Nashville’s high-speed internet providers failed to reach an agreement Wednesday after an all-day meeting about Google Fiber’s access to utility poles.
Google, Comcast, and AT&T met at the request of Mayor Megan Barry, who is seeking faster rollout of service. But the companies remain stuck at an impasse over rules that govern how wires are attached to poles.
In a written statement, Metro’s Chief Operating Officer Rich Riebeling called the summit disappointing and suggested a lawsuit could be brewing. He says the companies have a “philosophical disagreement.”
The competing companies issued their own statements. Google Fiber and AT&T were cordial toward the mayor’s office, but laid out different paths forward.
Google says it still supports a Metro Council bill known as “One Touch Make Ready,” which would let work crews quickly make room on utility poles for its new fiber wires. The company has talked about walking away from Nashville if it can’t streamline the process.
AT&T’s Tennessee president Joelle Phillips expressed frustration and called out Google for inaccuracies but also said talks should continue. “That’s the way business in Nashville ordinarily makes progress,” she said.
Comcast has generally sought a solution that wouldn’t require the Metro Council to write a new law. The company provided a statement to WPLN on Thursday expressing disappointment at the outcome of the meeting and a commitment to
“coming to a multi-party agreement to accelerate broadband deployment in Nashville.”
The council takes up the issue again
in two weeks
.
This story has been updated to include comment from Comcast.
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