channel or programming.
721	721	7 (3) In providing sexually explicit adult programming
722	722	8 or other programming that is indecent on any channel of
723	723	9 its service primarily dedicated to sexually oriented
724	724	10 programming, the cable or video provider shall fully
725	725	11 scramble or otherwise fully block the video and audio
726	726	12 portion of such channel so that a person who is not a
727	727	13 subscriber to such channel or programming does not receive
728	728	14 it.
729	729	15 (4) Scramble means to rearrange the content of the
730	730	16 signal of the programming so that the programming cannot
731	731	17 be viewed or heard in an understandable manner.
732	732	18 (o) Cable or video providers will maintain a listing,
733	733	19 specific to the level of street address, of the areas where its
734	734	20 cable or video services are available. Customers who inquire
735	735	21 about purchasing cable or video service shall be informed
736	736	22 about whether the cable or video provider's cable or video
737	737	23 services are currently available to them at their specific
738	738	24 location.
739	739	25 (p) Cable or video providers shall not disclose the name,
740	740	26 address, telephone number or other personally identifying
741	741
742	742
743	743
744	744
745	745
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747	747
748	748
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751	751	1 information of a cable service or video service customer to be
752	752	2 used in mailing lists or to be used for other commercial
753	753	3 purposes not reasonably related to the conduct of its business
754	754	4 unless the cable or video provider has provided to the
755	755	5 customer a notice, separately or included in any other
756	756	6 customer service notice, that clearly and conspicuously
757	757	7 describes the customer's ability to prohibit the disclosure.
758	758	8 Cable or video providers shall provide an address and
759	759	9 telephone number for a customer to use without a toll charge to
760	760	10 prevent disclosure of the customer's name and address in
761	761	11 mailing lists or for other commercial purposes not reasonably
762	762	12 related to the conduct of its business to other businesses or
763	763	13 affiliates of the cable or video provider. Cable or video
764	764	14 providers shall comply with the consumer privacy requirements
765	765	15 of Section 26-4.5 of the Criminal Code of 2012, the Restricted
766	766	16 Call Registry Act, and 47 U.S.C. 551 that are in effect as of
767	767	17 June 30, 2007 (the effective date of Public Act 95-9) and as
768	768	18 amended thereafter.
769	769	19 (q) Cable or video providers shall implement an informal
770	770	20 process for handling inquiries from local units of government
771	771	21 and customers concerning billing issues, service issues,
772	772	22 privacy concerns, and other consumer complaints. In the event
773	773	23 that an issue is not resolved through this informal process, a
774	774	24 local unit of government or the customer may request
775	775	25 nonbinding mediation with the cable or video provider, with
776	776	26 each party to bear its own costs of such mediation. Selection
777	777
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783	783
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787	787	1 of the mediator will be by mutual agreement, and preference
788	788	2 will be given to mediation services that do not charge the
789	789	3 consumer for their services. In the event that the informal
790	790	4 process does not produce a satisfactory result to the customer
791	791	5 or the local unit of government, enforcement may be pursued as
792	792	6 provided in subdivision (4) of subsection (r) of this Section.
793	793	7 (r) The Attorney General and the local unit of government
794	794	8 may enforce all of the customer service and privacy protection
795	795	9 standards of this Section with respect to complaints received
796	796	10 from residents within the local unit of government's
797	797	11 jurisdiction, but it may not adopt or seek to enforce any
798	798	12 additional or different customer service or performance
799	799	13 standards under any other authority or provision of law.
800	800	14 (1) The local unit of government may, by ordinance,
801	801	15 provide a schedule of penalties for any material breach of
802	802	16 this Section by cable or video providers in addition to
803	803	17 the penalties provided herein. No monetary penalties shall
804	804	18 be assessed for a material breach if it is out of the
805	805	19 reasonable control of the cable or video providers or its
806	806	20 affiliate. Monetary penalties adopted in an ordinance
807	807	21 pursuant to this Section shall apply on a competitively
808	808	22 neutral basis to all providers of cable service or video
809	809	23 service within the local unit of government's
810	810	24 jurisdiction. In no event shall the penalties imposed
811	811	25 under this subsection (r) exceed $750 for each day of the
812	812	26 material breach, and these penalties shall not exceed
813	813
814	814
815	815
816	816
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819	819
820	820
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823	823	1 $25,000 for each occurrence of a material breach per
824	824	2 customer.
825	825	3 (2) For purposes of this Section, "material breach"
826	826	4 means any substantial failure of a cable or video service
827	827	5 provider to comply with service quality and other
828	828	6 standards specified in any provision of this Act. The
829	829	7 Attorney General or the local unit of government shall
830	830	8 give the cable or video provider written notice of any
831	831	9 alleged material breaches of this Act and allow such
832	832	10 provider at least 30 days from receipt of the notice to
833	833	11 remedy the specified material breach.
834	834	12 (3) A material breach, for the purposes of assessing
835	835	13 penalties, shall be deemed to have occurred for each day
836	836	14 that a material breach has not been remedied by the cable
837	837	15 service or video service provider after the expiration of
838	838	16 the period specified in subdivision (2) of this subsection
839	839	17 (r) in each local unit of government's jurisdiction,
840	840	18 irrespective of the number of customers affected.
841	841	19 (4) Any customer, the Attorney General, or a local
842	842	20 unit of government may pursue alleged violations of this
843	843	21 Act by the cable or video provider in a court of competent
844	844	22 jurisdiction. A cable or video provider may seek judicial
845	845	23 review of a decision of a local unit of government
846	846	24 imposing penalties in a court of competent jurisdiction.
847	847	25 No local unit of government shall be subject to suit for
848	848	26 damages or other relief based upon its action in
849	849
850	850
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852	852
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859	859	1 connection with its enforcement or review of any of the
860	860	2 terms, conditions, and rights contained in this Act except
861	861	3 a court may require the return of any penalty it finds was
862	862	4 not properly assessed or imposed.
863	863	5 (s) Cable or video providers shall credit customers for
864	864	6 violations in the amounts stated herein. The credits shall be
865	865	7 applied on the statement issued to the customer for the next
866	866	8 monthly billing cycle following the violation or following the
867	867	9 discovery of the violation. Cable or video providers are
868	868	10 responsible for providing the credits described herein and the
869	869	11 customer is under no obligation to request the credit. If the
870	870	12 customer is no longer taking service from the cable or video
871	871	13 provider, the credit amount will be refunded to the customer
872	872	14 by check within 30 days of the termination of service. A local
873	873	15 unit of government may, by ordinance, adopt a schedule of
874	874	16 credits payable directly to customers for breach of the
875	875	17 customer service standards and obligations contained in this
876	876	18 Article, provided the schedule of customer credits applies on
877	877	19 a competitively neutral basis to all providers of cable
878	878	20 service or video service in the local unit of government's
879	879	21 jurisdiction and the credits are not greater than the credits
880	880	22 provided in this Section.
881	881	23 (1) Failure to keep an appointment or to notify the
882	882	24 customer prior to the close of business on the business
883	883	25 day prior to the scheduled appointment: $25.00.
884	884	26 (2) Violation of customer service and billing
885	885
886	886
887	887
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891	891
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895	895	1 standards in subsections (c) and (d) of this Section:
896	896	2 $25.00 per occurrence.
897	897	3 (3) Violation of the bundling rules in subsection (h)
898	898	4 of this Section: $25.00 per month.
899	899	5 (t) The enforcement powers granted to the Attorney General
900	900	6 in Article XXI of this Act shall apply to this Article, except
901	901	7 that the Attorney General may not seek penalties for violation
902	902	8 of this Article other than in the amounts specified herein.
903	903	9 Nothing in this Section shall limit or affect the powers of the
904	904	10 Attorney General to enforce the provisions of Article XXI of
905	905	11 this Act or the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business
906	906	12 Practices Act.
907	907	13 (u) This Article applies to all cable and video providers
908	908	14 in the State, including but not limited to those operating
909	909	15 under a local franchise as that term is used in 47 U.S.C.
910	910	16 522(9), those operating under authorization pursuant to
911	911	17 Section 11-42-11 of the Illinois Municipal Code, those
912	912	18 operating under authorization pursuant to Section 5-1095 of
913	913	19 the Counties Code, and those operating under a State-issued
914	914	20 authorization pursuant to Article XXI of this Act.
915	915	21 (Source: P.A. 97-1108, eff. 1-1-13; 97-1150, eff. 1-25-13;
916	916	22 98-45, eff. 6-28-13.)
917	917	23 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
918	918	24 becoming law.
919	919
920	920
921	921
922	922
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