|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1 | AN ACT concerning wireless telephones.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3 | represented in the General Assembly:
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
4 | Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | Wireless Telephone Users Consumer Protection Act. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
6 | Section 5. Findings and purposes. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7 | (a) The Illinois General Assembly makes the following | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8 | findings:
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 | (1) Consumers rely increasingly on wireless telephone | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | service for personal, business, and emergency | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11 | communications. There are currently more than 137,000,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 | wireless telephone users in the United States. This is more | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
13 | than a 121% increase in the number of such users in the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
14 | past five years alone. In the future this number is | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
15 | projected to grow as consumers switch from wireline to | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
16 | wireless telephone service for their primary telephone | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
17 | service.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
18 | (2) Consumers cannot easily compare offers for | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
19 | wireless telephone service because information on terms, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
20 | pricing, and service plans for such service is not | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
21 | presented in a uniform manner. Current wireless telephone | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
22 | service contracts do not clearly display the information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
23 | consumers need to make an informed choice regarding a | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
24 | wireless telephone service contract. Consumers may not be | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
25 | aware of the deficiencies in wireless telephone service | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
26 | quality until after they have signed a contract, and | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
27 | exorbitant early termination penalties effectively lock | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
28 | consumers into undesired, long-term contracts.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
29 | (b) The purposes of this Act are:
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
30 | (1) to improve quality of wireless telephone service;
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
31 | (2) to promote consumer choice in the wireless | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
32 | telephone service market; and
|
| |||||||
|
|||||||
1 | (3) to protect consumers rights.
| ||||||
2 | Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act:
| ||||||
3 | "Wireless telephone service" means any form of wireless | ||||||
4 | telephone service, including cellular telephone service, | ||||||
5 | broadband Personal Communication Service (PCS) telephone | ||||||
6 | service, Covered Specialized Mobile Radio (SMR) service, and | ||||||
7 | any successor service to such service (including so-called next | ||||||
8 | generation or third generations service).
| ||||||
9 | "Wireless telephone service provider" means a | ||||||
10 | telecommunications carrier that provides wireless telephone | ||||||
11 | service in the State of Illinois.
| ||||||
12 | Section 15. Disclosure requirements. | ||||||
13 | (a) The Illinois Commerce Commission shall require that | ||||||
14 | providers of wireless telephone service provide to consumers | ||||||
15 | before any service is offered and in any publication, including | ||||||
16 | publication on the Internet, of a wireless telephone service | ||||||
17 | provider the terms of a plan or contract for wireless telephone | ||||||
18 | service. The plan or contract shall set forth, in a plain and | ||||||
19 | conspicuous manner, all of the following information:
| ||||||
20 | (1) Information on charges, including calling-from | ||||||
21 | area, monthly base charge, per-minute charges for minutes | ||||||
22 | not included in the plan, and the method of calculating | ||||||
23 | minutes charged.
| ||||||
24 | (2) Information on minutes included in plan, including | ||||||
25 | weekday/daytime, nights/weekends, long-distance, roaming, | ||||||
26 | incoming, and directory assistance.
| ||||||
27 | (3) Information on plan or contract terms, including | ||||||
28 | length of contract, early or other termination fees, trial | ||||||
29 | periods, and start-up fees.
| ||||||
30 | (4) Information on taxes to be collected by the carrier | ||||||
31 | for, and paid to, a State, local, or other governmental | ||||||
32 | agency.
| ||||||
33 | (5) Information on surcharges imposed by the carrier | ||||||
34 | for the costs of compliance with regulations or for other |
| |||||||
|
|||||||
1 | purposes.
| ||||||
2 | (6) Any other information the Illinois Commerce | ||||||
3 | Commission considers appropriate to ensure that consumers | ||||||
4 | of wireless telephone service are fully informed of the | ||||||
5 | terms of the plan or contract. | ||||||
6 | (b) Wireless telephone service providers shall meet the | ||||||
7 | disclosure requirements in this Section in any advertising to | ||||||
8 | the extent the medium allows. Any advertising is also subject | ||||||
9 | to enforcement under the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business | ||||||
10 | Practices Act.
| ||||||
11 | (c) Not later than 6 months after the effective date of | ||||||
12 | this Act, the Illinois Commerce Commission shall adopt rules | ||||||
13 | requiring that the information required by subsection (a) be | ||||||
14 | published by wireless telephone service providers in a tabular | ||||||
15 | format, in a clear and uniform manner, and in at least 10-point | ||||||
16 | font.
| ||||||
17 | Section 20. Contract extension, modification, or | ||||||
18 | recission. | ||||||
19 | (a) An extension of a contract for wireless telephone | ||||||
20 | service shall not be valid unless the contract is in writing or | ||||||
21 | confirmed in writing within 7 days. | ||||||
22 | (b) A material modification to the terms of a contract | ||||||
23 | shall be provided to the consumer in writing. The consumer | ||||||
24 | shall have 30 days to cancel the contract without any penalty | ||||||
25 | or other cost to the consumer, except the consumer shall be | ||||||
26 | responsible for the cost of the service used during the time | ||||||
27 | period the contract was in effect. | ||||||
28 | (c) A contract for wireless service may be canceled upon | ||||||
29 | the request of the consumer for any reason during the first 30 | ||||||
30 | days. There shall be no penalty or other costs to the consumer | ||||||
31 | for any cancellation during these 30 days, except the consumer | ||||||
32 | shall be responsible for the cost of the service used during | ||||||
33 | the time period the contract was in effect. | ||||||
34 | Section 25. Provision of information on wireless telephone |
| |||||||
|
|||||||
1 | service coverage and quality to consumers. | ||||||
2 | (a) Each wireless telephone service provider shall make | ||||||
3 | available a map showing the wireless telephone service area of | ||||||
4 | such provider. The map shall contain the maximum practicable | ||||||
5 | level of granularity and shall be updated at least quarterly. | ||||||
6 | A map of the service area of a wireless telephone service | ||||||
7 | provider shall be provided to a consumer
(i) upon the request | ||||||
8 | of the consumer and
(ii) whenever a plan or contract for the | ||||||
9 | service is entered into.
| ||||||
10 | The service area map shall be available on the Internet web | ||||||
11 | site of the provider concerned.
| ||||||
12 | (b) The Illinois Commerce Commission shall monitor the | ||||||
13 | quality of wireless telephone service provided in the State of | ||||||
14 | Illinois by requiring semiannual service quality reports by | ||||||
15 | wireless telephone service providers on the following:
| ||||||
16 | (A) Dropped calls.
| ||||||
17 | (B) Blocked calls.
| ||||||
18 | (C) Known coverage gaps (including average signal | ||||||
19 | strength) or dead zones.
| ||||||
20 | (D) Predicted street level signal strength.
| ||||||
21 | (E) Any other matters the Commission considers | ||||||
22 | appropriate. | ||||||
23 | The wireless service quality information shall be provided | ||||||
24 | in the format and reported by geographic area as required by | ||||||
25 | the Commission.
| ||||||
26 | Section 30. Enforcement. | ||||||
27 | (a) The Illinois Commerce Commission shall have the power | ||||||
28 | and authority to enforce the provisions of this Act as if these | ||||||
29 | provisions were provisions of the Public Utilities Act. | ||||||
30 | (b) The Attorney General and or the State's Attorney may | ||||||
31 | bring a civil action as well as obtain injunctive relief on | ||||||
32 | behalf of the residents of the State in the Circuit Court of | ||||||
33 | the county of appropriate jurisdiction to enforce the | ||||||
34 | provisions of this Act.
| ||||||
35 | (c) A person who violates any provision of this Act commits |
| |||||||
|
|||||||
1 | an unlawful practice within the meaning of the Consumer Fraud | ||||||
2 | and Deceptive Business Practices Act.
| ||||||
3 | (d) Any person that violates or fails to comply with any | ||||||
4 | provisions of this Act shall be subject to a civil penalty of | ||||||
5 | no more than $50,000 or 0.00825% of the carrier's gross | ||||||
6 | intrastate annual wireless telecommunications revenue, | ||||||
7 | whichever is greater, for each offense.
| ||||||
8 | (e) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the | ||||||
9 | provisions of this Act are in addition to any other legal | ||||||
10 | remedies available, including those under the Public Utilities | ||||||
11 | Act.
| ||||||
12 | Section 90. The Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business | ||||||
13 | Practices Act is amended by changing Section 2Z as follows:
| ||||||
14 | (815 ILCS 505/2Z) (from Ch. 121 1/2, par. 262Z)
| ||||||
15 | Sec. 2Z. Violations of other Acts. Any person who knowingly | ||||||
16 | violates
the Automotive Repair Act,
the Home Repair and | ||||||
17 | Remodeling Act,
the Dance Studio Act,
the Physical Fitness | ||||||
18 | Services Act,
the Hearing Instrument Consumer Protection Act,
| ||||||
19 | the Illinois Union Label Act,
the Job Referral and Job Listing | ||||||
20 | Services Consumer Protection Act,
the Travel Promotion | ||||||
21 | Consumer Protection Act,
the Credit Services Organizations | ||||||
22 | Act,
the Automatic Telephone Dialers Act,
the Pay-Per-Call | ||||||
23 | Services Consumer Protection Act,
the Telephone Solicitations | ||||||
24 | Act,
the Illinois Funeral or Burial Funds Act,
the Cemetery | ||||||
25 | Care Act,
the Safe and Hygienic Bed Act,
the Pre-Need Cemetery | ||||||
26 | Sales Act,
the High Risk Home Loan Act, the Wireless Telephone | ||||||
27 | Users Consumer Protection Act, subsection (a) or (b) of Section | ||||||
28 | 3-10 of the
Cigarette Tax Act, subsection
(a) or (b) of Section | ||||||
29 | 3-10 of the Cigarette Use Tax Act, the Electronic
Mail Act, or | ||||||
30 | paragraph (6)
of
subsection (k) of Section 6-305 of the | ||||||
31 | Illinois Vehicle Code
commits an unlawful practice within the | ||||||
32 | meaning of this Act.
| ||||||
33 | (Source: P.A. 92-426, eff. 1-1-02; 93-561, eff. 1-1-04.)
|
| |||||||
|
|||||||
1 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
2 | becoming law.
|