The Illinois Coalition for Competitive Telecommunications (ICCT) presented openly gay State Rep. Larry McKeon with the ‘Friend of Consumer’ award in appreciation of his opposition to Senate Bill 885, anti-consumer legislation backed by Texas-based phone giant SBC that would have raised local phone rates in Illinois by as much as 70 percent. ‘Rep. McKeon deserves our ‘Friend of Consumer’ award because he demonstrated that he puts the people above politics,’ said Katharine Conklin (right), director of Outreach for the ICCT. McKeon also announced Monday that he will seek a 5th term in the Illinois General Assembly. He was the first—and is still the only—openly gay member of the state legislature.
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