The weather outside was sunny, but storm clouds gathered inside the Coweta Commission chambers Tuesday morning when Charter Communications representative Phil Skinner asked the commission to approve sale of the company transfer of its franchise to the new owners.

The commissioners voted to approve the transfer, but only after attaching a condition that specifies the company must live up to commitments the previous owners had made.

Paul Allen, one of the founders of Microsoft, recently purchased the company. Skinner said customers would not be able to tell the company has been sold. Skinner did say he expected Allen to pump some money into the company, possibly paving the way for future expansion.

Commissioner Vernon "Mutt" Hunter told Skinner that his predecessor at the company had verbally committed to adding five miles of cable service each year to areas that would not have enough density for the cable company to run lines.

Hunter was adamant that Skinner reaffirm the agreement.

"The transfer rules are clear and that's not part of it. You would have to put that in all three cable franchise agreements," Skinner said.

Commission Chairman Jim McGuffey said he has received numerous calls about bad cable service in the county and he wants to see the situation improve quickly.

"We're here for the best interests of Coweta County. We want better service and they haven't been getting it," McGuffey said.

All five commissioners agreed that residents complaining about poor cable service or not being able to receive cable are among the top issues that keep their phones ringing. Skinner countered that it was actually the county's fault because they had denied permits to the cable company for digging new lines.

County administrator Theron Gay said the permits were denied because the cable company was dealing with unsafe conditions and spent months correcting the situation.

Hunter was more blunt in his assessment of the problems.