Illinois 2025-2026 Regular Session

Illinois House Bill HB2831 Compare Versions

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

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1	1	104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 HB2831 Introduced , by Rep. Charles Meier SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 220 ILCS 5/22-501 Amends the Public Utilities Act. Provides that cable or video providers shall issue a customer a pro rata credit if that customer requests service disconnection during the first 2 weeks of a monthly billing period. LRB104 09677 AAS 19743 b A BILL FOR 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 HB2831 Introduced , by Rep. Charles Meier SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 220 ILCS 5/22-501 220 ILCS 5/22-501 Amends the Public Utilities Act. Provides that cable or video providers shall issue a customer a pro rata credit if that customer requests service disconnection during the first 2 weeks of a monthly billing period. LRB104 09677 AAS 19743 b LRB104 09677 AAS 19743 b A BILL FOR
2	2	104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 HB2831 Introduced , by Rep. Charles Meier 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 cable or video providers shall issue a customer a pro rata credit if that customer requests service disconnection during the first 2 weeks of a monthly billing period.
6	6	LRB104 09677 AAS 19743 b LRB104 09677 AAS 19743 b
7	7	LRB104 09677 AAS 19743 b
8	8	A BILL FOR
9	9	HB2831LRB104 09677 AAS 19743 b HB2831 LRB104 09677 AAS 19743 b
10	10	HB2831 LRB104 09677 AAS 19743 b
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 5. The Public Utilities Act is amended by changing
15	15	5 Section 22-501 as follows:
16	16	6 (220 ILCS 5/22-501)
17	17	7 Sec. 22-501. Customer service and privacy protection. All
18	18	8 cable or video providers in this State shall comply with the
19	19	9 following customer service requirements and privacy
20	20	10 protections. The provisions of this Act shall not apply to an
21	21	11 incumbent cable operator prior to January 1, 2008. For
22	22	12 purposes of this paragraph, an incumbent cable operator means
23	23	13 a person or entity that provided cable services in a
24	24	14 particular area under a franchise agreement with a local unit
25	25	15 of government pursuant to Section 11-42-11 of the Illinois
26	26	16 Municipal Code or Section 5-1095 of the Counties Code on
27	27	17 January 1, 2007. A master antenna television, satellite master
28	28	18 antenna television, direct broadcast satellite, multipoint
29	29	19 distribution service, and other provider of video programming
30	30	20 shall only be subject to the provisions of this Article to the
31	31	21 extent permitted by federal law.
32	32	22 The following definitions apply to the terms used in this
33	33	23 Article:
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37	37	104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 HB2831 Introduced , by Rep. Charles Meier SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
38	38	220 ILCS 5/22-501 220 ILCS 5/22-501
39	39	220 ILCS 5/22-501
40	40	Amends the Public Utilities Act. Provides that cable or video providers shall issue a customer a pro rata credit if that customer requests service disconnection during the first 2 weeks of a monthly billing period.
41	41	LRB104 09677 AAS 19743 b LRB104 09677 AAS 19743 b
42	42	LRB104 09677 AAS 19743 b
43	43	A BILL FOR
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68	68	1 "Basic cable or video service" means any service offering
69	69	2 or tier that includes the retransmission of local television
70	70	3 broadcast signals.
71	71	4 "Cable or video provider" means any person or entity
72	72	5 providing cable service or video service pursuant to
73	73	6 authorization under (i) the Cable and Video Competition Law of
74	74	7 2007; (ii) Section 11-42-11 of the Illinois Municipal Code;
75	75	8 (iii) Section 5-1095 of the Counties Code; or (iv) a master
76	76	9 antenna television, satellite master antenna television,
77	77	10 direct broadcast satellite, multipoint distribution services,
78	78	11 and other providers of video programming, whatever their
79	79	12 technology. A cable or video provider shall not include a
80	80	13 landlord providing only broadcast video programming to a
81	81	14 single-family home or other residential dwelling consisting of
82	82	15 4 units or less.
83	83	16 "Franchise" has the same meaning as found in 47 U.S.C.
84	84	17 522(9).
85	85	18 "Local unit of government" means a city, village,
86	86	19 incorporated town, or a county.
87	87	20 "Normal business hours" means those hours during which
88	88	21 most similar businesses in the geographic area of the local
89	89	22 unit of government are open to serve customers. In all cases,
90	90	23 "normal business hours" must include some evening hours at
91	91	24 least one night per week or some weekend hours.
92	92	25 "Normal operating conditions" means those service
93	93	26 conditions that are within the control of cable or video
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104	104	1 providers. Those conditions that are not within the control of
105	105	2 cable or video providers include, but are not limited to,
106	106	3 natural disasters, civil disturbances, power outages,
107	107	4 telephone network outages, and severe or unusual weather
108	108	5 conditions. Those conditions that are ordinarily within the
109	109	6 control of cable or video providers include, but are not
110	110	7 limited to, special promotions, pay-per-view events, rate
111	111	8 increases, regular peak or seasonal demand periods, and
112	112	9 maintenance or upgrade of the cable service or video service
113	113	10 network.
114	114	11 "Service interruption" means the loss of picture or sound
115	115	12 on one or more cable service or video service on one or more
116	116	13 cable or video channels.
117	117	14 "Service line drop" means the point of connection between
118	118	15 a premises and the cable or video network that enables the
119	119	16 premises to receive cable service or video service.
120	120	17 (a) General customer service standards:
121	121	18 (1) Cable or video providers shall establish general
122	122	19 standards related to customer service, which shall
123	123	20 include, but not be limited to, installation,
124	124	21 disconnection, service and repair obligations; appointment
125	125	22 hours and employee ID requirements; customer service
126	126	23 telephone numbers and hours; procedures for billing,
127	127	24 charges, deposits, refunds, and credits; procedures for
128	128	25 termination of service; notice of deletion of programming
129	129	26 service; changes related to transmission of programming;
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140	140	1 changes or increases in rates; the use and availability of
141	141	2 parental control or lock-out devices; the use and
142	142	3 availability of an A/B switch if applicable; complaint
143	143	4 procedures and procedures for bill dispute resolution; a
144	144	5 description of the rights and remedies available to
145	145	6 consumers if the cable or video provider does not
146	146	7 materially meet its customer service standards; and
147	147	8 special services for customers with visual, hearing, or
148	148	9 mobility disabilities.
149	149	10 (2) Cable or video providers' rates for each level of
150	150	11 service, rules, regulations, and policies related to its
151	151	12 cable service or video service described in paragraph (1)
152	152	13 of this subsection (a) must be made available to the
153	153	14 public and displayed clearly and conspicuously on the
154	154	15 cable or video provider's site on the Internet. If a
155	155	16 promotional price or a price for a specified period of
156	156	17 time is offered, the cable or video provider shall display
157	157	18 the price at the end of the promotional period or
158	158	19 specified period of time clearly and conspicuously with
159	159	20 the display of the promotional price or price for a
160	160	21 specified period of time. The cable or video provider
161	161	22 shall provide this information upon request.
162	162	23 (3) Cable or video providers shall provide notice
163	163	24 concerning their general customer service standards to all
164	164	25 customers. This notice shall be offered when service is
165	165	26 first activated and upon request thereafter. The
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176	176	1 information in the notice shall also be available on the
177	177	2 cable or video providers' websites and shall include all
178	178	3 of the information specified in paragraph (1) of this
179	179	4 subsection (a), as well as the following: a listing of
180	180	5 services offered by the cable or video providers, which
181	181	6 shall clearly describe programming for all services and
182	182	7 all levels of service; the rates for all services and
183	183	8 levels of service; a telephone number through which
184	184	9 customers may subscribe to, change, or terminate service,
185	185	10 request customer service, or seek general or billing
186	186	11 information; instructions on the use of the cable or video
187	187	12 services; and a description of rights and remedies that
188	188	13 the cable or video providers shall make available to their
189	189	14 customers if they do not materially meet the general
190	190	15 customer service standards described in this Act.
191	191	16 (b) General customer service obligations:
192	192	17 (1) Cable or video providers shall render reasonably
193	193	18 efficient service, promptly make repairs, and interrupt
194	194	19 service only as necessary and for good cause, during
195	195	20 periods of minimum use of the system and for no more than
196	196	21 24 hours.
197	197	22 (2) All service representatives or any other person
198	198	23 who contacts customers or potential customers on behalf of
199	199	24 the cable or video provider shall have a visible
200	200	25 identification card with their name and photograph and
201	201	26 shall orally identify themselves upon first contact with
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212	212	1 the customer. Customer service representatives shall
213	213	2 orally identify themselves to callers immediately
214	214	3 following the greeting during each telephone contact with
215	215	4 the public.
216	216	5 (3) The cable or video providers shall: (i) maintain a
217	217	6 customer service facility within the boundaries of a local
218	218	7 unit of government staffed by customer service
219	219	8 representatives that have the capacity to accept payment,
220	220	9 adjust bills, and respond to repair, installation,
221	221	10 reconnection, disconnection, or other service calls and
222	222	11 distribute or receive converter boxes, remote control
223	223	12 units, digital stereo units, or other equipment related to
224	224	13 the provision of cable or video service; (ii) provide
225	225	14 customers with bill payment facilities through retail,
226	226	15 financial, or other commercial institutions located within
227	227	16 the boundaries of a local unit of government; (iii)
228	228	17 provide an address, toll-free telephone number or
229	229	18 electronic address to accept bill payments and
230	230	19 correspondence and provide secure collection boxes for the
231	231	20 receipt of bill payments and the return of equipment,
232	232	21 provided that if a cable or video provider provides secure
233	233	22 collection boxes, it shall provide a printed receipt when
234	234	23 items are deposited; or (iv) provide an address, toll-free
235	235	24 telephone number, or electronic address to accept bill
236	236	25 payments and correspondence and provide a method for
237	237	26 customers to return equipment to the cable or video
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248	248	1 provider at no cost to the customer.
249	249	2 (4) In each contact with a customer, the service
250	250	3 representatives or any other person who contacts customers
251	251	4 or potential customers on behalf of the cable or video
252	252	5 provider shall state the estimated cost of the service,
253	253	6 repair, or installation orally prior to delivery of the
254	254	7 service or before any work is performed, shall provide the
255	255	8 customer with an oral statement of the total charges
256	256	9 before terminating the telephone call or other contact in
257	257	10 which a service is ordered, whether in-person or over the
258	258	11 Internet, and shall provide a written statement of the
259	259	12 total charges before leaving the location at which the
260	260	13 work was performed. In the event that the cost of service
261	261	14 is a promotional price or is for a limited period of time,
262	262	15 the cost of service at the end of the promotion or limited
263	263	16 period of time shall be disclosed.
264	264	17 (5) Cable or video providers shall provide customers a
265	265	18 minimum of 30 days' written notice before increasing rates
266	266	19 or eliminating transmission of programming and shall
267	267	20 submit the notice of any rate increase to the local unit of
268	268	21 government in advance of distribution to customers,
269	269	22 provided that the cable or video provider is not in
270	270	23 violation of this provision if the elimination of
271	271	24 transmission of programming was outside the control of the
272	272	25 provider, in which case the provider shall use reasonable
273	273	26 efforts to provide as much notice as possible, and any
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284	284	1 rate decrease related to the elimination of transmission
285	285	2 of programming shall be applied to the date of the change.
286	286	3 (6) Cable or video providers shall provide clear
287	287	4 visual and audio reception that meets or exceeds
288	288	5 applicable Federal Communications Commission technical
289	289	6 standards. If a customer experiences poor video or audio
290	290	7 reception due to the equipment of the cable or video
291	291	8 provider, the cable or video provider shall promptly
292	292	9 repair the problem at its own expense.
293	293	10 (c) Bills, payment, and termination:
294	294	11 (1) Cable or video providers shall render monthly
295	295	12 bills that are clear, accurate, and understandable.
296	296	13 (2) Every residential customer who pays bills directly
297	297	14 to the cable or video provider shall have at least 28 days
298	298	15 from the date of the bill to pay the listed charges.
299	299	16 (3) Customer payments shall be posted promptly. When
300	300	17 the payment is sent by United States mail, payment is
301	301	18 considered paid on the date it is postmarked.
302	302	19 (4) Cable or video providers may not terminate
303	303	20 residential service for nonpayment of a bill unless the
304	304	21 cable or video provider furnishes notice of the
305	305	22 delinquency and impending termination at least 15 days
306	306	23 prior to the proposed termination. Notice of proposed
307	307	24 termination shall be mailed, postage prepaid, to the
308	308	25 customer to whom service is billed. Notice of proposed
309	309	26 termination shall not be mailed until the 24th day after
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320	320	1 the date of the bill for services. Notice of delinquency
321	321	2 and impending termination may be part of a billing
322	322	3 statement only if the notice is designed to be
323	323	4 conspicuous. The cable or video providers may not assess a
324	324	5 late fee prior to the 24th day after the date of the bill
325	325	6 for service.
326	326	7 (5) Every notice of impending termination shall
327	327	8 include all of the following: the name and address of
328	328	9 customer; the amount of the delinquency; the date on which
329	329	10 payment is required to avoid termination; and the
330	330	11 telephone number of the cable or video provider's service
331	331	12 representative to make payment arrangements and to provide
332	332	13 additional information about the charges for failure to
333	333	14 return equipment and for reconnection, if any.
334	334	15 (6) Service may only be terminated on days when the
335	335	16 customer is able to reach a service representative of the
336	336	17 cable or video providers, either in person or by
337	337	18 telephone.
338	338	19 (7) Any service terminated by a cable or video
339	339	20 provider without good cause shall be restored without any
340	340	21 reconnection fee, charge, or penalty; good cause for
341	341	22 termination includes, but is not limited to, failure to
342	342	23 pay a bill by the date specified in the notice of impending
343	343	24 termination, payment by check for which there are
344	344	25 insufficient funds, theft of service, abuse of equipment
345	345	26 or personnel, or other similar subscriber actions.
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356	356	1 (8) Cable or video providers shall cease charging a
357	357	2 customer for any or all services within one business day
358	358	3 after it receives a request to immediately terminate
359	359	4 service or on the day requested by the customer if such a
360	360	5 date is at least 5 days from the date requested by the
361	361	6 customer. Cable or video providers shall issue a customer
362	362	7 a pro rata credit if that customer requests service
363	363	8 disconnection during the first 2 weeks of a monthly
364	364	9 billing period. Nothing in this subsection (c) shall
365	365	10 prohibit the provider from billing for charges that the
366	366	11 customer incurs prior to the date of termination. Cable or
367	367	12 video providers shall issue a credit no later than the
368	368	13 customer's next billing cycle following the determination
369	369	14 that a credit is warranted. Cable or video providers shall
370	370	15 issue a refund or return a deposit promptly, but not later
371	371	16 than either the customer's next billing cycle following
372	372	17 resolution of the request or 30 days, whichever is
373	373	18 earlier, or the return of equipment, if any, whichever is
374	374	19 later.
375	375	20 (9) The customers or subscribers of a cable or video
376	376	21 provider shall be allowed to disconnect their service at
377	377	22 any time within the first 30 days after subscribing to or
378	378	23 upgrading the service. Within this 30-day period, cable or
379	379	24 video providers shall not charge or impose any fees or
380	380	25 penalties on the customer for disconnecting service,
381	381	26 including, but not limited to, any installation charge or
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392	392	1 the imposition of an early termination charge, except the
393	393	2 cable or video provider may impose a charge or fee to
394	394	3 offset any rebates or credits received by the customer and
395	395	4 may impose monthly service or maintenance charges,
396	396	5 including pay-per-view and premium services charges,
397	397	6 during such 30-day period.
398	398	7 (d) Response to customer inquiries:
399	399	8 (1) Cable or video providers will maintain a toll-free
400	400	9 telephone access line that is available to customers 24
401	401	10 hours a day, 7 days a week to accept calls regarding
402	402	11 installation, termination, service, and complaints.
403	403	12 Trained, knowledgeable, qualified service representatives
404	404	13 of the cable or video providers will be available to
405	405	14 respond to customer telephone inquiries during normal
406	406	15 business hours. Customer service representatives shall be
407	407	16 able to provide credit, waive fees, schedule appointments,
408	408	17 and change billing cycles. Any difficulties that cannot be
409	409	18 resolved by the customer service representatives shall be
410	410	19 referred to a supervisor who shall make his or her best
411	411	20 efforts to resolve the issue immediately. If the
412	412	21 supervisor does not resolve the issue to the customer's
413	413	22 satisfaction, the customer shall be informed of the cable
414	414	23 or video provider's complaint procedures and procedures
415	415	24 for billing dispute resolution and given a description of
416	416	25 the rights and remedies available to customers to enforce
417	417	26 the terms of this Article, including the customer's rights
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428	428	1 to have the complaint reviewed by the local unit of
429	429	2 government, to request mediation, and to review in a court
430	430	3 of competent jurisdiction.
431	431	4 (2) After normal business hours, the access line may
432	432	5 be answered by a service or an automated response system,
433	433	6 including an answering machine. Inquiries received by
434	434	7 telephone or e-mail after normal business hours shall be
435	435	8 responded to by a trained service representative on the
436	436	9 next business day. The cable or video provider shall
437	437	10 respond to a written billing inquiry within 10 days of
438	438	11 receipt of the inquiry.
439	439	12 (3) Cable or video providers shall provide customers
440	440	13 seeking non-standard installations with a total
441	441	14 installation cost estimate and an estimated date of
442	442	15 completion. The actual charge to the customer shall not
443	443	16 exceed the estimated cost without the written consent of
444	444	17 the customer.
445	445	18 (4) If the cable or video provider receives notice
446	446	19 that an unsafe condition exists with respect to its
447	447	20 equipment, it shall investigate such condition immediately
448	448	21 and shall take such measures as are necessary to remove or
449	449	22 eliminate the unsafe condition. The cable or video
450	450	23 provider shall inform the local unit of government
451	451	24 promptly, but no later than 2 hours after it receives
452	452	25 notification of an unsafe condition that it has not
453	453	26 remedied.
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464	464	1 (5) Under normal operating conditions, telephone
465	465	2 answer time by the cable or video provider's customer
466	466	3 representative, including wait time, shall not exceed 30
467	467	4 seconds when the connection is made. If the call needs to
468	468	5 be transferred, transfer time shall not exceed 30 seconds.
469	469	6 These standards shall be met no less than 90% of the time
470	470	7 under normal operating conditions, measured on a quarterly
471	471	8 basis. The cable or video provider shall not be required
472	472	9 to acquire equipment or perform surveys to measure
473	473	10 compliance with these telephone answering standards unless
474	474	11 an historical record of complaints indicates a clear
475	475	12 failure to comply.
476	476	13 (6) Under normal operating conditions, the cable or
477	477	14 video provider's customers will receive a busy signal less
478	478	15 than 3% of the time.
479	479	16 (e) Under normal operating conditions, each of the
480	480	17 following standards related to installations, outages, and
481	481	18 service calls will be met no less than 95% of the time measured
482	482	19 on a quarterly basis:
483	483	20 (1) Standard installations will be performed within 7
484	484	21 business days after an order has been placed. "Standard"
485	485	22 installations are those that are located up to 125 feet
486	486	23 from the existing distribution system.
487	487	24 (2) Excluding conditions beyond the control of the
488	488	25 cable or video providers, the cable or video providers
489	489	26 will begin working on "service interruptions" promptly and
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500	500	1 in no event later than 24 hours after the interruption is
501	501	2 reported by the customer or otherwise becomes known to the
502	502	3 cable or video providers. Cable or video providers must
503	503	4 begin actions to correct other service problems the next
504	504	5 business day after notification of the service problem and
505	505	6 correct the problem.
506	506	7 (3) The "appointment window" alternatives for
507	507	8 installations, service calls, and other installation
508	508	9 activities will be either a specific time or, at a
509	509	10 maximum, a 4-hour time block during evening, weekend, and
510	510	11 normal business hours. The cable or video provider may
511	511	12 schedule service calls and other installation activities
512	512	13 outside of these hours for the express convenience of the
513	513	14 customer.
514	514	15 (4) Cable or video providers may not cancel an
515	515	16 appointment with a customer after the close of business on
516	516	17 the business day prior to the scheduled appointment. If
517	517	18 the cable or video provider's representative is running
518	518	19 late for an appointment with a customer and will not be
519	519	20 able to keep the appointment as scheduled, the customer
520	520	21 will be contacted. The appointment will be rescheduled, as
521	521	22 necessary, at a time that is convenient for the customer,
522	522	23 even if the rescheduled appointment is not within normal
523	523	24 business hours.
524	524	25 (f) Public benefit obligation:
525	525	26 (1) All cable or video providers offering service
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536	536	1 pursuant to the Cable and Video Competition Law of 2007,
537	537	2 the Illinois Municipal Code, or the Counties Code shall
538	538	3 provide a free service line drop and free basic service to
539	539	4 all current and future public buildings within their
540	540	5 footprint, including, but not limited to, all local unit
541	541	6 of government buildings, public libraries, and public
542	542	7 primary and secondary schools, whether owned or leased by
543	543	8 that local unit of government ("eligible buildings"). Such
544	544	9 service shall be used in a manner consistent with the
545	545	10 government purpose for the eligible building and shall not
546	546	11 be resold.
547	547	12 (2) This obligation only applies to those cable or
548	548	13 video service providers whose cable service or video
549	549	14 service systems pass eligible buildings and its cable or
550	550	15 video service is generally available to residential
551	551	16 subscribers in the same local unit of government in which
552	552	17 the eligible building is located. The burden of providing
553	553	18 such service at each eligible building shall be shared by
554	554	19 all cable and video providers whose systems pass the
555	555	20 eligible buildings in an equitable and competitively
556	556	21 neutral manner, and nothing herein shall require
557	557	22 duplicative installations by more than one cable or video
558	558	23 provider at each eligible building. Cable or video
559	559	24 providers operating in a local unit of government shall
560	560	25 meet as necessary and determine who will provide service
561	561	26 to eligible buildings under this subsection (f). If the
562	562
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572	572	1 cable or video providers are unable to reach an agreement,
573	573	2 they shall meet with the local unit of government, which
574	574	3 shall determine which cable or video providers will serve
575	575	4 each eligible building. The local unit of government shall
576	576	5 bear the costs of any inside wiring or video equipment
577	577	6 costs not ordinarily provided as part of the cable or
578	578	7 video provider's basic offering.
579	579	8 (g) After the cable or video providers have offered
580	580	9 service for one year, the cable or video providers shall make
581	581	10 an annual report to the Commission, to the local unit of
582	582	11 government, and to the Attorney General that it is meeting the
583	583	12 standards specified in this Article, identifying the number of
584	584	13 complaints it received over the prior year in the State and
585	585	14 specifying the number of complaints related to each of the
586	586	15 following: (1) billing, charges, refunds, and credits; (2)
587	587	16 installation or termination of service; (3) quality of service
588	588	17 and repair; (4) programming; and (5) miscellaneous complaints
589	589	18 that do not fall within these categories.
590	590	19 (h) To the extent consistent with federal law, cable or
591	591	20 video providers shall offer the lowest-cost basic cable or
592	592	21 video service as a stand-alone service to residential
593	593	22 customers at reasonable rates. Cable or video providers shall
594	594	23 not require the subscription to any service other than the
595	595	24 lowest-cost basic service or to any telecommunications or
596	596	25 information service, as a condition of access to cable or
597	597	26 video service, including programming offered on a per channel
598	598
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608	608	1 or per program basis. Cable or video providers shall not
609	609	2 discriminate between subscribers to the lowest-cost basic
610	610	3 service, subscribers to other cable services or video
611	611	4 services, and other subscribers with regard to the rates
612	612	5 charged for cable or video programming offered on a per
613	613	6 channel or per program basis.
614	614	7 (i) To the extent consistent with federal law, cable or
615	615	8 video providers shall ensure that charges for changes in the
616	616	9 subscriber's selection of services or equipment shall be based
617	617	10 on the cost of such change and shall not exceed nominal amounts
618	618	11 when the system's configuration permits changes in service
619	619	12 tier selection to be effected solely by coded entry on a
620	620	13 computer terminal or by other similarly simple method.
621	621	14 (j) To the extent consistent with federal law, cable or
622	622	15 video providers shall have a rate structure for the provision
623	623	16 of cable or video service that is uniform throughout the area
624	624	17 within the boundaries of the local unit of government. This
625	625	18 subsection (j) is not intended to prohibit bulk discounts to
626	626	19 multiple dwelling units or to prohibit reasonable discounts to
627	627	20 senior citizens or other economically disadvantaged groups.
628	628	21 (k) To the extent consistent with federal law, cable or
629	629	22 video providers shall not charge a subscriber for any service
630	630	23 or equipment that the subscriber has not affirmatively
631	631	24 requested or affirmatively agreed to by name. For purposes of
632	632	25 this subsection (k), a subscriber's failure to refuse a cable
633	633	26 or video provider's proposal to provide service or equipment
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644	644	1 shall not be deemed to be an affirmative request for such
645	645	2 service or equipment.
646	646	3 (l) No contract or service agreement containing an early
647	647	4 termination clause offering residential cable or video
648	648	5 services or any bundle including such services shall be for a
649	649	6 term longer than 2 years. Any contract or service offering
650	650	7 with a term of service that contains an early termination fee
651	651	8 shall limit the early termination fee to not more than the
652	652	9 value of any additional goods or services provided with the
653	653	10 cable or video services, the amount of the discount reflected
654	654	11 in the price for cable services or video services for the
655	655	12 period during which the consumer benefited from the discount,
656	656	13 or a declining fee based on the remainder of the contract term.
657	657	14 (m) Cable or video providers shall not discriminate in the
658	658	15 provision of services for the hearing and visually impaired,
659	659	16 and shall comply with the accessibility requirements of 47
660	660	17 U.S.C. 613. Cable or video providers shall deliver and pick-up
661	661	18 or provide customers with pre-paid shipping and packaging for
662	662	19 the return of converters and other necessary equipment at the
663	663	20 home of customers with disabilities. Cable or video providers
664	664	21 shall provide free use of a converter or remote control unit to
665	665	22 mobility impaired customers.
666	666	23 (n)(1) To the extent consistent with federal law, cable or
667	667	24 video providers shall comply with the provisions of 47 U.S.C.
668	668	25 532(h) and (j). The cable or video providers shall not
669	669	26 exercise any editorial control over any video programming
670	670
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680	680	1 provided pursuant to this Section, or in any other way
681	681	2 consider the content of such programming, except that a cable
682	682	3 or video provider may refuse to transmit any leased access
683	683	4 program or portion of a leased access program that contains
684	684	5 obscenity, indecency, or nudity and may consider such content
685	685	6 to the minimum extent necessary to establish a reasonable
686	686	7 price for the commercial use of designated channel capacity by
687	687	8 an unaffiliated person. This subsection (n) shall permit cable
688	688	9 or video providers to enforce prospectively a written and
689	689	10 published policy of prohibiting programming that the cable or
690	690	11 video provider reasonably believes describes or depicts sexual
691	691	12 or excretory activities or organs in a patently offensive
692	692	13 manner as measured by contemporary community standards.
693	693	14 (2) Upon customer request, the cable or video provider
694	694	15 shall, without charge, fully scramble or otherwise fully
695	695	16 block the audio and video programming of each channel
696	696	17 carrying such programming so that a person who is not a
697	697	18 subscriber does not receive the channel or programming.
698	698	19 (3) In providing sexually explicit adult programming
699	699	20 or other programming that is indecent on any channel of
700	700	21 its service primarily dedicated to sexually oriented
701	701	22 programming, the cable or video provider shall fully
702	702	23 scramble or otherwise fully block the video and audio
703	703	24 portion of such channel so that a person who is not a
704	704	25 subscriber to such channel or programming does not receive
705	705	26 it.
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716	716	1 (4) Scramble means to rearrange the content of the
717	717	2 signal of the programming so that the programming cannot
718	718	3 be viewed or heard in an understandable manner.
719	719	4 (o) Cable or video providers will maintain a listing,
720	720	5 specific to the level of street address, of the areas where its
721	721	6 cable or video services are available. Customers who inquire
722	722	7 about purchasing cable or video service shall be informed
723	723	8 about whether the cable or video provider's cable or video
724	724	9 services are currently available to them at their specific
725	725	10 location.
726	726	11 (p) Cable or video providers shall not disclose the name,
727	727	12 address, telephone number or other personally identifying
728	728	13 information of a cable service or video service customer to be
729	729	14 used in mailing lists or to be used for other commercial
730	730	15 purposes not reasonably related to the conduct of its business
731	731	16 unless the cable or video provider has provided to the
732	732	17 customer a notice, separately or included in any other
733	733	18 customer service notice, that clearly and conspicuously
734	734	19 describes the customer's ability to prohibit the disclosure.
735	735	20 Cable or video providers shall provide an address and
736	736	21 telephone number for a customer to use without a toll charge to
737	737	22 prevent disclosure of the customer's name and address in
738	738	23 mailing lists or for other commercial purposes not reasonably
739	739	24 related to the conduct of its business to other businesses or
740	740	25 affiliates of the cable or video provider. Cable or video
741	741	26 providers shall comply with the consumer privacy requirements
742	742
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752	752	1 of Section 26-4.5 of the Criminal Code of 2012, the Restricted
753	753	2 Call Registry Act, and 47 U.S.C. 551 that are in effect as of
754	754	3 June 30, 2007 (the effective date of Public Act 95-9) and as
755	755	4 amended thereafter.
756	756	5 (q) Cable or video providers shall implement an informal
757	757	6 process for handling inquiries from local units of government
758	758	7 and customers concerning billing issues, service issues,
759	759	8 privacy concerns, and other consumer complaints. In the event
760	760	9 that an issue is not resolved through this informal process, a
761	761	10 local unit of government or the customer may request
762	762	11 nonbinding mediation with the cable or video provider, with
763	763	12 each party to bear its own costs of such mediation. Selection
764	764	13 of the mediator will be by mutual agreement, and preference
765	765	14 will be given to mediation services that do not charge the
766	766	15 consumer for their services. In the event that the informal
767	767	16 process does not produce a satisfactory result to the customer
768	768	17 or the local unit of government, enforcement may be pursued as
769	769	18 provided in subdivision (4) of subsection (r) of this Section.
770	770	19 (r) The Attorney General and the local unit of government
771	771	20 may enforce all of the customer service and privacy protection
772	772	21 standards of this Section with respect to complaints received
773	773	22 from residents within the local unit of government's
774	774	23 jurisdiction, but it may not adopt or seek to enforce any
775	775	24 additional or different customer service or performance
776	776	25 standards under any other authority or provision of law.
777	777	26 (1) The local unit of government may, by ordinance,
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788	788	1 provide a schedule of penalties for any material breach of
789	789	2 this Section by cable or video providers in addition to
790	790	3 the penalties provided herein. No monetary penalties shall
791	791	4 be assessed for a material breach if it is out of the
792	792	5 reasonable control of the cable or video providers or its
793	793	6 affiliate. Monetary penalties adopted in an ordinance
794	794	7 pursuant to this Section shall apply on a competitively
795	795	8 neutral basis to all providers of cable service or video
796	796	9 service within the local unit of government's
797	797	10 jurisdiction. In no event shall the penalties imposed
798	798	11 under this subsection (r) exceed $750 for each day of the
799	799	12 material breach, and these penalties shall not exceed
800	800	13 $25,000 for each occurrence of a material breach per
801	801	14 customer.
802	802	15 (2) For purposes of this Section, "material breach"
803	803	16 means any substantial failure of a cable or video service
804	804	17 provider to comply with service quality and other
805	805	18 standards specified in any provision of this Act. The
806	806	19 Attorney General or the local unit of government shall
807	807	20 give the cable or video provider written notice of any
808	808	21 alleged material breaches of this Act and allow such
809	809	22 provider at least 30 days from receipt of the notice to
810	810	23 remedy the specified material breach.
811	811	24 (3) A material breach, for the purposes of assessing
812	812	25 penalties, shall be deemed to have occurred for each day
813	813	26 that a material breach has not been remedied by the cable
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824	824	1 service or video service provider after the expiration of
825	825	2 the period specified in subdivision (2) of this subsection
826	826	3 (r) in each local unit of government's jurisdiction,
827	827	4 irrespective of the number of customers affected.
828	828	5 (4) Any customer, the Attorney General, or a local
829	829	6 unit of government may pursue alleged violations of this
830	830	7 Act by the cable or video provider in a court of competent
831	831	8 jurisdiction. A cable or video provider may seek judicial
832	832	9 review of a decision of a local unit of government
833	833	10 imposing penalties in a court of competent jurisdiction.
834	834	11 No local unit of government shall be subject to suit for
835	835	12 damages or other relief based upon its action in
836	836	13 connection with its enforcement or review of any of the
837	837	14 terms, conditions, and rights contained in this Act except
838	838	15 a court may require the return of any penalty it finds was
839	839	16 not properly assessed or imposed.
840	840	17 (s) Cable or video providers shall credit customers for
841	841	18 violations in the amounts stated herein. The credits shall be
842	842	19 applied on the statement issued to the customer for the next
843	843	20 monthly billing cycle following the violation or following the
844	844	21 discovery of the violation. Cable or video providers are
845	845	22 responsible for providing the credits described herein and the
846	846	23 customer is under no obligation to request the credit. If the
847	847	24 customer is no longer taking service from the cable or video
848	848	25 provider, the credit amount will be refunded to the customer
849	849	26 by check within 30 days of the termination of service. A local
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860	860	1 unit of government may, by ordinance, adopt a schedule of
861	861	2 credits payable directly to customers for breach of the
862	862	3 customer service standards and obligations contained in this
863	863	4 Article, provided the schedule of customer credits applies on
864	864	5 a competitively neutral basis to all providers of cable
865	865	6 service or video service in the local unit of government's
866	866	7 jurisdiction and the credits are not greater than the credits
867	867	8 provided in this Section.
868	868	9 (1) Failure to keep an appointment or to notify the
869	869	10 customer prior to the close of business on the business
870	870	11 day prior to the scheduled appointment: $25.00.
871	871	12 (2) Violation of customer service and billing
872	872	13 standards in subsections (c) and (d) of this Section:
873	873	14 $25.00 per occurrence.
874	874	15 (3) Violation of the bundling rules in subsection (h)
875	875	16 of this Section: $25.00 per month.
876	876	17 (t) The enforcement powers granted to the Attorney General
877	877	18 in Article XXI of this Act shall apply to this Article, except
878	878	19 that the Attorney General may not seek penalties for violation
879	879	20 of this Article other than in the amounts specified herein.
880	880	21 Nothing in this Section shall limit or affect the powers of the
881	881	22 Attorney General to enforce the provisions of Article XXI of
882	882	23 this Act or the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business
883	883	24 Practices Act.
884	884	25 (u) This Article applies to all cable and video providers
885	885	26 in the State, including but not limited to those operating
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