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Phoenix Gets One Step Closer to Google Fiber

Phoenix, Arizona appears to be one step closer to getting Google Fiber. Back in January Google announced a major new expansion, adding Charlotte, Raleigh Durham, Atlanta, Nashville and Salt Lake City to the company's already underway builds in Kansas City, Austin and Provo. But the company also indicated it would likely be announcing likely expansions in Portland, San Antonio (announced last month), San Jose, and Phoenix before the end of the year.

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While Phoenix hasn't yet been formally announced as a Google Fiber market, the Phoenix city council this week announced that it has approved all the necessary licenses for Google Fiber broadband and TV launch. As part of the deal, Google will pay a license fee of five percent of all cable television revenues to the city.

"When it comes to the Internet, speed matters. Today's decision will help our ability as a community to offer the ultra-fast service that is fundamental to competing and innovating in the 21st century economy," said Mayor Greg Stanton.

"This is a key step forward to possibly seeing Google Fiber in our market, but it has also been good to see Cox and CenturyLink taking steps toward providing Gigabit Internet speeds as well. Ultra-fast Internet speeds are critical to our Innovation Infrastructure."

Ain't competition grand? In San Antonio's case a deal was struck in June and it was formally announced in August, so expect a formal confirmation from Google that Google Fiber is coming to Phoenix sometime in the next two months.
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Flyonthewall
@teksavvy.com

Flyonthewall

Anon

Cable TV revenues from Google Fiber?

HUH? Don't you mean internet revenues?

Killa200
Premium Member
join:2005-12-02
TN

Killa200

Premium Member

Re: Cable TV revenues from Google Fiber?

No. This is most likely a 5% franchise fee agreement for the tv portion of Google's fiber service.

That's a fairly standard procedure.

*edit* Even better of a sweetheart deal for Google. Looks like Phoenix is throwing in ROW access for free as part of that franchise agreement. That's uncommon, and a plus for Google.
zed260
Premium Member
join:2011-11-11
Cleveland, TN

1 recommendation

zed260 to Flyonthewall

Premium Member

to Flyonthewall
most agreements dont charge fees on internet revenues since thats what they want more then anything better internet

tshirt
Premium Member
join:2004-07-11
Snohomish, WA

tshirt

Premium Member

Portland, , San Jose, and Phoenix ....

... just need to bow and scrape a little lower before their new master throws them a bone.
Users ALL residents will still be paying, just a different way.
radougherty
join:1999-07-23
Austin, TX

1 recommendation

radougherty

Member

How about finishing what you've announced already?

Are they spreading their resources too thin by trying to do all these cities at once? How about pushing to finish the cities where they've already started rollout?
silbaco
Premium Member
join:2009-08-03
USA

2 recommendations

silbaco

Premium Member

Re: How about finishing what you've announced already?

Google just moves that slow. They still have not finished Kansas City.
existenz
join:2014-02-12

1 edit

1 recommendation

existenz

Member

Re: How about finishing what you've announced already?

KC metro not nearly complete but city of KC, KS appears to be basically complete and City Mgr of KC, MO says city is 'complete' but I think he meant all of the infrastructure. There are still stragglers out there such as maybe logistically difficult homes or apt buildings where owners aren't doing their part of agreement to make it happen.

Many of the burbs have started but it might be a while. If City Mgr is correct (and is questionable), then GF is passing about 250K-260K homes/units or so so far including KCK, maybe up to 280K with some burbs already started. Metro wide they are suppose to eventually pass about 500K-600K homes from what I can tell (about 1.3M of about 2M metro population) - still long way to go but picking up the pace.

So it took 4+ years to generally complete the first two city propers. Considering they are new to this and started fiber rollout/ROW from scratch, that isn't terrible, but they didn't set realistic expectations.

booya
@pppoe.ca

booya to silbaco

Anon

to silbaco
It could be a lot worse. You could be stuck in areas serviced by Verizon.
xrobertcmx
Premium Member
join:2001-06-18
White Plains, MD

1 recommendation

xrobertcmx

Premium Member

Re: How about finishing what you've announced already?

said by booya :

It could be a lot worse. You could be stuck in areas serviced by Verizon.

Are you kidding, I had to move from a FIOS area with 75/75 now 100/100 internet to a location with only Time Warner that delivers about 60% on my 50/5 connection and roughly half the channels I got from Verizon, all for slightly more money.
We can't get Century Link, the other option here.

booya
@pppoe.ca

1 recommendation

booya

Anon

Re: How about finishing what you've announced already?

said by xrobertcmx:

Are you kidding, I had to move from a FIOS area with 75/75 now 100/100 internet to a location with only Time Warner that delivers about 60% on my 50/5 connection and roughly half the channels I got from Verizon, all for slightly more money.
We can't get Century Link, the other option here.

No. I am definitely not. Would you be happy if you were in a city wired with FiOS and it was rolled out like Swiss cheese? Neighbors on the other side of the street can get FiOS and you can't or someone on another street over can but you can't. I sure as hell wouldn't be Ok with that.
xrobertcmx
Premium Member
join:2001-06-18
White Plains, MD

xrobertcmx

Premium Member

Re: How about finishing what you've announced already?

I was in a market that was similar to that. All new developments got it, older areas got it hit or mix. Apartment buildings suffered the worst. Many, very expensive, developments only had DSL, Comcast, or Cox as options. The difference was that Comcast and Cox actually tried to compete and offered better speeds, and lower prices.

tshirt
Premium Member
join:2004-07-11
Snohomish, WA

tshirt to silbaco

Premium Member

to silbaco
said by silbaco:

Google just moves that slow.

I don't think it's just google, though their pace is definitely based on efficiency rather then urgency (build based on demand not a schedule) mass home installs in waves down a block rather than racing back and forth between areas)
But it is a good example about the daunting size of "fibering America" literally a moonshot sized project, it won't be done overnight, likely not even in a decade (without a 1960's Nasa sized budget)
said by radougherty:

Are they spreading their resources too thin by trying to do all these cities at once?

and google can't do it alone, nor will FTTH be the only solution.
smk11
join:2014-11-12

-2 recommendations

smk11 to radougherty

Member

to radougherty
Why? Just wire the profitable fiberhoods.

"Project Fi" should be a warning that they aren't seeking fiber everywhere.
tmc8080
join:2004-04-24
Brooklyn, NY

tmc8080

Member

Re: How about finishing what you've announced already?

Newsflash! They're all profitable.. Google has NOT chosen a municipality yet which is all but charity work... selling broadband is just the start.. Google is a vertically integrated company which will have multiple products to sell utilizing the internet. Even if you don't buy anything other than broadband, your privacy rights are going to be exploited as a marketing tool. THAT'S the end game which is the most valuable asset. The big incumbents have known about this goldmine for decades but did not need to exploit it while the municipality gravy train put sweetheart giveaways in the form of tax breaks, no tax policy (currently eroding into a USF surcharge and below the line fees by Telcos), but they will transition to full exploitation as that other gravy train comes to an end.

As for money.. google has a 500 billion dollar war chest to dole out over the next 15 years.. which will lead to netting trillions of dollars... or bankruptcy.. but that's only if you factor in another war, depression or other catastrophic event or two versus the economy pulling together..
ArizonaSteve
join:2004-01-31
Apache Junction, AZ

3 recommendations

ArizonaSteve

Member

Re: How about finishing what you've announced already?

>They're all profitable..
Not really, the poor can't afford huge cable bills! I bet they never wire up any of the mobile home parks here. Google Fiber will probably only be available in central Phoenix and Scottsdale and never come to my area of E. Mesa.
existenz
join:2014-02-12

existenz

Member

Re: How about finishing what you've announced already?

GF first partly went for the lowest income areas in KC metro (City of KC, KS and Central KCMO - the two lowest income areas of KC metro). Part of their goal is to connect the unconnected. Yeah, they did signups but if enough want it, the hood can get it and most low income hoods qualified.
existenz

1 edit

existenz to ArizonaSteve

Member

to ArizonaSteve
said by ArizonaSteve:

I bet they never wire up any of the mobile home parks here.

Just checked and found a couple moble parks in North KC did qualify for Google Fiber.
ArizonaSteve
join:2004-01-31
Apache Junction, AZ

ArizonaSteve

Member

Re: How about finishing what you've announced already?

That's really encouraging! Century Link did put DSL in my neighborhood but their high price TV service called Prism is only available in higher income areas like Scottsdale and parts of Chandler and Gilbert.
existenz
join:2014-02-12

existenz

Member

What's with the downvotes smk11? Especially for info someone was looking for.
chrismitt
join:2012-07-09
Orange, CA

chrismitt to ArizonaSteve

Member

to ArizonaSteve
My hope is for queen creek/san tan valley area
said by ArizonaSteve:

>They're all profitable..
Not really, the poor can't afford huge cable bills! I bet they never wire up any of the mobile home parks here. Google Fiber will probably only be available in central Phoenix and Scottsdale and never come to my area of E. Mesa.

existenz
join:2014-02-12

existenz

Member

Chicago, Minneapolis, San Diego rumored..

...by Tech Republic via Motley Fool...
»finance.yahoo.com/video/ ··· 988.html
captinkirk
join:2012-12-12
Tucson, AZ

1 recommendation

captinkirk

Member

Please consider Tucson as well.

Google please consider Tucson as apart of your Phoenix roll out. We need you badly!
spravrm
join:2000-10-15
Phoenix, AZ

spravrm

Member

Gee not again !

Cox finally just got all the streets in my neighborhood re-paved after digging them all up to lay fiber. It took almost 9 months. And guess what only 1 family in my neighborhood has gigabit ! The only reason they took it was because it was going to save them $15 per month on their full bundle.