UTIL-TELECOM-RR CROSSING

Amends the Telecommunications Article of the Public Utilities Act. Provides terms and conditions for a crossing of railroad right-of-way. Allows the Illinois Commerce Commission to adopt rules prescribing additional terms and conditions to ensure that any crossing be consistent with the public convenience and necessity and reasonable service to the public. Provides that telecommunications carriers that locate their facilities within the railroad right-of-way for a crossing shall pay the railroad a one-time standard crossing fee of $750 for each crossing. Provides special circumstances under which the standard crossing fee is not imposed. Provides that, pending Commission resolution of a claim of special circumstances raised in a petition, a telecommunications carrier may, upon securing the payment of any damages and upon submission of completed engineering specifications to the railroad, proceed with a crossing in accordance with the rules adopted by the Commission, unless the Commission, upon application for emergency relief, determines that there is a reasonable likelihood that the proposed crossing either (i) involves a significant and imminent likelihood of danger to the public health or safety or (ii) is a serious threat to the safe operations of the railroad or to the current use of the railroad right-of-way.