Before it ever received the petition, the Moody City Council was already looking into how to improve Internet service for some of its residents.

During the City Council meeting on March 28, members were approached by Carl Carter, who had moved to The Arbors, a neighborhood right behind City Hall, in December. Carter brought with him a petition of more than 50 names – residents who wanted to see what the Council could do about encouraging Charter Communications to replace their only digital option – Windstream, which hasn’t made many new fans in St. Clair County in recent years.

Last year, three attorneys began collecting signatures for a petition to bring a claim of false advertising against the company to arbitration. They collected thousands of names. An attorney on the case did not return a request for comment on its status.

“A lot of us in that neighborhood are new in town out there, and as construction continues to take place we’re excited and want it to happen,” Carter said. “ But we have no television service except satellite, and some of us are less than thrilled with our connection speeds and the services available through Windstream.”

Turns out, the City had already called about the issue. As Charter has consistently spread its services across the community, some areas, like Kelley Creek Downs and Coosa Creek Road, have yet to be connected.

Melissa Fraser, assistant to Mayor Joe Lee, said there was reason to hope for Arbors residents.

“When I called, [Charter] said they like to wait until a project is finished before they run their cables. If they run them during construction, sometimes the lines get cut up,” Fraser said. “They said they’d see about it in January.”

Mayor Lee said the City would meet with Charter officials and provide as much encouragement as possible to speed up the process.