Chicago, Los Angeles Join Short List For Google Fiber Gigabit Internet Expansion

The fiber wars are kicking into high gear. Earlier today, we learned that AT&T is expanding its ultra-fast Gigapower service to 38 metropolitan areas across the United States. Not to be left out, Google announced today that it is also expanding fiber Internet service coverage, albeit on a much smaller scale.

The two lucky cities this time around are Chicago and Los Angeles, which when combined are home to over six million Americans. As is the case when Google selects a new city to receive its fiber service, there’s an extensive checklist that must be followed along with considerations for city infrastructure and topography.

“While we can’t guarantee that we’ll be able to bring Fiber to Chicago and L.A., this is a big step for these cities and their leaders,” said Jill Szuchmacher, Google Fiber Expansion Director. “Planning for a project of this size is a huge undertaking, but we’ll be sure to keep residents updated along the way.

"With the help of gigabit internet, Chicago and LA can boost their creative cultures with internet speed to match their size," Szuchmacher continued. "Whether it’s filmmaking or entrepreneurship or more abundant bandwidth at home, Chicago and LA are the perfect cities to show us what’s possible with gigabit internet."

There are currently 18 metropolitan areas across the US that are already servicing residents with Google Fiber, in the construction process or completing feasibility studies for the service. Chicago and LA bring the total to twenty, and hopefully Google plans to continue to spread the wealth to other major metropolitan areas across the country.

Google Fiber costs $70/month for 1Gbps Internet access alone. Stepping up to $130/ month will get you Internet access plus over 150 TV channels and the ability to record up to 8 programs at once. Both services come with 1TB of Google Drive storage.