Oregon Court: Comcast Can Challenge City Over Fees

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Comcast Corp. has won an Oregon Supreme Court ruling allowing it to challenge the city of Eugene over utility permit fees the cable television provider was charged to upgrade its facilities.

The court held the Oregon Tort Claims Act — the law that covers civil lawsuits — did not apply to Comcast in this case.

Comcast paid the fees under protest before it went to court to challenge the city of Eugene over raising the permit fees to recover its share of the cost for the improvements.

The city argued the tort act barred Comcast from recovering the fee increase.

But the Oregon Supreme Court ruled that Comcast had a right to determine whether a government body adopted a law or rule in violation of a procedural requirement.