AT&T will promise universal broadband availability throughout Chi...
AT&T will promise universal broadband availability throughout Chicago and its suburbs within 4 years, in return for retail rate deregulation, in an agreement with the Ill. Citizens’ Utility Board. The proposal, which requires approval from the Ill. Commerce Commission,…
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would freeze rates on residential basic services for 4 years for roughly 2.5 million customers, while other service rates are priced to market. In return, AT&T would have to make DSL available on 99% of Chicago-area access lines by 2010, and set up a $2.5 million consumer education fund. AT&T last fall asked the Commerce Commission to deregulate all retail rates in metro Chicago; this proposal would settle that case. But the Ill. Attorney Gen. Office says the proposal would lock in basic service rates at a time when costs are declining, and said basic service rates should be cut, not frozen. Other parties still must weigh in on the proposal, including the commission’s staff, City of Chicago and Cook County. The CUB, however, said the Chicago proposal will be better for consumers than the broad rate deregulation granted to AT&T in neighboring states that offered little rate protection for basic service customers.