Items tagged with Google Fiber
Google Fiber announced this week that it was going back to its roots as a gigabit internet company and that its customers don't need traditional TV anymore. Google Fiber says that the only thing customers need is fast, fair, reliable Internet coverage. As such, it will no longer offer linear TV products to new customers. Google Fiber will continue to support existing customers who are on Google Fiber TV and will provide those users with traditional TV service. However, Google Fiber will offer to help everyone on that traditional TV service to explore their favorite programming options over the internet. To help bring more streaming content choice to users, Google says that customers can now sign...
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Google Fiber started off with a bang back in 2010, and has slowly expanded into some key metropolitan areas across the United States. But while Google Fiber promises symmetrical 1Gbps speeds that are the envy of many techies, parent company Alphabet has run into numerous technical, legal, and competitive challenges that have stalled the rollout to additional cities. In the case of Louisville, Kentucky, the situation is even worse. Google Fiber first went live in the city during the closing months of 2017, but the ISP has announced that it is now pulling entirely out of the city. That's right, existing customers will be cut off, and they'll will have to find a new ISP in just...
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Alphabet says that going into the ambitious rollout of its Google Fiber internet that it knew things would be costly, hard to pull off, and slow-going. What the search giant didn’t expect going into Google Fiber rollout was how hard it would be to gain timely access to space on a utility pole to install its equipment. Google says that one of the bigger challenges it encountered with utility poles had to do with making the poles ready for the new attachments. Google says that the "Make Ready" portion of the install currently involves a sequential process that means multiple crews coming out to the pole several times over many months. That process means lengthy delays and inflated costs...
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Google at one point has aspirations of ushering in a new era of broadband connectivity, and specifically high-speed connections of 1Gbps and higher. This initiative was given a name, Google Fiber, with roll outs in select parts of the country. For a period of time, it was not difficult to imagine a future in which Google and its partners would dominate the high-speed Internet infrastructure, but it was not to be. The promises Google made fell by the wayside, in part because competing ISPs made things difficult. Before Google changed its trajectory to wireless, it met with resistance in trying to deploy fiber connections in some areas. For example, AT&T fought a decision by a Louisville council...
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Google Fiber started off with a simple enough premise: providing lightning-fast internet and TV service to customers at reasonable prices. Given that many Americans have just one or two ISPs serving their area (usually, with just one of them offering serviceable internet speeds), the promise of gigabit internet from Google at $70/month was hard to pass up. Last week, however, it was revealed that the TV portion of Google Fiber is being eliminated from future rollouts of the service. In a blog post, Google explained that in its newest markets, Louisville and San Antonio, it will not be providing optional TV service. "More and more people are moving away from traditional methods of viewing television...
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Alphabet’s Google Fiber business has been in a bit of turmoil for the past 9 months. In late October, the company was forced to shutter its plans to expand services in 10 metropolitan areas across the country. In its place, the company has looked into wireless deployments — courtesy of its Webpass acquisition — to further its efforts as an ISP. However, Google Fiber’s troubles are once again bubbling to the surface. It was reported this week that the chief executive of Access, the Alphabet division that manages Google Fiber, is leaving. Gregory McCray came onboard to helm Access in February, and had previously served as the CEO of Aero Communications. However, his departure after just five months...
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If Google Fiber’s stalled rollout has got you down, Verizon has a new high-speed service offering available that could help boost your spirits — that is if you actually live in a Fios coverage area. Verizon today announced Fios Gigabit Connection, which despite what its name implies, doesn’t actually provide gigabit speeds — but it does get pretty close. Fios Gigabit Connection provides download speeds of up to 940 Mbps and upload speeds that top out at an equally impressive 880 Mbps. Both of those figures are within striking distance of Google Fiber’s symmetrical 1 Gbps speeds. On the all-important pricing front, Verizon is driving a hard bargain, putting the service at $69.99 per month, matching...
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The future of Google Fiber is anything but crystal clear. It was reported in October of last year that Google Fiber had put a halt on its plans to expand in 10 cities and that job cuts loomed as it looked to make a shift from ultra high-speed wired broadband service to wireless deployments. It was mostly quiet after that, until now—Google Fiber is bringing on new blood to lead to the division.Things can get a little confusion because of the way Google's business is broken down. There is Alphabet at top, the parent company of Google and several other businesses that used to fall under the Google umbrella. One of them is called Access. It's a division of Alphabet that includes Google Fiber, and...
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Google Fiber just can’t a break these days. Just yesterday, we reported that parent company Alphabet is contemplating laying off additional employees and that plans to expand the gigabit internet service to 10 additional markets have been put on indefinite hold. Part of Google Fiber’s tender wounds are likely self-inflicted, with the company perhaps biting off more than it can chew at a time when it comes to deploying fiber in major markets across the United States. On the flip side, much of the damage has come from entrenched players like AT&T and Comcast which have been fighting to prevent Google Fiber from expanding. Nearly a month after Charter sued Louisville to slow down Google Fiber...
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The hope that Google would eventually roll out its crazy fast fiber optic Internet service to virtually all corners of the continental United States was dashed on Monday when the company announced it was hitting the pause button on future expansion efforts. Google's sudden shift in strategy also means there will be some job losses in the coming days and weeks. What this all means to you depends on where you live. Google isn't completely abandoning its Fiber service. In the eight metro areas where Google Fiber already exists, the service will continue to be offered and supported. Google will also proceed with plans to expand in four additional areas that it previously committed to. However, there...
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In the city of Nashville, Tennessee, Google Fiber is running into trouble with incumbents who are trying to slow its rollout of gigabit internet service. Google Fiber has limited service within the city, and is dependent on gaining access to utility poles to expand its footprint. However, Comcast and AT&T are making that process incredibly difficult. Google Fiber is butting up against an even more peculiar problem in the city of Louisville, Kentucky. Charter Communications has sued the city for giving what it considers preferential treatment to not only Google Fiber, but also rival AT&T. Charter claims that both Google Fiber and AT&T are signing up for new sweetheart franchise deals...
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In early August, we reported that 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) had no authority to prevent states from imposing restrictions on municipal internet. This was a result of the FCC stepping in last year in an effort to use its authority to “remove barriers to broadband investment and competition”. However, the courts sided with the states, which said that the FCC’s order impeded on state rights. In the end, this ruling was not a win for the consumers, but clearly favored firmly entrenched big brand operators like Time Warner Cable, Comcast, and AT&T, which lobby hard to keep competition at bay (see Google Fiber’s fight in Nashville, Tennessee)....
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As we’ve reported on a number of occasions in the past several weeks, Google Fiber has encountered an incredibly rough patch with deployments. This has been especially true in Nashville, Tennessee where the company has not only faced challenges with the geography of the region (it’s not exactly easy to bury fiber cable in limestone rock), but also from firmly entrenched competition like AT&T and Comcast. AT&T hasn’t made it easy for Google Fiber to simply roll in to cities across the country and provide gigabit internet speeds to residents. In fact, AT&T has done its best to stomp out any competition — including from municipal broadband — that could pose a threat to its business....
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When Google Fiber first launched in Kansas City back in 2012, it was hailed as a revolution in high-speed internet connectivity for consumers and businesses. Offering gigabit internet speeds for $70 per month was unheard of at the time, and Google promised to quickly spread the service across the United States. Four years later, Google Fiber deployments have rolled out a snail-like paces as [now] parent company Alphabet has run into problem with geography, city ordinances, and entrenched broadband players like Comcast and AT&T. And according to a new report from The Information, Alphabet is putting Google Fiber on notice and is demanding that the unit cut costs. Alphabet is being a lot more...
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It looks as though Google is having a hard time overcoming the obstacles standing in the way of deploying Google Fiber in Nashville, Tennessee. When we last touched on the story, Google Fiber was lobbying to push “One Touch Make Ready”, which would allow Google to move Comcast and AT&T equipment installed on utility poles as needed — using approved personnel — to speed up fiber deployments throughout the city. Needless to say, Comcast and AT&T weren’t happy about the thought of a third-party manhandling its equipment, let alone the thought of another competitor entering the market. One operative close to the entrenched players told Nashville Scene earlier this month, “Just because you...
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If you’re a tech nerd like all of us here at HotHardware, you crave speed. Faster graphics cards, faster processors, faster SSDs, faster smartphones — you get the idea. And of course, who wouldn’t want faster internet at relatively reasonable prices? In markets around the United States where there is little to no competition in the ISP arena, customers are usually stuck with just one broadband provider (meaning that you have no choice but to accept their data speeds and prices). It is because of this dark cloud surrounding the U.S. broadband internet industry that many enthusiasts become positively giddy about the prospects of Google Fiber coming to town (for reference, I pay $70 a month for...
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Google is really starting to make some inroads with its Fiber high-speed internet service, and the latest city to “see the light” is Charlotte, North Carolina. Google announced this week that residents in the Highland Creek neighborhood will be the first residents eligible to sign up for one of three plans: Fiber 1000 + TV, Fiber 1000, or the entry-level Fiber 100 (priced at $130/month, $70/month, and $50/month respectively). And in an effort to bring high-speed internet to the “most digitally divided areas,” Google will offer a 25 Mbps version of its service for $15 a month. Residents that live in public or affording housing buildings perhaps get the best deal of all — full gigabit internet...
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Google's been on a mission to offer 1Gbps Internet service to as many people as possible through its Googe Fiber service, and to accelerate future roll outs, it has agreed to acquire Webpass, a high-speed ISP serving San Francisco, Oakland, Emeryville, Berkeley, San Diego, Miami, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Chicago, and Boston. Like Google Fiber, Webpass offers download and upload speeds of to 1Gbps. It's also a much smaller operation than major ISPs such as Charter Spectrum and Cox Communications. That makes it an ideal target for Google, which doesn't always build fiber optic networks from the ground up. Whenever possible, Google likes to leverage existing fiber infrastructures. "Joining Google...
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Google is making it easier for those using its Google Fiber TV service to turn any TV in your house into a Smart TV. The company announced today that those who own a Google Fiber TV box will soon be able to take advantage of Google Cast support. So no longer will customers need to purchase a separate Chromecast dongle to access popular apps like Netflix, HBO Now, Hulu, Sling TV, Disney Channel, Pandora, Spotify and of course Google Play (where you can access thousands of movies and TV shows). Best of all, you won’t even need to swap out your existing settop box to enable Google Cast; it will be pushed to your device via a software update “over the coming weeks.” “Casting is easy. Just...
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Google Fiber is making some changes to its much ballyhooed high-speed internet service packages, and the changes are affecting those users that have been enjoying the “free” tier. Google Fiber customers in Kansas City, the first location in the United States to gain Google as an ISP, have been told that the 5Mbps down/1Mbps up internet tier is going the way of the dodo. Customers who chose this tier had to pay a $300 construction fee upfront, but afterwards could enjoy 5/1 speeds at no additional cost. While we wouldn’t recommend trying to push multiple Netflix streams with such a limited connection, it’s wholly sufficient for the needs of many people and you can’t really argue with free (after...
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Two months ago, we first learned the Google Fiber was entertaining the possibility of expanding its gigabit Internet and TV packages to include home phone service. This would in effect make Google Fiber a true triple-play service to better compete with similar bundles from the likes of AT&T, Comcast, and Time Warner Cable. Today, Google Fiber officially announced the addition of Fiber Phone, which is an optional add-on for existing Google Fiber customers. As you might expect, Fiber Phone includes unlimited local and nationwide calling in addition to attractive rates on international calls. You’ll of course find caller ID, call waiting support, and emergency 911 service. You can also port...
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Comcast is now offering its gigabit Internet service in the Atlanta area to compete with Google Fiber, but in reality, it’s unfortunately not really much competition at all. For starters, Comcast is offering the service at $70 per month, which matches the Internet-only Google Fiber package, but you must signup for a restrictive three-year contract to secure that pricing. But the hits don’t stop there — if you forgo the three-year contract, you’ll pay a more princely $139.95 per month AND face monthly 300GB data caps. We hate to say it, but gigabit Internet service with a relatively low 300GB data cap (or any data cap at all for that matter) seems incredibly harsh when you’re paying $140...
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