Middlebourne Mayor Charlie Delauder told council Monday that it looks like the Middlebourne Cable Company will be dissolved.

The Public Service Commission held a hearing on Jan. 10 regarding the Middlebourne Cable Company. “They received testimony regarding the quality of the service. The attorney representing the PSC has filed a brief requiring remediation by the cable company,” the report read. “The company is to restore all 36 channels and charge no more than $9 per month. They are also requiring that the cable company answer their phone.”

The report continued to state that in the meantime, since the cable company had not paid the town any franchise fees for the past nine years, Delauder had asked Middlebourne’s attorney, Gary Rymer, to bring suit against the cable company. The cable company failed to appear to answer the suit, so Delauder will be selling the company’s assets on the steps of the courthouse on March 10. Delauder added that hopefully he would be able to recover the amounts owed to the city. “The cable company has collected the franchise fee for the past nine years but never remitted it to the city,” the report read.

Delauder additionally added that the assets included three pieces of ground, one located on Pleasant’s Ridge and another consisting of two lots located “at the bottom of town next to the park.” He stated he did not know where the other piece of land is located. However, the assets would also include “everything they’ve got on the poles.”

In the meantime, Delauder stated that Armstrong Telecommunications from Harrisville has been contacted regarding offering cable service to Middlebourne and the county. Delauder stated he has had a couple of conversations with the general manager. The company would run a fiber optic cable from Harrisville to each home in the area that wanted to subscribe. Armstrong Telecommunications would also offer phone and internet service in addition to the cable service, and they would offer services to each home they pass on the way to Middlebourne. However, Delauder noted this plan would be very expensive and the town would have to wait to see if the company headquarters, in Butler, Pa. approves of the plan.