Supreme Court of Illinois

In an action for declaratory relief brought by the city of Chicago against operators of local cable television systems involving cable franchise fees, the circuit court's dismissal of the complaint is affirmed where: 1) a contractual franchise fee provision imposing a 5% fee on defendants' gross cable modem service revenues is preempted by section 542(b) of the Communications Act; and 2) the city had no authority, home rule or otherwise, to require defendants to pay the fee at issue.

Appellate Information

• Decided 11/20/2008
• Published 12/03/2008

Judges

Court

• Supreme Court of Illinois

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Kevin M. Forde and Joanne R. Driscoll, Chicago, for appellant Wideopenwest Illinois, Inc., Thomas F. Geselbracht, of DLA Piper US LLP, Chicago, and Jean L. Kiddoo, Russell M. Blau, of Bingham McCutchen LLP, Washington, D.C., for appellant RCN Cable TV of Chicago, Inc., Gino L. DeVito, Daniel I. Konieczny and Amy C. Crawford, of Tabet DiVito & Rothstein LLC, Chicago, for appellants Comcast Cable Holdings L.L.C., et al.


• For Appellees:
  
• Mara S. Georges, Corporation Counsel, Chicago (Benna Ruth Solomon, Myriam Zreczny Kasper and Christopher Grunewald, of counsel), for appellee.