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HB 2698

Relating to homeownership goal; and declaring an emergency.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Tom Andersen and 19 co-sponsors

Illinois would require automatic, prorated bill credits for internet/cable outages and lost channels, with provider notifications and ICC enforcement.

Chapter 202, (2025 Laws): Effective date May 28, 2025.
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Bill Summary · HB 2698

Summary — HB 2698

Note on source materials: The provided document appears to include two distinct bills both labeled “HB 2698” from different jurisdictions. One is an Arizona short appropriation bill (road improvements for Piñon Unified School District). The other is an Illinois bill that would add outage/credit requirements to the Illinois Public Utilities Act (titled “Cable/Video Outage Credits”). This summary emphasizes the Illinois cable/video/internet outage bill (the “Cable/Video Outage Credits” provisions) and also briefly notes the Arizona appropriation included in the packet.

Illinois bill — Cable/Video/Internet outage credits (adds 220 ILCS 5/13‑520 and 13‑521)

Purpose

Require internet and cable/video providers to give consumers automatic, prorated bill credits for service outages and for loss of channels due to contract disputes; increase transparency and recordkeeping; and give the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) enforcement authority.

Key provisions

  • Definitions:

    • “Broadband Internet” defined as service providing at least 25 Mbps down / 3 Mbps up.
    • “Outage” = any period when a consumer’s internet, cable, or video service is unavailable, excluding scheduled maintenance when consumer was given at least 24 hours’ notice.
    • “Cable or video provider” and “Internet provider” defined by existing statutes and provider types (with certain small landlord/master-antenna exceptions).

  • Outage credits (new Sec. 13‑520):

    • Providers must issue prorated credits for any service outage lasting more than one hour.
    • Credit calculation: based on the consumer’s monthly service rate, prorated for the duration of the outage (i.e., proportion of month represented by outage hours).
    • Credits must be automatically applied on the consumer’s next billing cycle; no consumer request required.
    • Providers must notify affected consumers of the outage and the applied credit within 24 hours after service is restored.
    • Providers must retain records of outages and issued credits for at least 3 years; records must be made available to the ICC upon request.
    • Failure to comply may subject providers to penalties (including fines) as determined by the ICC.

  • Contract-dispute channel loss (new Sec. 13‑521):

    • If a provider knows a contract dispute will result in a channel being unavailable, it must notify affected consumers within 10 days of that knowledge.
    • If consumers are billed for a channel they did not receive because of a contract dispute, the provider must credit an amount equal to: (percentage of consumer’s bill represented by that channel) × (monthly service rate), prorated for each hour the channel was unavailable.
    • Credit must appear on the next monthly billing statement.
    • Applies to all channels (local, regional, paid) and irrespective of whether billed separately.

Who is affected

  • Consumers (residential and business subscribers) of cable, video, and broadband internet services in Illinois.
  • Internet providers and cable/video providers operating in Illinois (subject to definitions and certain exclusions).
  • Illinois Commerce Commission — authority to request records and impose penalties for noncompliance.

Potential impact

  • Direct consumer benefit from automated compensation for outages and lost channels.
  • Administrative and billing system changes for providers to track outage durations, allocate prorated credits, notify customers within timelines, and retain 3 years of records.
  • Possible increased ICC oversight and enforcement actions for noncompliance.

Procedural / timeline notes (as provided)

  • Introduced (IL): 02/06/2025 (Rep. Tracy Katz Muhl).
  • Committee assignment and activity: Referred to Rules Committee; assigned to Public Utilities Committee; public hearing 04/15/2025; reported favorably as substituted (03/19/2025 reported Do Pass by Public Utilities Committee, vote 14–7); committee report distributed 05/10/2025; placed on General State Calendar 05/14/2025.
  • Status line in packet: “Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee.”
  • Co-sponsor added: Rep. Camille Y. Lilly.

Arizona bill — Appropriation (brief note)

  • Separate text in the packet (State of Arizona HB 2698, introduced by Rep. Myron Tsosie) would appropriate $3,700,000 from the Arizona state general fund in FY 2025–2026 to the Arizona Department of Transportation to distribute to the Navajo Division of Transportation for road improvements for the Piñon Unified School District.

If you want, I can:
- Produce a plain-language consumer-facing summary (e.g., sample notices providers would send), or
- Draft a one-page provider implementation checklist detailing required system changes and recordkeeping.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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