BRISTOL, Tenn. (WCYB) — Internet provider Brightspeed has filed a lawsuit against the city of Bristol, Tennessee.

The suit alleges that the city proposed a ‘right-of-way’ (ROW) access agreement fee to prevent Brightspeed from installing its upgraded broadband network.

According to the filing, the city was set to charge Brightspeed $442,000 per year in fees to set up this upgraded network. The lawsuit alleges this violates state and federal laws because the fee was applied on a discriminatory basis and the cost is not reasonable with what it would cost the city of Bristol, Tennessee. Brightspeed alleges Bristol Tennessee Essential Services or BTES does not have to pay a similar fee.

In the lawsuit, Brightspeed says it has invested approximately $3 million into its broadband deployment in the city.

The city of Bristol, Tennessee declined to comment on the pending litigation.

Brightspeed sent the following statement to News 5:

Brightspeed has already invested millions of dollars to deliver a state-of-the-art fiber network to Bristol and surrounding communities that have been long underserved when it comes to reliable, high-speed internet access. Yet the city’s unreasonable demands have already stalled construction by more than six months, needlessly delaying access to essential connectivity for thousands of families and businesses. For months, we have negotiated in good faith. However, we have not reached a reasonable agreement. The city’s actions are directly blocking progress and depriving its residents of the fast, dependable internet service they deserve and is critical for remote work, online learning, e-commerce, healthcare access and economic growth. As a result, we have no choice but to pursue legal action.This legal action is about more than one company; it is about the people of Bristol being denied choice, competition and the modern broadband infrastructure they deserve. We remain committed to delivering blazing-fast fiber to Bristol and hope the city will finally work toward a fair resolution that puts the needs of its families and businesses ahead of discriminatory fees and unfair practices. We are calling on the city to stop blocking progress.