By: Sagar Dommaraju All Barbara Hardin wanted was the $11.78 AT&T owed her. For 11 months, she called the company a dozen times to try to get her money back. She had no such luck, until CUB got involved. When the retired homecare worker first noticed that she overpaid on…...
Lessons from my summers in India: Staying cool without breaking the bank
By: Sagar Dommaraju Illinois summers are hot—but they’re nothing compared to the ones I experience when I visit relatives in southern India. Temperatures there easily top 100 degrees, cooling rains rarely fall, and—if you live in a rural village—air conditioning is unavailable at certain peak electricity times. But those stifling…...
Breaking: Net neutrality upheld in federal court
Consumer advocates are celebrating a major victory today. Net neutrality was upheld in federal court. The Washington Post reports (Cable and telecom companies just lost a huge court battle on net neutrality): By a 2-1 vote Tuesday, a federal appeals court upheld a series of strict new rules for Internet providers,…...
Help Julie and Christie fight rate hikes!
CUB has launched its annual consumer campaign in June to rally Illinoisans against billions of dollars in rate hikes. We hope every community in Illinois signs our Rate-hike Fighters Petition. Take a look at the rate-hike battles CUB General Counsel Julie Soderna and Senior Attorney Christie R. Hicks are juggling before…...
ICC approves $10 million refund for Peoples Gas customers!
It’s official. The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) has approved an $18.5 million settlement that WEC Energy reached with Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s Office and CUB. The settlement calls for a $10 million refund for Peoples Gas customers. Yes! CUB said in a statement: We thank the ICC, led by…...
CUB: Cut water rate hike by 60%
Expert testimony filed by CUB and other groups found that Illinois American Water’s $43 million rate-hike request should be slashed by more than 60 percent. “The expert testimony clearly shows that Illinois American’s rate-hike proposal is bloated,” CUB Executive Director David Kolata said. “Among other things, the analysis reveals that…...
