With the Nashville city council yesterday voting yes on Google Fiber's plan to streamline utility pole attachment in the city, Google Fiber lawyers are gearing up for an expected lawsuit by AT&T. Google Fiber has been pushing for "one touch make ready" rules in Nashville that could dramatically speed up broadband deployment by letting a licensed and insured contractor move any ISPs gear with permission (often a matter of inches). But fearing a surge in competition AT&T has sued cities like Louisville for adopting such streamlined policies.
The
Tennessean notes that Google Fiber is expecting the same behavior by AT&T in Nashville.
"Google Fiber is disappointed that AT&T has threatened to go to court in an effort to block Nashville’s efforts to increase broadband competition should the OTMR ordinance pass,” Fleur Knowlsey, senior counsel of Alphabet’s Access group, which manages Google Fiber, wrote the Nashville city council earlier in the week.
“We believe the city's commonsense initiative will be upheld in the face of any litigation," adds Knowlsey. "We know, however, that litigation can be challenging and expensive. In the event of OTMR litigation, Google Fiber will therefore be glad to share the capabilities of its in-house and outside attorneys, including some of the most experienced and accomplished regulatory attorneys in the industry."
All told, incumbent ISPs like AT&T and Comcast likely know full well these lawsuits won't succeed in stopping Google Fiber, but they certainly benefit from stalling Google Fiber's deployments, allowing them to lock down customers in long term contracts ahead of time. They also certainly benefit from fueling
not entirely accurate assessments that Google Fiber lacks the chops to seriously compete in the broadband sector.