Illinois § 17.3

§ 17.3.

Rights granted to electric cooperative broadband grant recipients. (a) In the grant service area, a broadband grant recipient, subject to the recipient's broadband grant, may access and use (i) any existing electric easement held or controlled by the broadband grant recipient or (ii) any other existing electric easement contingent upon an agreement with the easement holder or controller for the delivery of broadband service by the broadband grant recipient. (b) If the proper permits are acquired by State and local authorities, no property owner of property located within the grant service area shall forbid or prevent a proposed broadband grant recipient from entering upon the property for purposes of and in connection with the deployment of broadband infrastructure, nor shall any such property owner forbid or prohibit the broadband grant recipient from deploying upon, beneath, or over that property broadband infrastructure utilized by the broadband grant recipient for such broadband service. The property owner may be entitled to the payment of just compensation by that broadband grant recipient as provided in Section 17.4, and the broadband grant recipient shall indemnify the owner of the property for any physical damage caused by deployment of the broadband infrastructure and service. (Source: P.A. 104-426, eff. 8-15-25.)