Illinois Bell Telephone Co. v. Illinois Commerce Commission

Illinois Bell Telephone Company appeals a decision of the Illinois Commerce Commission determining that it violated the Public Utilities Act (220 ILCS 5/13—514 (West 2006)), which provides that a telecommunications carrier “shall not knowingly impede the development of competition in any telecommunications service market.” As a result of the determination, the Commission ordered Illinois Bell to pay 20% of the attorney fees of the complaining parties, Sprint Communications L.E and four affiliates (collectively, Sprint), and to pay 10% of the Commission’s costs in conducting the proceeding. We…