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Google Fiber Officially Announces Major New Expansion

Confirming rumors that began bubbling forth earlier this week, Google today confirmed that Charlotte, Raleigh Durham, Atlanta, and Nashville will be the next deployment locations for the company's speedy Google Fiber service. According to a Google blog post, the company is also still considering potential deployment to Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Antonio and San Jose.

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Pricing has yet to be announced, but you can be fairly certain it will be the same we've seen in Austin, Kansas City and Provo.

$70 a month nets you a symmetrical 1 Gbps connection, while $120 a month nets you a symmetrical 1 Gbps connection and TV service. Users also have the option of a free 5 Mbps tier if they're willing to pay a $300 installation fee (which can be paid in installments).

"Our next step is to work with cities to create a detailed map of where we can put our thousands of miles of fiber, using existing infrastructure such as utility poles and underground conduit, and making sure to avoid things like gas and water lines," said Google.

From there, Google surveyors and engineers will hit the street to analyze these cities further, after which the company says it will design the network (something they say will take a few months) before beginning construction. As with other Google Fiber locations the company will hold "fiberhood" rallies to determine which ares will see construction first.

Charlotte, Raleigh and Durham are a clever choice given AT&T, CenturyLink and Time Warner Cable's dominance of the state, and their use of protectionist state laws to maintain their respective uncompetitive fiefdoms. Atlanta's a more curious choice given it's slightly more competitive, though you'll note note of the cities chosen are what you'd call broadband competition hotbeds.

Sure, Google Fiber will never be a national deployment and these builds tend to be slow going (Google Fiber's five years old and the number of people that can actually get the service remains relatively negligible). Still, the deployments are shining a bright light on the lack of competition and the culpability of state governments in keeping things that way.

Most recommended from 207 comments


bigballer
join:2014-09-25

9 recommendations

bigballer

Member

Dear Google....

You really have to expand up north.... I live in the Chicago suburbs and I effing hate comcrap. They are the worst company that I have ever dealt with.

Beat them up and lower their stock/profits for me please.

Sincerely,

America
delltechkid
join:2004-11-09
Hermitage, TN

6 recommendations

delltechkid

Member

buhbye

yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas!!! Goodbye, Comcast. I hate you.

Sincerely,
A Nashvillian
biochemistry
Premium Member
join:2003-05-09
92361

2 recommendations

biochemistry

Premium Member

Verizon FiOS

Dear Citizens,

We have been incredibly inspired by the expansion of Google Fiber across this great country of ours. Their low prices, high speeds and lack of cherry picking within the territories they enter should be emulated by all. As a result, Verizon would like to announce that we are expanding FiOS across our entire coverage area. We are commited to putting our customers first! A little friendly competition is good for all so we invite Google Fiber to enter our territories as well.

Just kidding. We are officially ending the expansion of FiOS. Those lucky to at least have DSL will either be hung up on or sold to Frontier as soon as possible. Those with FiOS already will be tolerated for the moment but don't expect gigabit speeds within the next decade. To those who we still don't provide internet to within our territories, have fun being stuck in the 19th century until you move to a Google city.

Yours truly,
Verizon

KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium Member
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK

2 recommendations

KrK

Premium Member

Looks like the "experiment" is going very well, don't you think?

Rabbit! You smell something?

Yeah......

Fear.