(220 ILCS 5/13-103) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 13-103)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on December 31, 2026)

Sec. 13-103. Policy. Consistent with its findings, the General Assembly declares that it is the policy of the State of Illinois that:

(a) telecommunications services should be available to all Illinois citizens at just, reasonable, and affordable rates and that such services should be provided as widely and economically as possible in sufficient variety, quality, quantity and reliability to satisfy the public interest;

(b) consistent with the protection of consumers of telecommunications services and the furtherance of other public interest goals, competition in all telecommunications service markets should be pursued as a substitute for regulation in determining the variety, quality and price of telecommunications services and that the economic burdens of regulation should be reduced to the extent possible consistent with the furtherance of market competition and protection of the public interest;

(c) all necessary and appropriate modifications to State regulation of telecommunications carriers and services should be implemented without unnecessary disruption to the telecommunications infrastructure system or to consumers of telecommunications services and that it is necessary and appropriate to establish rules to encourage and ensure orderly transitions in the development of markets for all telecommunications services;

(d) the consumers of telecommunications services and facilities provided by persons or companies subject to regulation pursuant to this Act and Article should be required to pay only reasonable and non-discriminatory rates or charges and that in no case should rates or charges for non-competitive telecommunications services include any portion of the cost of providing competitive telecommunications services, as defined in Section 13-209, or the cost of any nonregulated activities;

(e) the regulatory policies and procedures provided in this Article are established in recognition of the changing nature of the telecommunications industry and therefore should be subject to systematic legislative review to ensure that the public benefits intended to result from such policies and procedures are fully realized;

(f) development of and prudent investment in advanced telecommunications services and networks that foster economic development of the State should be encouraged through the implementation and enforcement of policies that promote effective and sustained competition in all telecommunications service markets; and

(g) completion of the transition to modern IP-based networks should be encouraged through relief from the outdated regulations that require continued investment in legacy circuit switched networks from which Illinois consumers have largely transitioned, while at the same time ensuring that consumers have access to available alternative services that provide quality voice service and access to emergency communications.

(Source: P.A. 100-20, eff. 7-1-17.)