Huntsville City Council President John Meredith admits some residents in the Limestone County portion of the city are being treated like “red-headed stepchildren” when it comes to updated broadband service.

That portion of the city is too rural for some internet companies to offer the service, but ironically, not rural enough to be eligible for federal funds to help them gain the service they want.

“The concern is that we’re citizens of Huntsville city too,” a frustrated Byron McGlathery told Meredith at a recent town hall in Limestone County.

“We need to feel like we’re considered and worthy of funding and getting those upgrades,” McGlathery said.

He and fellow Rabbit Lanes residents feel internet service is one of the biggest challenges in this part of the city where they have Madison postal addresses, Athens Utilities electric service, and Decatur phone numbers if they still have landlines.

“We have AT&T old wire,” McGlathery said. “I know up in the subdivision in Westlake, there’s better options. But for us that are not in that subdivision, we have to deal with the old wire. It works. But it’s still not the speed or the options that we would like to have.”