By Shalini Ramachandran 

As mayor of Somerset, Ky., Eddie Girdler on a daily basis tackles issues ranging from opening new neighborhood parks to stopping aggressive dogs from harassing mailmen.

Now he's got a new project: blocking the pending $45 billion merger of cable giants Comcast Corp. and Time Warner Cable Inc.

Just in Somerset, that is.

Last week Somerset's city council voted against the deal, denying requests for Time Warner Cable's systems to be turned over to Comcast, and later to Charter Communications Inc., a third party involved in the transaction. At least two other Kentucky areas, including Campbell County and the city of Danville, have taken steps toward similar ends.

The decisions of a few towns are unlikely to have much bearing on the Comcast deal, since the merger agreement says it needs approval from localities representing only 85% of Time Warner Cable's 11 million subscribers. The deal's fate will be decided by Washington regulators. But these communities' passionate opposition, fueled by frustration with customer-service headaches, points to some of the challenges Comcast and Charter will inherit if they succeed in taking over Time Warner Cable systems.

Kentucky mayors and city managers say their constituents have been through a number of cable deals over the years as smaller operators have been gobbled up. In Danville, for example, the cable system has changed hands from FrontierVision to Adelphia Communications Corp. to Time Warner Cable. The result, officials in several cities say, has been higher cable rates and worse customer service, as the merging companies close regional offices and consolidate operations.

"We're very concerned that the bigger they get, the less likely they are to respond to any customer," Somerset's Mr. Girdler said.

Charter, Comcast and Time Warner Cable say they are working toward winning the necessary local approvals. "We look forward to good relationships" with all the acquired territories, a Charter spokesman said. Comcast said it expects to get the required approvals.

Local governments have the ability to approve or deny the transfer of a cable company, if that's stipulated in the "franchise" agreement between the parties. In about half of U.S. states, state-level bodies have that power, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. But in other states, including Kentucky, city governments get the final say.

Tensions between cities and cable companies have a rich history. Cable companies are ripe political targets and local politicians have long used cable transactions as vehicles to negotiate improvements on service.

Indeed, even as they press their case against the deal, many of the Kentucky towns including Somerset are willing to acquiesce if the companies promise concessions. The requests, which can seem pedestrian, range from extending local store hours to getting public-access channels broadcast in high-definition. Among Somerset's biggest beefs is that Charter isn't guaranteeing that the Weather Channel will be part of the basic TV package if it acquires control.

Local officials aren't sure precisely what happens if towns go through with rejecting the deals. Some acknowledge they would likely face lawsuits.

Kentucky officials say that this merger could be the last opportunity to extract favorable terms for the foreseeable future, given the size of the companies involved and the small chance of another big deal happening in the near term.

Some towns have reached deals with Comcast, Charter and Time Warner Cable after threatening to reject the transaction. Lexington, Ky., struck a 10-year pact Thursday in which the cable companies all agreed to longer store hours and steeper, $500-a-day penalties if they were to violate the contract. Charter also agreed to create a new, affordable broadband option for low-income residents.

Worcester, Mass., on Nov. 6 approved transfer of the local Charter system to Comcast--but only after Comcast agreed to keep the local call center open and continue backing the city's public news program.

Danville, Ky., is approaching a final decision in coming weeks. Among its demands: free cable-TV for all public schools and continued funding of a local office and studio where churches and residents can record public programming.

In Somerset, Mr. Girdler said people rely on weather TV coverage during tornado season. "It isn't high rocket science--it's pretty simple: Give us the Weather Channel, come on!" he said.

The roadblocks stem in part from negative consumer sentiment about cable-TV providers in general, and these three companies in particular. Cable executives acknowledge it is much harder to integrate systems when taking over a cable company whose reputation has suffered. In a J.D. Power survey this year of more than 30,000 customers nationwide, TWC ranked dead last in customer service among TV providers in the South. Comcast and Charter rounded out the bottom three.

The companies all say they are working on it. "We've seen an increase in our customer satisfaction scores over the past year or two and look forward to continuing to improve," a Charter spokesman said. Comcast said improving customer experience is a "top priority." Time Warner Cable noted that it has boosted Internet speeds and streamlined customer service in Kentucky.

Cable franchise lawyers say the Kentucky localities' actions are unusual. "In my 23 years practicing telecommunications law, I have never had a community deny a transfer of control or have a resolution to deny a transfer of control placed on their agenda, up until this year," says Linda Ain, a lawyer who has worked on dozens of cable deals and represents close to a hundred Kentucky municipalities, including several of the current holdouts.

Adds Jim Baller, a longtime telecom lawyer at Baller Herbst Group: Among local officials, "there's a widespread sense of unquiet about this merger."

Write to Shalini Ramachandran at shalini.ramachandran@wsj.com

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