(220 ILCS 5/21-1001)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on December 31, 2026)

Sec. 21-1001. Local unit of government authority.

(a) The holder of a State-issued authorization shall comply with all the applicable construction and technical standards and right-of-way occupancy standards set forth in a local unit of government's code of ordinances relating to the use of public rights-of-way, pole attachments, permit obligations, indemnification, performance bonds, penalties, or liquidated damages. The applicable requirements for a holder that is using its existing telecommunications network or constructing a telecommunications network shall be the same requirements that the local unit of government imposes on telecommunications providers in its jurisdiction. The applicable requirements for a holder that is using or constructing a cable system shall be the same requirements the local unit of government imposes on other cable operators in its jurisdiction.

(b) A local unit of government shall allow the holder to install, construct, operate, maintain, and remove a cable service, video service, or telecommunications network within a public right-of-way and shall provide the holder with open, comparable, nondiscriminatory, and competitively neutral access to the public right-of-way on the same terms applicable to other cable service or video service providers or cable operators in its jurisdiction. Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, if a local unit of government is permitted by law to require the holder of a State authorization to seek a permit to install, construct, operate, maintain, or remove its cable service, video service, or telecommunications network within a public right-of-way, those permits shall be deemed granted within 45 days after being submitted, if not otherwise acted upon by the local unit of government, provided the holder complies with the requirements applicable to the holder in its jurisdiction.

(c) A local unit of government may impose reasonable terms, but it may not discriminate against the holder with respect to any of the following:

(1) The authorization or placement of a cable service, video service, or telecommunications network or equipment in public rights-of-way.

(2) Access to a building.

(3) A local unit of government utility pole attachment.

(d) If a local unit of government imposes a permit fee on incumbent cable operators, it may impose a permit fee on the holder only to the extent it imposes such a fee on incumbent cable operators. In all other cases, these fees may not exceed the actual, direct costs incurred by the local unit of government for issuing the relevant permit. In no event may a fee under this Section be levied if the holder already has paid a permit fee of any kind in connection with the same activity that would otherwise be covered by the permit fee under this Section provided no additional equipment, work, function, or other burden is added to the existing activity for which the permit was issued.

(e) Nothing in this Article shall affect the rights that any holder has under Section 4 of the Telephone Line Right of Way Act (220 ILCS 65/4).

(f) In addition to the other requirements in this Section, if the holder installs, upgrades, constructs, operates, maintains, and removes facilities or equipment within a public right-of-way to provide cable service or video service, it shall comply with the following:

(1) The holder must locate its equipment in the right-of-way as to cause only minimum interference with the use of streets, alleys, and other public ways and places, and to cause only minimum impact upon and interference with the rights and reasonable convenience of property owners who adjoin any of the said streets, alleys, or other public ways. No fixtures shall be placed in any public ways in such a manner to interfere with the usual travel on such public ways, nor shall such fixtures or equipment limit the visibility of vehicular or pedestrian traffic, or both.

(2) The holder shall comply with a local unit of government's reasonable requests to place equipment on public property where possible and promptly comply with local unit of government direction with respect to the location and screening of equipment and facilities. In constructing or upgrading its cable or video network in the right-of-way, the holder shall use the smallest suitable equipment enclosures and power pedestals and cabinets then in use by the holder for the application.

(3) The holder's construction practices shall be in accordance with all applicable Sections of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, as amended, as well as all applicable State laws, including the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois, and local codes, where applicable, as adopted by the local unit of government. All installation of electronic equipment shall be of a permanent nature, durable, and, where applicable, installed in accordance with the provisions of the National Electrical Safety Code of the National Bureau of Standards and National Electrical Code of the National Board of Fire Underwriters.

(4) The holder shall not interfere with the local unit of government's performance of public works. Nothing in the State-issued authorization shall be in preference or hindrance to the right of the local unit of government to perform or carry on any public works or public improvements of any kind. The holder expressly agrees that it shall, at its own expense, protect, support, temporarily disconnect, relocate in the same street or other public place, or remove from such street or other public place any of the network, system, facilities, or equipment when required to do so by the local unit of government because of necessary public health, safety, and welfare improvements. In the event a holder and other users of a public right-of-way, including incumbent cable operators or utilities, are required to relocate and compensation is paid to the users of such public right-of-way, such parties shall be treated equally with respect to such compensation.

(5) The holder shall comply with all local units of government inspection requirements. The making of post-construction, subsequent or periodic inspections, or both, or the failure to do so shall not operate to relieve the holder of any responsibility, obligation, or liability.

(6) The holder shall maintain insurance or provide evidence of self insurance as required by an applicable ordinance of the local unit of government.

(7) The holder shall reimburse all reasonable make-ready expenses, including aerial and underground installation expenses requested by the holder to the local unit of government within 30 days of billing to the holder, provided that such charges shall be at the same rates as charges to others for the same or similar services.

(8) The holder shall indemnify and hold harmless the local unit of government and all boards, officers, employees, and representatives thereof from all claims, demands, causes of action, liability, judgments, costs and expenses, or losses for injury or death to persons or damage to property owned by, and Worker's Compensation claims against any parties indemnified herein, arising out of, caused by, or as a result of the holder's construction, lines, cable, erection, maintenance, use or presence of, or removal of any poles, wires, conduit, appurtenances thereto, or equipment or attachments thereto. The holder, however, shall not indemnify the local unit of government for any liabilities, damages, cost, and expense resulting from the willful misconduct, or negligence of the local unit of government, its officers, employees, and agents. The obligations imposed pursuant to this Section by a local unit of government shall be competitively neutral.

(9) The holder, upon request, shall provide the local unit of government with information describing the location of the cable service or video service facilities and equipment located in the unit of local government's rights-of-way pursuant to its State-issued authorization. If designated by the holder as confidential, such information provided pursuant to this subsection shall be exempt from inspection and copying under the Freedom of Information Act and shall not be disclosed by the unit of local government to any third party without the written consent of the holder.

(Source: P.A. 99-6, eff. 6-29-15; 100-20, eff. 7-1-17.)