Google is planning a huge expansion for Google Fiber, its ultra-fast Internet and television service in the United States. The company has reached out to 34 cities, spanning nine metro areas across the country, to see what, if any, roadblocks there are to rolling out Google Fiber in their area.
At the moment, Google Fiber is only available in Kansas City, Kansas and Provo, Utah – with plans to support Austin, Texas by mid-2014. support Austin, Texas by mid-2014. While the initiative has certainly attracted attention, it’s only affected a tiny proportion of the United States population up until now.
The new municipalities that Google is considering are:
Avondales Estates, Brookhaven, College Park, Decatur, East Point, Hapeville, Sandy Springs and Smyrna (Atlanta); Scottsdale and Tempe (Pheonix); Beaverton, Hillsboro, Gresham, Lake Oswego and Tigard (Portland); Carrborro, Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham, Garner, Morrisville and Raleigh (Raleigh-Durham); Santa Clara, Mountain View, Sunnyvale and Palo Alto (San Jose); Charlotte, Nashville, Salt Lake City and San Antonio.
Google says that it’ll announce which of the new cities will receive Google Fiber by the end of the year. For each location, the company will consider a number of factors that could affect the roll-out, such as the nature of the landscape, the density of housing and local infrastructure. City leaders, meanwhile, will be asked to provide information about the current conduit, water, gas and electricity lines in their area.
“They’ll also help us find ways to access existing infrastructure—like utility poles—so we don’t unnecessarily dig up streets or have to put up a new pole next to an existing one,” Milo Medin, VP for Google Access Services said.
Before you check the map though, heed Google’s warning that “it might not work out for everyone.” Although it’s considering 34 cities, there’s no guarantee that they’ll all be approved for Google Fiber.
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