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Google Fiber considers gigabit WiFi to cheaply cover last mile
Google Fiber has been the Holy Grail of local internet aficionados for its blisteringly fast speed and independence from established internet providers. But setting up all its infrastructure is a huge, expensive undertaking. So Google's parent company Alphabet is exploring a cheaper alternative to physically hooking up every home and business: gigabit WiFi.
Google Fiber finally adds AMC to its TV lineup
While most of us are still waiting for Google Fiber to reach our town, many of the people who have its TV service were waiting for something else: AMC. Now, after nearly four years of waiting and an overwhelming number of requests on Google's forums, they have it on channel 288. While adding the channel post-Mad Men and Breaking Bad feels a little late, AMC does have The Walking Dead and Better Call Saul, to go with newbie series Preacher and Feed the Beast.
Google Fiber drops free basic service in its original city
Google Fiber's biggest hook has always been its $70 gigabit internet access, but there has usually been a far more frugal option: you could get free 5Mbps service if you were willing to pay a construction fee. However, that choice appears to be going away in at least one city. Google has quietly dropped that free tier in Kansas City, its first Fiber area, and has replaced it with a 100Mbps option that costs $50 per month. Anyone using the free tier has until May 19th to say they want to keep it. The company hasn't explained the move (we've asked Google for comment), but customers in Austin and Provo still have that choice; Atlanta never had it to start with. Also, this doesn't change Google's plan to offer free service in low-income areas.
Google Fiber is coming to San Francisco
That sound you heard was the collective sigh of relief from legions of Bay Area tech workers. At long last, Google has announced that it's bringing Fiber to San Francisco -- the heart of the industry will finally get to see how Google's gigabit internet service works in practice, not just in tests. The company will use existing fiber optic deployments to wire up apartments and condos, and residents in affordable housing projects will get it for free.
Google Fiber comes to Alabama through a city-run network
Until now, Google has had to build Fiber's gigabit networks the hard way, either from scratch or by making deals to use some existing lines. It's about to try something new, though: the search firm is bringing Fiber to Huntsville, Alabama by using a not-yet-finished municipal network. Huntsville Utilities will "design and construct" the fiber optics, while Google and other providers will simply ride on top. There's no timetable for when Google Fiber will be ready (that's contingent on Huntsville), so you shouldn't expect to sign up any time soon.
Google rolling out free gigabit internet in public housing
Google started its gigabit Fiber program in Kansas City and now some of the area's low-income residents will be first to get the service for free. The company is now hooking up homes in Fiber neighborhoods as part of its pledge to the White House's ConnectHome initiative. The program will help school-age kids study using the internet so they have the same opportunities as kids from more well-off families. "We've wired 100 homes with Fiber, and families can sign up today to access the Internet at up to 1,000 Mbps," said Google Fiber VP Dennis Kish in a blog post.
Google is offering home phone service to select Fiber customers
Google is expanding the Fiber line to include a home phone service, according to The Washington Post. A letter the publication has obtained is giving members of Fiber's Trusted Tester program a chance to get the product earlier than anybody else. Based on that email, it sounds like Google Fiber Phone will fold in features from Google Voice. It has a phone number that lives in the cloud, delivers transcribed voice mails, screens calls and filters spam.
Google taps Los Angeles and Chicago to explore Fiber
Google is considering installing Fiber, its 1000 Mbps internet service, in Chicago and Los Angeles. Fiber is live in three cities across the US -- Austin, Provo and Kansas City -- and it's heading to six more for certain, from Salt Lake City to Raleigh-Durham. Los Angeles and Chicago join eleven other cities on Google's radar, including Portland, Phoenix, San Diego and Tampa.
San Antonio is getting Google Fiber
Nearly six months after the city cleared a steeplechase-worth of legal hurdles, Google has finally announced that it will be installing its ultrafast fiber-optic network in San Antonio, Texas. Google cites San Antonio's 1.4 million residents and thriving tech scene -- including the country's first all-digital library, the Bexar BiblioTech -- as reasons for the selection. The fact that San Antonio was recently chosen for the President Tech Hire and Connect Home initiatives didn't hurt, either. The company will spend the next few months coordinating with city leaders on how best to lay the 4,000 miles of necessary fiber-optic cable. There's no word yet on when the 1,000 Mbps service will actually begin.
Google Fiber joins the White House's low-income broadband efforts
Google Fiber has a few inroads into less fortunate homes, such as its not-quite-free 5Mbps service, but it's still largely aimed at more affluent households. That's going to change very shortly, however: the White House has revealed ConnectHome, an effort that will bring free or inexpensive ($10 per month) broadband from Google, Sprint and other providers to over 275,000 low-income families in public housing. In Google's case, the service will be available in four of the 28 communities covered by the initiative (Atlanta, Durham, Kansas City and Nashville). All current and future Fiber cities will eventually offer similar service, too.
TWC boosts its internet speeds to counter Google Fiber
It's amazing what the addition of a little competition into a natural monopoly can do. Google announced in January that it would be bringing high-speed Fiber to Charlotte, North Carolina. It didn't take long for Time Warner Cable, the (only) local cable/internet provider in that city, to increase its own broadband internet speed by up to 600 percent. The program, called "TWC Maxx" will be a 100 percent digital network meaning that every television channel will be in HD. Since each analog channel takes up three to four times as much bandwidth as a digital one, eliminating them will free up a significant amount of space. TWC plans to use that space to increase its broadband internet speeds at no additional charge to its customers.
Google Fiber is launching in Salt Lake City
You no longer have to head to Provo if you want Google Fiber in Utah -- Google has revealed that it's bringing its gigabit internet access to the state's capital, Salt Lake City. The company is short on details, but it won't have a ready-made fiber network to use this time around. SLC's fiber network is still in the design phase, much like those in Atlanta, Nashville and North Carolina, so you could be waiting a while before you have a chance to sign up. Nonetheless, this is a good sign. Even if you don't live in the area, it suggests that Google is picking up the pace on its once-cautious Fiber rollouts and is more likely to bring extra-fast data to your city.
Google Fiber starts testing targeted, trackable TV ads
For all of the other things it does, Google is still a company that makes a ton of money from advertising, and now it's turning that focus to TV. This week the company announced that it's testing a new kind of ad-tracking system for Google Fiber TV customers in Kansas City. Just like any other local cable company, they'll air during ad breaks reserved for local advertisers (that crappy ad for the car dealership around the corner that comes on during The Walking Dead). Where it's different is that advertisers will only pay for the number of ads actually shown, as monitored by the Fiber set-top boxes. Google can insert fresh ads in DVR'd programming too, and target viewers based on their viewing history. Users can opt-out of the viewing history tracking, but that's it.
Google advises towns that want Fiber to 'make it easy' or 'enjoy your TWC'
Want Google to bring its Gigabit internet service to your area? You'll have to convince your town to follow Selena Gomez's sage advice: If you want it, come and get it. According to GigaOm, Google Fiber's VP of Access Services Milo Medin said at a Washington DC conference: "If you make it easy, we will come. If you make it hard, enjoy your Time Warner Cable." Chances are, you don't want to stay with TWC like most people, so take note of the usual reasons that hamper Medin and his team from bringing Fiber to particular locations.
AT&T's gigabit internet service arrives in Google Fiber's original city
Need further proof that AT&T's GigaPower internet service is meant chiefly as a response to Google Fiber? You're looking at it. AT&T has launched its gigabit fiber option in the Kansas City area (both in Kansas state and Missouri), the original Google Fiber city. The monthly rate is the same as in other GigaPower regions (a Google-like $70 if you don't mind targeted ads, $99 if you do), but AT&T is counting on availability as its ace in the hole. It's using established networks and regulatory advantages to roll out in places that its competitor can't easily reach -- you can get GigaPower in Leawood, for example, while Google isn't allowed to hang its fiber on local poles. While AT&T doesn't shadow its rival all the time (it's offering access in cities Google hasn't even considered yet), it's clear that the telecom giant wants to avoid conceding ground. [Image credit: AP Photo/Orlin Wagner]
Google Fiber is coming to Atlanta, Nashville and North Carolina (update)
Rumors broke over the weekend that Google might bring its gigabit internet Fiber connection to Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham, NC next, but it's not stopping there. The Tennesseean reports Nashville has an announcement planned, while the Wall Street Journal lists all of those metro area plus Atlanta, based on anonymous sources. Atlanta would represent the biggest metro area for Google Fiber yet, and the WSJ mentions that media in the area have been invited to a launch event tomorrow. All four cities were already on Google's "Future of Fiber" list so there's no shockers here, but still -- pretend like you're surprised (and not jealous) when the announcement is made, it's only polite. Update: Surprise! Google has confirmed that 18 cities in the previously mentioned metro areas are next up to get its Fiber service. The Google Fiber website is freshly updated (Thanks Daniel!) with more information, and nearby residents can input their address for a heads up when the new lines are coming their way. Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Antonio and San Jose are still on deck too, and should expect an update later this year.
Google Fiber is (possibly) heading to North Carolina
North Carolina residents might soon see Google Fiber vans driving down the streets. According to several publications, Mountain View has invited local Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham officials to a super secret "Save the Date" event on Wednesday, January 28th. The email invitation is reportedly devoid of any pertinent information, aside from the date, time and the promise that there will be "more details to come." While it could be for a completely different service, there's a reason why local authorities would think it's all about Fiber: Google has long named those locations as next possible sites for its Gigabit internet offering.
Google to FCC: if the internet is a Title II utility, let us expand Fiber
Verizon famously said that if the FCC heeds President Obama's urging and declares the internet a Title II utility, it would cause "great harm to an open Internet, competition and innovation." But exactly the opposite of that may happen, according to a letter from Google to the FCC. Mountain View pointed out that if broadband internet access is declared to be a Title II service, then Google Fiber should be granted the same access as other utilities to poles and other essential infrastructure. It went on to say that doing so would actually "promote broadband deployment and competition."
Google Fiber is growing slowly, by design
"Keep Austin Weird." It's the proud slogan of the Texas capital, and it wears it well, especially with its eclectic mix of culture, history and technology. Pretty soon, Austin will have one more reason to be proud: it'll be one of a few cities in America to carry Google Fiber, the search giant's experimental foray as a broadband provider. "It is, as always, step by step," Google Fiber head of project management Adam Smith tells me. Smith is sitting across from me in Austin's new Google Fiber space, hesitantly explaining how Google isn't very experienced at this whole "internet provider" thing it's been doing. On paper, Austin is the third city to support Google's internet service, but reality is less black and white. "Provo was an acquisition," Smith reminds me. "This is really the second organic city... ...it's sort of also saying that this is also new for us."
Google Fiber's new gear lets you watch more shows on more TVs
If gigabit internet isn't reason enough to tempt Austinites to sign up for Google Fiber, they can chew on this: Austin Texas will be the first Fiber city to enjoy the benefits of Google's latest in-home hardware devices. Today Google officially revealed its new Fiber router, a single unit that consolidates the existing network and storage boxes into one device. This is the same router that rolled out to Kansas City residents in Google's beta program earlier this year -- but there's a little more going on here than mere device consolidation.
