It seems that the battle between Spirit Broadband and Cumberland County has gone on for ages. According to County Mayor Kenny Carey, the cable supplier applied to the state last fall for a Franchise for Cable in the county. The county has been attempting to capture thousands of dollars in past franchise fees from Spirit for several years. In a letter from the mayor to county commissioners, Carey stated that he had been in talks with the Tennessee Public Utility Commission (TPUC) on the matter, discussing at length the issues the county has with the company and the fact that customers have been dissatisfied with service from Spirit Broadband for years. The commission stated that the law did not allow them to deny Spirit a franchise thru the state, but they did advise that the County would receive franchise fees going forward. They also told the mayor that they could not aid the county in getting any past franchise fees but that they, the TPUC, would deal with any customer complaints directed at the service. A number was provided for customer complaints but according to resident’s postings on social media, representatives with the state say there is “nothing they can do to get better service.” Mayor Carey told 1057 News that he was meeting with the state Friday to see what progress had been made, and that if he was not satisfied, he was prepared to “proceed with a lawsuit.”