AT&T designed its Illinois system to make closed captioning available on commercial channels, but not on its Channel 99 PEG product. That has been a key concern of municipalities, PEG representatives, public officials and community members who have actively objected to the inferior treatment of PEG channels by AT&T.
 
Almost two years after starting service in Illinois, AT&T claims that it can now offer closed captioning. But rather than simply comply with the law by enabling this function on area PEG channels, AT&T is requiring that cities submit a "Closed Caption Request." Apparently, cities that fail to do will not receive the upgrade.
 
Disability rights activist, Gloria Nichols, of ADAPT of Chicago Productions says, "While AT&T has finally added closed captioning, I'm concerned that we're having to tug and pull every step of the way for PEG channels to be treated equally. We expect Lisa Madigan to reject AT&T's piecemeal approach and enforce the law protecting our rights. People are not going to see the programming we work hard to create if it is buried on Channel 99. It's discrimination, plain and simple."
 
An engineering study conducted last year shows that PEG channels on AT&T's IPTV system can be treated the same as commercial channels. As noted by Julie Gray, President of Illinois NATOA, "The CTC report proves that the only obstacles to AT&T treating PEG access in an equivalent manner to broadcast channels is its decision not to do so."