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92_HB0138 LRB9201572JScs 1 AN ACT concerning open access for Internet services. 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 Internet Access Enhancement Act. 6 Section 5. Legislative findings. The General Assembly 7 declares that it is in the best interests of the people of 8 the State of Illinois to ensure that no high-speed broadband 9 Internet access transport provider with an affiliated 10 Internet service provider has a monopoly; that customer 11 choice of Internet Service Providers is available to members 12 of the public who use the Internet; and that business 13 transactions between Internet service providers and 14 high-speed broadband Internet access transport providers 15 concerning access to the Internet are conducted in such a way 16 as to ensure high-speed broadband access to Internet service 17 is granted in a fair, equitable, and non-discriminatory 18 fashion. 19 Section 10. Definitions. 20 "Affiliate" means a person who, directly or indirectly, 21 owns or controls, is owned or controlled by, or is under 22 common ownership or control with, another person. For 23 purposes of this definition, the term "own" means to own an 24 equity or other financial interest (or the equivalent 25 thereof) of more than 10% or any management interest. 26 "Cable operator" has the meaning set forth in 47 U.S.C. 27 Section 522(5). 28 "High-speed broadband" means possessing the capability to 29 transmit data upstream and downstream at a rate of 200 30 kilobits per second or greater. -2- LRB9201572JScs 1 "High-speed broadband Internet access transport provider" 2 means a person who provides high-speed broadband Internet 3 access transport services, by aid of wire, cable, or other 4 like connection over facilities owned by it or under its 5 control directly or indirectly to the public for 6 consideration (on a bundled or unbundled basis). The term 7 also includes an Internet service provider who self-provides, 8 over facilities owned by it or under its control, the 9 high-speed wireline broadband transport of its services 10 between itself and its users. 11 "High-speed broadband Internet access transport services" 12 means the high-speed broadband transmission of data between a 13 user and his or her Internet service provider's point of 14 interconnection with the high-speed broadband Internet access 15 transport provider's facilities. 16 "Internet" means collectively the myriad of computer and 17 telecommunications facilities, including equipment and 18 operating software, that comprise the interconnected 19 world-wide network of networks that employ the Transmission 20 Control Protocol/Internet Protocol, or any predecessor or 21 successor protocols to such protocol, to communicate 22 information of all kinds by wire or radio or any other means. 23 "Internet service provider" means a person who provides a 24 service that enables users to access content, information, 25 electronic mail, or other services offered over the Internet. 26 Section 15. Duty of high-speed broadband Internet access 27 transport providers to provide equal access to services of 28 Internet service providers. A high-speed broadband Internet 29 access transport provider who is also a cable operator or 30 affiliate of a high-speed broadband Internet access transport 31 provider who is also a cable operator shall provide any 32 requesting Internet service provider access to its high-speed 33 broadband Internet access transport services (unbundled from -3- LRB9201572JScs 1 the provision of content) on rates, terms, and conditions 2 that are at least as favorable as those on which it provides 3 access to itself, to its affiliate, or to any other person. 4 Access shall be provided at any technically feasible point 5 selected by the requesting Internet service provider who is 6 also a cable operator. A high-speed broadband Internet access 7 transport provider or affiliate of a high-speed broadband 8 Internet access transport provider may collect from an 9 Internet service provider the reasonable costs associated 10 with providing access as required under this Section. Failure 11 to provide access to Internet service as required under this 12 Section 15 is an unlawful practice. 13 Section 20. Exception established where high-speed 14 broadband Internet access transport services are not provided 15 to the public. The following are not providing high-speed 16 broadband Internet access transport services to the public 17 within the meaning of Section 15: 18 (1) federal, state, or local governmental entities 19 that provide highspeed broadband Internet access 20 transport services to their employees at their place of 21 employment; 22 (2) institutions of higher education under the 23 jurisdiction of the Board of Higher Education that 24 provide high-speed broadband Internet access transport 25 services to their students, faculty, or employees; 26 (3) businesses that provide high-speed broadband 27 Internet access transport services to their employees at 28 their place of employment; and 29 (4) real estate owners or managers that provide 30 high-speed broadband Internet access transport services 31 solely to their own tenants or residents without 32 assessing a separate charge for this service to their 33 tenants or residents. -4- LRB9201572JScs 1 Section 25. Home rule. The establishment of standards 2 for the provision and enforcement of equal access to 3 high-speed broadband Internet transport as provided in this 4 Act is an exclusive power and function of the State. A home 5 rule unit may not establish standards for the provision and 6 enforcement of equal access to high-speed broadband Internet 7 transport. This Act is a denial and limitation of home rule 8 powers and functions under subsection (h) of Section 6 of 9 Article VII of the Illinois Constitution. 10 Section 30. Attorney General; general powers. When it 11 appears to the Attorney General that a person has engaged in 12 or is engaging in any practice declared to be unlawful by 13 this Act; when the Attorney General receives a written 14 complaint from a consumer or Internet service provider of a 15 practice declared to be unlawful under this Act; or when the 16 Attorney General believes it to be in the public interest 17 that an investigation should be made to ascertain whether a 18 person, in fact, has engaged in or is engaging in any 19 practice declared to be unlawful by this Act, the Attorney 20 General may: 21 (1) require that person to file on such terms as 22 the Attorney General prescribes a statement or report in 23 writing under oath or otherwise, as to all information 24 the Attorney General may consider necessary; 25 (2) examine under oath any person in connection 26 with the practice; 27 (3) examine any record, book, document, account, 28 paper, or other item as the Attorney General may consider 29 necessary; and 30 (4) pursuant to an order of a circuit court, 31 impound any record, book, document, account, paper, or 32 other item that is produced in accordance with this Act 33 and retain it in the Attorney General's possession until -5- LRB9201572JScs 1 the completion of all proceedings in connection with 2 which it is produced. 3 Section 35. Attorney General; issuance of subpoenas and 4 conduct of hearings; rules. To accomplish the objectives and 5 to carry out the duties prescribed by this Act, the Attorney 6 General, in addition to other powers conferred upon him by 7 this Act, may issue subpoenas to any person, administer an 8 oath or affirmation to any person, conduct hearings in aid of 9 any investigation or inquiry, prescribe forms and promulgate 10 such rules as may be necessary, which rules shall have the 11 force of law. 12 Section 40. Notice; manner of service. Service by the 13 Attorney General of any notice requiring a person to file a 14 statement or report, or of a subpoena upon any person, shall 15 be made in the manner provided in the Civil Practice Law. 16 Section 45. Failure to file report or obey subpoena. If 17 a person fails or refuses to file any statement or report, or 18 obey any subpoena issued by the Attorney General, the 19 Attorney General may file a complaint in the circuit court 20 for the (i) granting of injunctive relief or (ii) granting of 21 such other relief as may be required, until the person files 22 the statement or report, or obeys the subpoena. 23 Section 50. Injunctive and other relief. 24 (a) When the Attorney General has reason to believe that 25 a person has engaged in or is engaging in a practice declared 26 by this Act to be unlawful, he or she may bring an action in 27 the name of the People of the State against the person to 28 restrain by preliminary or permanent injunction the act or 29 practice. The court, in its discretion, may exercise all 30 powers necessary including, but not limited to, injunctive -6- LRB9201572JScs 1 relief. 2 (b) In addition to the remedy provided in subsection 3 (a), the Attorney General may request, and the court may 4 impose, a civil penalty in a sum not to exceed $2,500 per 5 offense and costs of investigation and prosecution against a 6 person found by the Court to have engaged in any practice 7 declared unlawful under this Act. Each day a person is found 8 to be in violation of this Act shall constitute a separate 9 offense. 10 Section 55. Private right of action. A person who has 11 been aggrieved as a result of a violation of this Act may 12 bring an action in the circuit court of the county in which 13 either party is located. Upon a finding that a party has 14 committed a violation of this Act, the court may award 15 damages and injunctive relief. 16 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect 17 January 1, 2002.