Sen. Doris Turner

Filed: 4/28/2026

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 3222

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 3222 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 5. The Public Utilities Act is amended by
5changing Section 22-501 and by adding Section 22-504 as
6follows:
 
7    (220 ILCS 5/22-501)
8    Sec. 22-501. Customer service and privacy protection. All
9cable or video providers in this State shall comply with the
10following customer service requirements and privacy
11protections. The provisions of this Act shall not apply to an
12incumbent cable operator prior to January 1, 2008. For
13purposes of this paragraph, an incumbent cable operator means
14a person or entity that provided cable services in a
15particular area under a franchise agreement with a local unit
16of government pursuant to Section 11-42-11 of the Illinois

 

 

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1Municipal Code or Section 5-1095 of the Counties Code on
2January 1, 2007. A master antenna television, satellite master
3antenna television, direct broadcast satellite, multipoint
4distribution service, and other provider of video programming
5shall only be subject to the provisions of this Article to the
6extent permitted by federal law.
7    The following definitions apply to the terms used in this
8Article:
9    "Basic cable or video service" means any service offering
10or tier that includes the retransmission of local television
11broadcast signals.
12    "Cable or video provider" means any person or entity
13providing cable service or video service pursuant to
14authorization under (i) the Cable and Video Competition Law of
152007; (ii) Section 11-42-11 of the Illinois Municipal Code;
16(iii) Section 5-1095 of the Counties Code; or (iv) a master
17antenna television, satellite master antenna television,
18direct broadcast satellite, multipoint distribution services,
19and other providers of video programming, whatever their
20technology. A cable or video provider shall not include a
21landlord providing only broadcast video programming to a
22single-family home or other residential dwelling consisting of
234 units or less.
24    "Franchise" has the same meaning as found in 47 U.S.C.
25522(9).
26    "Local unit of government" means a city, village,

 

 

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1incorporated town, or a county.
2    "Long-form content" means a film, show, or other video
3programming that is the primary material a user of a video
4streaming service consumes on the platform of that service.
5    "Normal business hours" means those hours during which
6most similar businesses in the geographic area of the local
7unit of government are open to serve customers. In all cases,
8"normal business hours" must include some evening hours at
9least one night per week or some weekend hours.
10    "Normal operating conditions" means those service
11conditions that are within the control of cable or video
12providers. Those conditions that are not within the control of
13cable or video providers include, but are not limited to,
14natural disasters, civil disturbances, power outages,
15telephone network outages, and severe or unusual weather
16conditions. Those conditions that are ordinarily within the
17control of cable or video providers include, but are not
18limited to, special promotions, pay-per-view events, rate
19increases, regular peak or seasonal demand periods, and
20maintenance or upgrade of the cable service or video service
21network.
22    "Normalization" means adjusting the audio of short-form
23content by measuring and scaling the average loudness of the
24audio to match the target loudness of the audio of the
25accompanying long-form content distributed by a video
26streaming service or third-party advertising manager

 

 

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1consistent with established industry standards, such as the
2Advanced Television Systems Committee's Recommended Practice
3A/85, Techniques for Establishing and Maintaining Audio
4Loudness for Digital Television.
5    "Service interruption" means the loss of picture or sound
6on one or more cable service or video service on one or more
7cable or video channels.
8    "Service line drop" means the point of connection between
9a premises and the cable or video network that enables the
10premises to receive cable service or video service.
11    "Short-form content" means commercial advertising,
12promotional, and public service-related video programming that
13is interspersed in long-form content on a video streaming
14service.
15    "Third-party advertising manager" means an entity that
16manages the distribution of short-form content on a video
17streaming service and can adjust the loudness of such
18short-form content.
19    "Video programming" has the meaning given to that term in
20Section 613(h) of Title 47 of the United States Code.
21    "Video streaming service" means an entity that makes
22available directly to the consumer, through a distribution
23method that uses Internet protocol, either of the following:
24(1) video programming or (2) video content the entity makes
25available for users to view. "Video streaming service" does
26not include a cable or video provider, an entity that serves

 

 

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1video programming or video content without commercial
2advertisements, or a website or application that does not
3stream video programming to consumers as its primary purpose.
4    (a) General customer service standards:
5        (1) Cable or video providers shall establish general
6    standards related to customer service, which shall
7    include, but not be limited to, installation,
8    disconnection, service and repair obligations; appointment
9    hours and employee ID requirements; customer service
10    telephone numbers and hours; procedures for billing,
11    charges, deposits, refunds, and credits; procedures for
12    termination of service; notice of deletion of programming
13    service; changes related to transmission of programming;
14    changes or increases in rates; the use and availability of
15    parental control or lock-out devices; the use and
16    availability of an A/B switch if applicable; complaint
17    procedures and procedures for bill dispute resolution; a
18    description of the rights and remedies available to
19    consumers if the cable or video provider does not
20    materially meet its customer service standards; and
21    special services for customers with visual, hearing, or
22    mobility disabilities.
23        (2) Cable or video providers' rates for each level of
24    service, rules, regulations, and policies related to its
25    cable service or video service described in paragraph (1)
26    of this subsection (a) must be made available to the

 

 

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1    public and displayed clearly and conspicuously on the
2    cable or video provider's site on the Internet. If a
3    promotional price or a price for a specified period of
4    time is offered, the cable or video provider shall display
5    the price at the end of the promotional period or
6    specified period of time clearly and conspicuously with
7    the display of the promotional price or price for a
8    specified period of time. The cable or video provider
9    shall provide this information upon request.
10        (3) Cable or video providers shall provide notice
11    concerning their general customer service standards to all
12    customers. This notice shall be offered when service is
13    first activated and upon request thereafter. The
14    information in the notice shall also be available on the
15    cable or video providers' websites and shall include all
16    of the information specified in paragraph (1) of this
17    subsection (a), as well as the following: a listing of
18    services offered by the cable or video providers, which
19    shall clearly describe programming for all services and
20    all levels of service; the rates for all services and
21    levels of service; a telephone number through which
22    customers may subscribe to, change, or terminate service,
23    request customer service, or seek general or billing
24    information; instructions on the use of the cable or video
25    services; and a description of rights and remedies that
26    the cable or video providers shall make available to their

 

 

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1    customers if they do not materially meet the general
2    customer service standards described in this Act.
3    (b) General customer service obligations:
4        (1) Cable or video providers shall render reasonably
5    efficient service, promptly make repairs, and interrupt
6    service only as necessary and for good cause, during
7    periods of minimum use of the system and for no more than
8    24 hours.
9        (2) All service representatives or any other person
10    who contacts customers or potential customers on behalf of
11    the cable or video provider shall have a visible
12    identification card with their name and photograph and
13    shall orally identify themselves upon first contact with
14    the customer. Customer service representatives shall
15    orally identify themselves to callers immediately
16    following the greeting during each telephone contact with
17    the public.
18        (3) The cable or video providers shall: (i) maintain a
19    customer service facility within the boundaries of a local
20    unit of government staffed by customer service
21    representatives that have the capacity to accept payment,
22    adjust bills, and respond to repair, installation,
23    reconnection, disconnection, or other service calls and
24    distribute or receive converter boxes, remote control
25    units, digital stereo units, or other equipment related to
26    the provision of cable or video service; (ii) provide

 

 

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1    customers with bill payment facilities through retail,
2    financial, or other commercial institutions located within
3    the boundaries of a local unit of government; (iii)
4    provide an address, toll-free telephone number or
5    electronic address to accept bill payments and
6    correspondence and provide secure collection boxes for the
7    receipt of bill payments and the return of equipment,
8    provided that if a cable or video provider provides secure
9    collection boxes, it shall provide a printed receipt when
10    items are deposited; or (iv) provide an address, toll-free
11    telephone number, or electronic address to accept bill
12    payments and correspondence and provide a method for
13    customers to return equipment to the cable or video
14    provider at no cost to the customer.
15        (4) In each contact with a customer, the service
16    representatives or any other person who contacts customers
17    or potential customers on behalf of the cable or video
18    provider shall state the estimated cost of the service,
19    repair, or installation orally prior to delivery of the
20    service or before any work is performed, shall provide the
21    customer with an oral statement of the total charges
22    before terminating the telephone call or other contact in
23    which a service is ordered, whether in-person or over the
24    Internet, and shall provide a written statement of the
25    total charges before leaving the location at which the
26    work was performed. In the event that the cost of service

 

 

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1    is a promotional price or is for a limited period of time,
2    the cost of service at the end of the promotion or limited
3    period of time shall be disclosed.
4        (5) Cable or video providers shall provide customers a
5    minimum of 30 days' written notice before increasing rates
6    or eliminating transmission of programming and shall
7    submit the notice of any rate increase to the local unit of
8    government in advance of distribution to customers,
9    provided that the cable or video provider is not in
10    violation of this provision if the elimination of
11    transmission of programming was outside the control of the
12    provider, in which case the provider shall use reasonable
13    efforts to provide as much notice as possible, and any
14    rate decrease related to the elimination of transmission
15    of programming shall be applied to the date of the change.
16        (6) Cable or video providers shall provide clear
17    visual and audio reception that meets or exceeds
18    applicable Federal Communications Commission technical
19    standards. If a customer experiences poor video or audio
20    reception due to the equipment of the cable or video
21    provider, the cable or video provider shall promptly
22    repair the problem at its own expense.
23    (c) Bills, payment, and termination:
24        (1) Cable or video providers shall render monthly
25    bills that are clear, accurate, and understandable.
26        (2) Every residential customer who pays bills directly

 

 

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1    to the cable or video provider shall have at least 28 days
2    from the date of the bill to pay the listed charges.
3        (3) Customer payments shall be posted promptly. When
4    the payment is sent by United States mail, payment is
5    considered paid on the date it is postmarked.
6        (4) Cable or video providers may not terminate
7    residential service for nonpayment of a bill unless the
8    cable or video provider furnishes notice of the
9    delinquency and impending termination at least 15 days
10    prior to the proposed termination. Notice of proposed
11    termination shall be mailed, postage prepaid, to the
12    customer to whom service is billed. Notice of proposed
13    termination shall not be mailed until the 24th day after
14    the date of the bill for services. Notice of delinquency
15    and impending termination may be part of a billing
16    statement only if the notice is designed to be
17    conspicuous. The cable or video providers may not assess a
18    late fee prior to the 24th day after the date of the bill
19    for service.
20        (5) Every notice of impending termination shall
21    include all of the following: the name and address of
22    customer; the amount of the delinquency; the date on which
23    payment is required to avoid termination; and the
24    telephone number of the cable or video provider's service
25    representative to make payment arrangements and to provide
26    additional information about the charges for failure to

 

 

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1    return equipment and for reconnection, if any.
2        (6) Service may only be terminated on days when the
3    customer is able to reach a service representative of the
4    cable or video providers, either in person or by
5    telephone.
6        (7) Any service terminated by a cable or video
7    provider without good cause shall be restored without any
8    reconnection fee, charge, or penalty; good cause for
9    termination includes, but is not limited to, failure to
10    pay a bill by the date specified in the notice of impending
11    termination, payment by check for which there are
12    insufficient funds, theft of service, abuse of equipment
13    or personnel, or other similar subscriber actions.
14        (8) Cable or video providers shall cease charging a
15    customer for any or all services within one business day
16    after it receives a request to immediately terminate
17    service or on the day requested by the customer if such a
18    date is at least 5 days from the date requested by the
19    customer. Nothing in this subsection (c) shall prohibit
20    the provider from billing for charges that the customer
21    incurs prior to the date of termination. Cable or video
22    providers shall issue a credit no later than the
23    customer's next billing cycle following the determination
24    that a credit is warranted. Cable or video providers shall
25    issue a refund or return a deposit promptly, but not later
26    than either the customer's next billing cycle following

 

 

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1    resolution of the request or 30 days, whichever is
2    earlier, or the return of equipment, if any, whichever is
3    later.
4        (9) The customers or subscribers of a cable or video
5    provider shall be allowed to disconnect their service at
6    any time within the first 30 days after subscribing to or
7    upgrading the service. Within this 30-day period, cable or
8    video providers shall not charge or impose any fees or
9    penalties on the customer for disconnecting service,
10    including, but not limited to, any installation charge or
11    the imposition of an early termination charge, except the
12    cable or video provider may impose a charge or fee to
13    offset any rebates or credits received by the customer and
14    may impose monthly service or maintenance charges,
15    including pay-per-view and premium services charges,
16    during such 30-day period.
17    (d) Response to customer inquiries:
18        (1) Cable or video providers will maintain a toll-free
19    telephone access line that is available to customers 24
20    hours a day, 7 days a week to accept calls regarding
21    installation, termination, service, and complaints.
22    Trained, knowledgeable, qualified service representatives
23    of the cable or video providers will be available to
24    respond to customer telephone inquiries during normal
25    business hours. Customer service representatives shall be
26    able to provide credit, waive fees, schedule appointments,

 

 

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1    and change billing cycles. Any difficulties that cannot be
2    resolved by the customer service representatives shall be
3    referred to a supervisor who shall make his or her best
4    efforts to resolve the issue immediately. If the
5    supervisor does not resolve the issue to the customer's
6    satisfaction, the customer shall be informed of the cable
7    or video provider's complaint procedures and procedures
8    for billing dispute resolution and given a description of
9    the rights and remedies available to customers to enforce
10    the terms of this Article, including the customer's rights
11    to have the complaint reviewed by the local unit of
12    government, to request mediation, and to review in a court
13    of competent jurisdiction.
14        (2) After normal business hours, the access line may
15    be answered by a service or an automated response system,
16    including an answering machine. Inquiries received by
17    telephone or e-mail after normal business hours shall be
18    responded to by a trained service representative on the
19    next business day. The cable or video provider shall
20    respond to a written billing inquiry within 10 days of
21    receipt of the inquiry.
22        (3) Cable or video providers shall provide customers
23    seeking non-standard installations with a total
24    installation cost estimate and an estimated date of
25    completion. The actual charge to the customer shall not
26    exceed the estimated cost without the written consent of

 

 

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1    the customer.
2        (4) If the cable or video provider receives notice
3    that an unsafe condition exists with respect to its
4    equipment, it shall investigate such condition immediately
5    and shall take such measures as are necessary to remove or
6    eliminate the unsafe condition. The cable or video
7    provider shall inform the local unit of government
8    promptly, but no later than 2 hours after it receives
9    notification of an unsafe condition that it has not
10    remedied.
11        (5) Under normal operating conditions, telephone
12    answer time by the cable or video provider's customer
13    representative, including wait time, shall not exceed 30
14    seconds when the connection is made. If the call needs to
15    be transferred, transfer time shall not exceed 30 seconds.
16    These standards shall be met no less than 90% of the time
17    under normal operating conditions, measured on a quarterly
18    basis. The cable or video provider shall not be required
19    to acquire equipment or perform surveys to measure
20    compliance with these telephone answering standards unless
21    an historical record of complaints indicates a clear
22    failure to comply.
23        (6) Under normal operating conditions, the cable or
24    video provider's customers will receive a busy signal less
25    than 3% of the time.
26    (e) Under normal operating conditions, each of the

 

 

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1following standards related to installations, outages, and
2service calls will be met no less than 95% of the time measured
3on a quarterly basis:
4        (1) Standard installations will be performed within 7
5    business days after an order has been placed. "Standard"
6    installations are those that are located up to 125 feet
7    from the existing distribution system.
8        (2) Excluding conditions beyond the control of the
9    cable or video providers, the cable or video providers
10    will begin working on "service interruptions" promptly and
11    in no event later than 24 hours after the interruption is
12    reported by the customer or otherwise becomes known to the
13    cable or video providers. Cable or video providers must
14    begin actions to correct other service problems the next
15    business day after notification of the service problem and
16    correct the problem.
17        (3) The "appointment window" alternatives for
18    installations, service calls, and other installation
19    activities will be either a specific time or, at a
20    maximum, a 4-hour time block during evening, weekend, and
21    normal business hours. The cable or video provider may
22    schedule service calls and other installation activities
23    outside of these hours for the express convenience of the
24    customer.
25        (4) Cable or video providers may not cancel an
26    appointment with a customer after the close of business on

 

 

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1    the business day prior to the scheduled appointment. If
2    the cable or video provider's representative is running
3    late for an appointment with a customer and will not be
4    able to keep the appointment as scheduled, the customer
5    will be contacted. The appointment will be rescheduled, as
6    necessary, at a time that is convenient for the customer,
7    even if the rescheduled appointment is not within normal
8    business hours.
9    (f) Public benefit obligation:
10        (1) All cable or video providers offering service
11    pursuant to the Cable and Video Competition Law of 2007,
12    the Illinois Municipal Code, or the Counties Code shall
13    provide a free service line drop and free basic service to
14    all current and future public buildings within their
15    footprint, including, but not limited to, all local unit
16    of government buildings, public libraries, and public
17    primary and secondary schools, whether owned or leased by
18    that local unit of government ("eligible buildings"). Such
19    service shall be used in a manner consistent with the
20    government purpose for the eligible building and shall not
21    be resold.
22        (2) This obligation only applies to those cable or
23    video service providers whose cable service or video
24    service systems pass eligible buildings and its cable or
25    video service is generally available to residential
26    subscribers in the same local unit of government in which

 

 

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1    the eligible building is located. The burden of providing
2    such service at each eligible building shall be shared by
3    all cable and video providers whose systems pass the
4    eligible buildings in an equitable and competitively
5    neutral manner, and nothing herein shall require
6    duplicative installations by more than one cable or video
7    provider at each eligible building. Cable or video
8    providers operating in a local unit of government shall
9    meet as necessary and determine who will provide service
10    to eligible buildings under this subsection (f). If the
11    cable or video providers are unable to reach an agreement,
12    they shall meet with the local unit of government, which
13    shall determine which cable or video providers will serve
14    each eligible building. The local unit of government shall
15    bear the costs of any inside wiring or video equipment
16    costs not ordinarily provided as part of the cable or
17    video provider's basic offering.
18    (g) After the cable or video providers have offered
19service for one year, the cable or video providers shall make
20an annual report to the Commission, to the local unit of
21government, and to the Attorney General that it is meeting the
22standards specified in this Article, identifying the number of
23complaints it received over the prior year in the State and
24specifying the number of complaints related to each of the
25following: (1) billing, charges, refunds, and credits; (2)
26installation or termination of service; (3) quality of service

 

 

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1and repair; (4) programming; and (5) miscellaneous complaints
2that do not fall within these categories.
3    (h) To the extent consistent with federal law, cable or
4video providers shall offer the lowest-cost basic cable or
5video service as a stand-alone service to residential
6customers at reasonable rates. Cable or video providers shall
7not require the subscription to any service other than the
8lowest-cost basic service or to any telecommunications or
9information service, as a condition of access to cable or
10video service, including programming offered on a per channel
11or per program basis. Cable or video providers shall not
12discriminate between subscribers to the lowest-cost basic
13service, subscribers to other cable services or video
14services, and other subscribers with regard to the rates
15charged for cable or video programming offered on a per
16channel or per program basis.
17    (i) To the extent consistent with federal law, cable or
18video providers shall ensure that charges for changes in the
19subscriber's selection of services or equipment shall be based
20on the cost of such change and shall not exceed nominal amounts
21when the system's configuration permits changes in service
22tier selection to be effected solely by coded entry on a
23computer terminal or by other similarly simple method.
24    (j) To the extent consistent with federal law, cable or
25video providers shall have a rate structure for the provision
26of cable or video service that is uniform throughout the area

 

 

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1within the boundaries of the local unit of government. This
2subsection (j) is not intended to prohibit bulk discounts to
3multiple dwelling units or to prohibit reasonable discounts to
4senior citizens or other economically disadvantaged groups.
5    (k) To the extent consistent with federal law, cable or
6video providers shall not charge a subscriber for any service
7or equipment that the subscriber has not affirmatively
8requested or affirmatively agreed to by name. For purposes of
9this subsection (k), a subscriber's failure to refuse a cable
10or video provider's proposal to provide service or equipment
11shall not be deemed to be an affirmative request for such
12service or equipment.
13    (l) No contract or service agreement containing an early
14termination clause offering residential cable or video
15services or any bundle including such services shall be for a
16term longer than 2 years. Any contract or service offering
17with a term of service that contains an early termination fee
18shall limit the early termination fee to not more than the
19value of any additional goods or services provided with the
20cable or video services, the amount of the discount reflected
21in the price for cable services or video services for the
22period during which the consumer benefited from the discount,
23or a declining fee based on the remainder of the contract term.
24    (m) Cable or video providers shall not discriminate in the
25provision of services for the hearing and visually impaired,
26and shall comply with the accessibility requirements of 47

 

 

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1U.S.C. 613. Cable or video providers shall deliver and pick-up
2or provide customers with pre-paid shipping and packaging for
3the return of converters and other necessary equipment at the
4home of customers with disabilities. Cable or video providers
5shall provide free use of a converter or remote control unit to
6mobility impaired customers.
7    (n)(1) To the extent consistent with federal law, cable or
8video providers shall comply with the provisions of 47 U.S.C.
9532(h) and (j). The cable or video providers shall not
10exercise any editorial control over any video programming
11provided pursuant to this Section, or in any other way
12consider the content of such programming, except that a cable
13or video provider may refuse to transmit any leased access
14program or portion of a leased access program that contains
15obscenity, indecency, or nudity and may consider such content
16to the minimum extent necessary to establish a reasonable
17price for the commercial use of designated channel capacity by
18an unaffiliated person. This subsection (n) shall permit cable
19or video providers to enforce prospectively a written and
20published policy of prohibiting programming that the cable or
21video provider reasonably believes describes or depicts sexual
22or excretory activities or organs in a patently offensive
23manner as measured by contemporary community standards.
24        (2) Upon customer request, the cable or video provider
25    shall, without charge, fully scramble or otherwise fully
26    block the audio and video programming of each channel

 

 

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1    carrying such programming so that a person who is not a
2    subscriber does not receive the channel or programming.
3        (3) In providing sexually explicit adult programming
4    or other programming that is indecent on any channel of
5    its service primarily dedicated to sexually oriented
6    programming, the cable or video provider shall fully
7    scramble or otherwise fully block the video and audio
8    portion of such channel so that a person who is not a
9    subscriber to such channel or programming does not receive
10    it.
11        (4) Scramble means to rearrange the content of the
12    signal of the programming so that the programming cannot
13    be viewed or heard in an understandable manner.
14    (o) Cable or video providers will maintain a listing,
15specific to the level of street address, of the areas where its
16cable or video services are available. Customers who inquire
17about purchasing cable or video service shall be informed
18about whether the cable or video provider's cable or video
19services are currently available to them at their specific
20location.
21    (p) Cable or video providers shall not disclose the name,
22address, telephone number or other personally identifying
23information of a cable service or video service customer to be
24used in mailing lists or to be used for other commercial
25purposes not reasonably related to the conduct of its business
26unless the cable or video provider has provided to the

 

 

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1customer a notice, separately or included in any other
2customer service notice, that clearly and conspicuously
3describes the customer's ability to prohibit the disclosure.
4Cable or video providers shall provide an address and
5telephone number for a customer to use without a toll charge to
6prevent disclosure of the customer's name and address in
7mailing lists or for other commercial purposes not reasonably
8related to the conduct of its business to other businesses or
9affiliates of the cable or video provider. Cable or video
10providers shall comply with the consumer privacy requirements
11of Section 26-4.5 of the Criminal Code of 2012, the Restricted
12Call Registry Act, and 47 U.S.C. 551 that are in effect as of
13June 30, 2007 (the effective date of Public Act 95-9) and as
14amended thereafter.
15    (q) Cable or video providers shall implement an informal
16process for handling inquiries from local units of government
17and customers concerning billing issues, service issues,
18privacy concerns, and other consumer complaints. In the event
19that an issue is not resolved through this informal process, a
20local unit of government or the customer may request
21nonbinding mediation with the cable or video provider, with
22each party to bear its own costs of such mediation. Selection
23of the mediator will be by mutual agreement, and preference
24will be given to mediation services that do not charge the
25consumer for their services. In the event that the informal
26process does not produce a satisfactory result to the customer

 

 

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1or the local unit of government, enforcement may be pursued as
2provided in subdivision (4) of subsection (r) of this Section.
3    (r) The Attorney General and the local unit of government
4may enforce all of the customer service and privacy protection
5standards of this Section with respect to complaints received
6from residents within the local unit of government's
7jurisdiction, but it may not adopt or seek to enforce any
8additional or different customer service or performance
9standards under any other authority or provision of law.
10        (1) The local unit of government may, by ordinance,
11    provide a schedule of penalties for any material breach of
12    this Section by cable or video providers in addition to
13    the penalties provided herein. No monetary penalties shall
14    be assessed for a material breach if it is out of the
15    reasonable control of the cable or video providers or its
16    affiliate. Monetary penalties adopted in an ordinance
17    pursuant to this Section shall apply on a competitively
18    neutral basis to all providers of cable service or video
19    service within the local unit of government's
20    jurisdiction. In no event shall the penalties imposed
21    under this subsection (r) exceed $750 for each day of the
22    material breach, and these penalties shall not exceed
23    $25,000 for each occurrence of a material breach per
24    customer.
25        (2) For purposes of this Section, "material breach"
26    means any substantial failure of a cable or video service

 

 

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1    provider to comply with service quality and other
2    standards specified in any provision of this Act. The
3    Attorney General or the local unit of government shall
4    give the cable or video provider written notice of any
5    alleged material breaches of this Act and allow such
6    provider at least 30 days from receipt of the notice to
7    remedy the specified material breach.
8        (3) A material breach, for the purposes of assessing
9    penalties, shall be deemed to have occurred for each day
10    that a material breach has not been remedied by the cable
11    service or video service provider after the expiration of
12    the period specified in subdivision (2) of this subsection
13    (r) in each local unit of government's jurisdiction,
14    irrespective of the number of customers affected.
15        (4) Any customer, the Attorney General, or a local
16    unit of government may pursue alleged violations of this
17    Act by the cable or video provider in a court of competent
18    jurisdiction. A cable or video provider may seek judicial
19    review of a decision of a local unit of government
20    imposing penalties in a court of competent jurisdiction.
21    No local unit of government shall be subject to suit for
22    damages or other relief based upon its action in
23    connection with its enforcement or review of any of the
24    terms, conditions, and rights contained in this Act except
25    a court may require the return of any penalty it finds was
26    not properly assessed or imposed.

 

 

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1    (s) Cable or video providers shall credit customers for
2violations in the amounts stated herein. The credits shall be
3applied on the statement issued to the customer for the next
4monthly billing cycle following the violation or following the
5discovery of the violation. Cable or video providers are
6responsible for providing the credits described herein and the
7customer is under no obligation to request the credit. If the
8customer is no longer taking service from the cable or video
9provider, the credit amount will be refunded to the customer
10by check within 30 days of the termination of service. A local
11unit of government may, by ordinance, adopt a schedule of
12credits payable directly to customers for breach of the
13customer service standards and obligations contained in this
14Article, provided the schedule of customer credits applies on
15a competitively neutral basis to all providers of cable
16service or video service in the local unit of government's
17jurisdiction and the credits are not greater than the credits
18provided in this Section.
19        (1) Failure to keep an appointment or to notify the
20    customer prior to the close of business on the business
21    day prior to the scheduled appointment: $25.00.
22        (2) Violation of customer service and billing
23    standards in subsections (c) and (d) of this Section:
24    $25.00 per occurrence.
25        (3) Violation of the bundling rules in subsection (h)
26    of this Section: $25.00 per month.

 

 

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1    (t) The enforcement powers granted to the Attorney General
2in Article XXI of this Act shall apply to this Article, except
3that the Attorney General may not seek penalties for violation
4of this Article other than in the amounts specified herein.
5Nothing in this Section shall limit or affect the powers of the
6Attorney General to enforce the provisions of Article XXI of
7this Act or the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business
8Practices Act.
9    (u) This Article applies to all cable and video providers
10in the State, including but not limited to those operating
11under a local franchise as that term is used in 47 U.S.C.
12522(9), those operating under authorization pursuant to
13Section 11-42-11 of the Illinois Municipal Code, those
14operating under authorization pursuant to Section 5-1095 of
15the Counties Code, and those operating under a State-issued
16authorization pursuant to Article XXI of this Act.
17(Source: P.A. 97-1108, eff. 1-1-13; 97-1150, eff. 1-25-13;
1898-45, eff. 6-28-13.)
 
19    (220 ILCS 5/22-504 new)
20    Sec. 22-504. Volume of commercial advertisements.
21    (a) On and after July 1, 2027, a video streaming service or
22third-party advertising manager that serves consumers residing
23in the State shall exercise reasonable care in normalizing the
24audio of short-form content so that the audio is not
25transmitted at a louder volume than the audio of the

 

 

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1accompanying long-form content, consistent with the
2regulations adopted by the Federal Communications Commission
3pursuant to the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation
4(CALM) Act (Public Law 111-311) for television broadcast
5stations, cable operators, and other video programming
6distributors. There shall be a rebuttable presumption that a
7video streaming service or third-party advertising manager
8that maintains processes to require that the audio of
9short-form content not be louder than the audio of the
10accompanying long-form content that are similar to processes
11employed by the video streaming service or third-party
12advertising manager to comply with the CALM Act (Public Law
13111-311) is exercising reasonable care.
14    (b) A video streaming service or third-party advertising
15manager that engages in normalization shall be deemed in
16compliance with this Section.
17    (c) A video streaming service that engages a third-party
18advertising manager to solely control the loudness of the
19audio of short-form content on the video streaming service
20shall not be liable under subsection (a) for short-form
21content distributed by the third-party advertising manager on
22the video streaming service if the video streaming service
23enters into a written agreement with the third-party
24advertising manager that requires the audio of short-form
25content distributed by the third-party advertising manager to
26not be louder than the target loudness of the audio of the

 

 

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1accompanying long-form content distributed by the video
2streaming service, consistent with established industry
3standards.
4    (d) This Section does not create a private right of
5action. The Attorney General shall have exclusive authority to
6enforce the provisions of this Section.
7    (e) For purposes of this Section, the distribution of an
8individually identifiable piece of short-form content within a
930-day period after the first distribution of the content in
10violation of this Section constitutes a single violation,
11regardless of how many individual consumers receive a
12transmission of such content.
13    (f) Before initiating any action under this Section, the
14Attorney General shall provide a video streaming service or
15third-party advertising manager written notice of an alleged
16violation. If, within 45 days after receipt of the notice, the
17video streaming service or third-party advertising manager
18cures the alleged violation by either (i) ceasing to
19distribute the individually identifiable piece of short-form
20content or (ii) normalizing the audio of the individually
21identifiable piece of short-form content for all subsequent
22distributions of the content, the video streaming service or
23third-party advertising manager shall not be liable for the
24alleged violation cured pursuant to this Section.".