AT&T has a message for Google: don't touch our stuff in Louisville. A lawsuit filed by the cable provider on Thursday complains that the city council has no authority to allow competing broadband utilities like Google Fiber to use existing utility poles, according to local news reports.
The lawsuit seeks to overturn a Louisville Metro council ordinance adopted earlier this month, which allows other utility providers to access and move AT&T's equipment on utility poles. The suit doesn't mention Google Fiber specifically, but Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer hinted in a tweet that the city will vigorously defend the suit so that Google Fiber installation can proceed.
An AT&T spokesperson told PCMag that it welcomes competition from Google Fiber if it pays AT&T to access the poles. According to the lawsuit, the "vast majority" of the poles are either owned by AT&T or operated via a contract with a local utility.
"Google can attach to AT&T's poles once it enters into AT&T's standard Commercial Licensing Agreement, as it has in other cities," the company said in a statement. "This lawsuit is not about Google. It's about the Louisville Metro Council exceeding its authority."
Google announced last September that it is bringing its Fiber gigabit Internet service to Louisville. It's currently in the exploratory phase.
Despite the Louisville challenge, the Google Fiber rollout continues. The company recently announced plans to launch Fiber in certain San Francisco buildings, and team with a city-owned utility in Hunstville, Alabama, to bring service there.
This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.