Inside these posts: Citizen’s Utility Board

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ICC judges recommend 3% rate hike for ComEd

Even as Commonwealth Edison fights in Springfield for legislation that would set utility rates by formula and sharply undercut the authority of the Illinois Commerce Commission, at home, that same regulatory body is undercutting ComEd in its battles for rate increases.

Administrative law judges recommended that Commonwealth Edison Co. be allowed a rate increase of about 3 percent, or $166 million, less than half what the Chicago-based utility requested last June. Get the full story »

CUB workshops offer tips on saving on phone bills

A nonprofit watchdog group is planning a series of clinics next week in the Chicago area to help consumers save money on their phone bills. The Citizens Utility Board is holding the clinics at libraries in Glenview, Morton Grove, Frankfort and Cary. Consumers can bring along their phone bills for a free analysis. Get the full story »

CUB: Shop for cheaper landline option than AT&T

The Citizens Utility Board on Monday urged consumers to shop for better deals after AT&T’s increased its land line rates Jan. 3.

The company says the hikes spread costs among fewer land line customers. AT&T spokeswoman Brooke Vane says more than a quarter of households are wireless only. AT&T says Chicago has one of the lowest phone rates in the nation. Get the full story »

CUB: Ill. cell phone users overpay $359 a year

Mobile phone users in Illinois are paying hundreds of dollars every month for unused minutes and unnecessary services, the Citizens Utility Board said in a report released Monday.

CUB studied 4,400 cell bills entered into its online Cellphone Saver between August 2009 and July 2010 and determined that those consumers are overpaying by an average of $359 a year. Get the full story »

ComEd padding utility bills, court rules

Commonwealth Edison has been padding customer bills to pay for improvements that are properly the utility’s burden, according to a Second District Appellate Court decision that could mean lowered utility bills for consumers.

The decision, handed down Friday, overturns a 2008 decision by the Illinois Commerce Commission that allowed the utility to pass on the costs associated with creating a “smart grid” to consumers, including a recently launched program to test smart meters as part of itsĀ  “innovation corridor.” Get the full story »