Comcast insists that this isn't about protecting its market dominance. It's about the cableco's ability to oversee its network, "customer relationships and public safety," according to the company's Andy Macke. Google and other internet providers could theoretically cause damage or otherwise interfere with existing service. In the lawsuit, Comcast adds that One Touch Make Ready is "so intrusive" that Metro Nashville exempted its own poles from the new rule.

To no one's surprise, Nashville isn't taking the legal action lying down. Mayor Megan Barry tells the Tennessean that the law has already been vetted "in the court of public opinion," and that the city "overwhelmingly supports" the measure. As it stands, Comcast's argument doesn't entirely hold water. The company only just started deploying gigabit internet in Nashville, and dismantling One Touch Make Ready would force Google to wait months per cable before it could go ahead. Comcast will clearly benefit from the lawsuit by delaying Google Fiber and snapping up customers that would otherwise have considered an alternative.