{"id":36955,"date":"2023-03-13T16:08:26","date_gmt":"2023-03-13T21:08:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/?p=36955"},"modified":"2023-03-13T16:08:26","modified_gmt":"2023-03-13T21:08:26","slug":"support-consumer-choice-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/blog\/2023\/03\/13\/support-consumer-choice-plans\/","title":{"rendered":"Bring Back Consumer Choice Plans: Support HB 3689"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"As part of CUB\u2019s 2023 legislative agenda, the watchdog is working on House Bill 3689 to r<\/span>equire AT&T once again to offer the Consumer\u2019s Choice plans as an affordable landline option to consumers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The bill, sponsored by state Rep. <\/span>Michelle Mussman, needs your support.<\/span> Sign CUB\u2019s HB 3689 petition<\/span><\/a> to tell policymakers that AT&T should offer this low-cost option again.<\/span><\/p>\n

For about a decade, AT&T landline customers saved money on the Consumer\u2019s Choice phone plans. One of the best phone deals in the nation, the plans were created by CUB in a legal settlement with AT&T in 2006 and later mandated by the Illinois General Assembly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We successfully kept the plans available for landline customers for years, but in 2017, <\/span>AT&T ended the plans<\/span><\/a> as part of its push to deregulate local phone service. Smartphones are great, but the Consumer\u2019s Choice plans were the cheapest, most reliable option for consumers.<\/span><\/p>\n

HB 3689<\/span><\/a> would also make it easier to help lower-income consumers stay connected by placing a \u201ccheck box\u201d on bills where customers could donate to an assistance program for internet customers in need. <\/span>In today\u2019s world, staying connected can make all the difference, especially for Illinois\u2019 most vulnerable consumers.<\/span><\/p>\n

AT&T opposes this bill, and that\u2019s why we need your help. We\u2019re all in this together\u2013so even if you don\u2019t have a landline, please help us stand up to the phone giant and<\/span> support a low-cost phone option for some of Illinois\u2019 most vulnerable consumers.<\/a><\/strong> \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

F<\/span>or more information on current landline options, read <\/span>CUB\u2019s AT&T Landline Choices fact sheet<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As part of CUB\u2019s 2023 legislative agenda, the watchdog is working on House Bill 3689 to require AT&T once again to offer the Consumer\u2019s Choice plans as an affordable landline option to consumers.\u00a0 The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Michelle Mussman, needs your support. Sign CUB\u2019s HB 3689 petition to tell policymakers that AT&T should offer this low-cost option again. For about a decade, AT&T landline customers saved money on the Consumer\u2019s Choice phone plans. One of the best phone deals in the nation, the plans were created by CUB in a legal settlement with AT&T in 2006 and later mandated by the Illinois General Assembly.\u00a0 We successfully kept the plans available for landline customers for years, but in 2017, AT&T ended the plans as part of its push to deregulate local phone service. Smartphones are great, but the Consumer\u2019s Choice plans were the cheapest, most reliable option for consumers. HB 3689 would also make it easier to help lower-income consumers stay connected by placing a \u201ccheck box\u201d on bills where customers could donate to an assistance program for internet customers in need. In today\u2019s world, staying connected can make all the difference, especially for Illinois\u2019 most vulnerable consumers. AT&T opposes this bill, and that\u2019s why we need your help. We\u2019re all in this together\u2013so even if you don\u2019t have a landline, please help us stand up to the phone giant and support a low-cost phone option for some of Illinois\u2019 most vulnerable consumers. \u00a0 For more information on current landline options, read CUB\u2019s AT&T Landline Choices fact sheet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[469,1392,1103],"tags":[81,1547,85,762,603,419],"class_list":["post-36955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-landlines","category-springfield-update","category-state-legislative-update","tag-att","tag-consumer-choice-plans","tag-landline","tag-policy-legislation","tag-springfield","tag-telecom-2"],"cp_meta_data":{"classic-editor-remember":["classic-editor"],"_edit_lock":["1678741595:25"],"_edit_last":["25"],"_wp_page_template":["default"],"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":[""],"_wpsp_is_facebook_share":["off"],"_wpsp_is_twitter_share":["off"],"_wpsp_is_linkedin_share":["off"],"_wpsp_is_pinterest_share":["off"],"_wpb_vc_js_status":["false"],"_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":["As part of the 2023 legislative agenda, CUB is working on HB 3689 to require AT&T once again to offer the Consumer\u2019s Choice plans as an affordable landline option to consumers.\u00a0"],"_yoast_wpseo_content_score":["90"],"_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":["2"],"_yoast_wpseo_wordproof_timestamp":[""],"borntogive_page_header_show_hide":["2"],"borntogive_pages_title_show":["1"],"borntogive_pages_Choose_slider_display":["2"],"borntogive_pages_select_revolution_from_list":["3"],"borntogive_pages_slider_pagination":["yes"],"borntogive_pages_slider_auto_slide":["yes"],"borntogive_pages_slider_direction_arrows":["yes"],"borntogive_pages_slider_effects":["fade"],"borntogive_pages_body_bg_wide":["0"],"borntogive_pages_body_bg_repeat":["repeat"],"borntogive_pages_content_bg_wide":["0"],"borntogive_pages_content_bg_repeat":["repeat"],"borntogive_pages_social_show":["1"],"borntogive_strict_no_sidebar":["0"],"borntogive_sidebar_columns_layout":["3"],"borntogive_gallery_slider_pagination":["yes"],"borntogive_gallery_slider_auto_slide":["yes"],"borntogive_gallery_slider_direction_arrows":["yes"],"borntogive_gallery_slider_effects":["fade"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":["1392"]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36955"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36955\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36956,"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36955\/revisions\/36956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}