Opinion ID: 1658888
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: mootness and preemption

Text: The question of law presented by this appeal is whether the Commission erred in determining that LES lacked the legal authority to operate as a for-hire telecommunications carrier. During the pendency of this appeal, the Nebraska Legislature enacted 2001 Neb. Laws, L.B. 827. Certain sections of this bill, originally codified at Neb.Rev.Stat. §§ 75-604(5) and 86-2302(2) (Supp.2001), became effective on September 1, 2001. These statutes provided that the Commission shall not issue... a permit ... to an agency or political subdivision of the state and that [n]o agency or political subdivision of the state shall provide telecommunications services for a fee ... or be issued ... a permit as a telecommunications contract carrier. §§ 75-604(5) and 86-2302(2). We note that 2002 Neb. Laws, L.B. 1105, transfers § 75-604(5) to Neb.Rev.Stat. § 86-128(1)(b) (Cum.Supp.2002), operative January 1, 2003, without substantive change. In addition, 2002 Neb. Laws, L.B. 1105, transfers § 86-2302(2) to Neb.Rev.Stat. § 86-575(2) (Cum.Supp.2002), operative January 1, 2003, also without substantive change. Due to this recodification, we refer to the current statutes, rather than the statutes referenced by the parties. In its appellate brief and in a subsequently filed motion for summary dismissal, NTA asserted that the enactment of these statutory provisions rendered the issue presented by this appeal moot. LES filed an objection to the motion for summary dismissal and supporting brief in which it asserted that the pertinent provisions of L.B. 827 are preempted by the Telecommunications Act of 1996, 47 U.S.C. § 253 (2000), and are therefore unconstitutional under the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution. LES also addressed this issue in its reply brief, filed a separate Notice of Constitutional Question, and served copies of its briefs assigning the unconstitutionality of L.B. 827 pursuant to Neb. Ct. R. of Prac. 9E (rev.2000). The Attorney General has not entered an appearance or filed a brief on this issue. Although we overruled the motion for summary dismissal, the mootness issue has now been fully briefed and is before us. A moot case is one which seeks to determine a question which does not rest upon existing facts or rights, in which the issues presented are no longer alive. Chambers v. Lautenbaugh, 263 Neb. 920, 644 N.W.2d 540 (2002); Wilcox v. City of McCook, 262 Neb. 696, 634 N.W.2d 486 (2001). The Nebraska statutory provisions enacted after the Commission's order at issue in this case would clearly prohibit the city of Lincoln and LES from seeking authority as a telecommunications contract carrier. Unless LES is correct in its assertion that these statutory provisions are preempted by federal law, the single issue presented in this appeal would be moot. We therefore address the preemption issue. The federal statute upon which LES bases its preemption argument provides in part: