CPS Energy, Time Warner Cable Texas LLC, and Southwestern Bell Telephone Company D/B/A AT&T// Public Utility Commission of Texas v. Public Utility Commission of Texas// Cross-Appellee, CPS Energy, Time Warner Cable Texas LLC and Southwestern Bell Telephone Company D/B/A AT&T ( 2015 )

ACCEPTED
03-14-00340-CV
5451028
THIRD COURT OF APPEALS
AUSTIN, TEXAS
5/28/2015 12:22:07 PM
JEFFREY D. KYLE
CLERK
Mayer Brown LLP
71 South Wacker Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60606-4637
FILED IN
3rd COURT OF MainAPPEALS
Tel +1 312 782 0600
AUSTIN,Main Fax +1 312 701 7711
TEXAS
May 28, 2015 www.mayerbrown.com
5/28/2015 12:22:07 PM
JEFFREY D. KYLET. Sullivan
Michael
Clerk
Direct Tel +1 312 701 7251
Direct Fax +1 312 706 8689
Jeffrey D. Kyle, Clerk msullivan@mayerbrown.com
Court of Appeals
Third District of Texas
P.O. Box 12547
Austin, TX 78711-2547
Re: Case No. 03-14-00340-CV
Appellants, CPS Energy, Time Warner Cable
Texas LLC and Southwestern Bell Telephone
Company d/b/a AT&T/Cross Appellant, Public
Utility Commission of Texas v. Appellee, Public
Utility Commission of Texas/Cross Appellee, CPS
Energy, Time Warner Cable Texas LLC and
Southwestern Bell Telephone Company d/b/a
AT&T
Dear Mr. Kyle:
On May 8, 2015, Southwestern Bell Telephone Company d/b/a AT&T Texas (“AT&T”)
and Time Warner Cable Texas LLC (“TWC”) filed its Joint Response. In that Joint Response,
AT&T and TWC argued that the Public Utility Commission of Texas’ (“Commission”)
determination that Public Utility Regulatory Act (“PURA”) § 54.204 automatically incorporates
revisions to the Federal Communications Commission’s (“FCC”) Telecom Formula was a
declaratory judgment, not an “advisory opinion,” and that CPS has standing to appeal.
Specifically, AT&T and TWC argued that the Commission’s determination resolved a pure legal
issue: the clarification of the meaning of the statute, and the parties’ rights under that statute,
without dependence on hypothetical or theoretical future events – a circumstance that courts find
as a proper subject for a declaratory judgment. See Joint Response, pp. 4-6, citing State v.
Montgomery Cnty., 338 S.W.3d 49, 57-58 (Tex. App.—Beaumont 2011, pet. denied); Bexar
Metropolitan Water Dist. v. City of Bulverde, 156 S.W.3d 79, 88 (Tex. App.—Austin 2005, pet.
denied); Brennan v. City of Willow Park, 376 S.W.3d 910, 922 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth 2012,
pet. denied.)
In its brief filed on May 22, 2015, the Commission correctly notes that the Joint
Response cites a brief, instead of a Commission decision, in Docket No. 36763, Complaint of
Chermac Energy Corp. Regarding Certain Qualifying Facilities Under PURPA. The purpose of
Mayer Brown LLP operates in combination with other Mayer Brown entities with offices in Europe and Asia
and is associated with Tauil & Chequer Advogados, a Brazilian law partnership.
Mayer Brown LLP
Jeffrey D. Kyle, Clerk
May 28, 2015
Page 2
this letter is to apologize to the Court for the error in the Joint Response. Despite our sincere
regret, AT&T’s and TWC’s basic position remains firmly grounded in applicable law, including
the other decisions cited in the Joint Response at pages 4-8. See, e.g., City of Waco v. Texas
Natural Resource Conservation Commission, 83 S.W.3d 169, 178 (Tex. App.—Austin 2002, pet.
denied) (“Because we find that the City's declaratory judgment request turns on a purely legal
issue, we reverse the order of dismissal and remand this cause for consideration of the issue
presented.”); Bexar Metropolitan Water Dist., 156 S.W.3d at 88 (“Declaratory-judgment actions
are intended to determine the rights of parties when a controversy has arisen, before any wrong
has actually been committed, and are preventative in nature.”).
We respectfully thank the Court for its consideration of this matter and regret any
inconvenience that this may have caused.
Sincerely,
/s/ Michael T. Sullivan
Michael T. Sullivan
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I hereby certify that a true and correct copy of this document was served
electronically and/or by regular U.S. mail upon the following attorneys of record
on this 28th day of May, 2015.
/s/ Michael T. Sullivan
Counsel for Public Utility Commission Counsel for Time Warner Cable Texas LLC:
of Texas:
Valerie P. Kirk
Douglas Fraser Melissa Lorber
Kellie E. Billings-Ray Enoch Kever PLLC
Megan M. Neal 600 Congress Avenue, Suite 2800
Office of the Attorney General Austin, Texas 78701
P.O. Box 12548, Capitol Station Phone: (512) 615-1200
Austin, Texas 78711-02548 Fax: (512) 615-1198
Phone: (512) 463-2012 vkirk@enochkever.com
Fax: (512) 457-4610 mlorber@enochkever.com
douglas.fraser@texasattorneygeneral.gov
kellie.billings-
ray@texasattorneygeneral.gov
megan.neal@texasattorneygeneral.gov
Counsel for CPS Energy: Counsel for Time Warner Cable Texas LLC:
Curt D. Brockman J.D. Thomas
CPS Energy Paul A. Werner
145 Navarro Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP
P.O. Box 1771 1300 I Street, N.W.
San Antonio, TX 78296 11th Floor East
Phone: (210) 353-5689 Washington DC 20005
Fax: (210) 353-6832 Phone: (202) 218-0000
cdbrockman@cpsenergy.com Fax: (202) 312-9504
dthomas@sheppardmullin.com
pwerner@sheppardmullin.com
Counsel for CPS Energy:
Alfred R. Herrera
Sean Farrell
HERRERA & BOYLE, PLLC
816 Congress Avenue, Suite 1250
Austin, TX 78701
Phone: (512) 474-1492
Fax: (512) 474-2507
aherrera@herreraboylelaw.com
sfarrell@herreraboylelaw.com
mwood@herreraboylelaw.com
llindsey@herreraboylelaw.com