For the past three years, Texas has been a home to Google Fiber. Whether we’re connecting families and businesses to superfast Internet in Austin, or building over 4,000 miles of fiber in San Antonio, we’re working daily to boost speeds across the Lone Star state. And starting today, we’re exploring the possibility of bringing Google Fiber to Dallas as well.
If we’re able to bring Google Fiber to Dallas, it will mean more than a reliable connection. It will mean new ways for families to stay in touch and stream their favorite shows, and new opportunities for businesses—especially businesses in Dallas’ budding tech sector—to grow and be more productive. With Fiber, businesses can download files in seconds rather than hours, communicate faster with customers, and much more. Dallas is already one of the best cities to work in tech. Google Fiber will help Dallas attract even more tech talent, and push the city further toward the future. 

Bringing Google Fiber to Dallas would be a huge undertaking, so we want to make sure we’re prepared. Working alongside Mayor Mike Rawlings and local leaders, we’ll use our Fiber checklist to learn more about local topography, existing infrastructure, and other factors that may impact construction. Building a fiber optic network through a dense and complex urban environment like Dallas is challenging—these discussions will help us deploy our network efficiently and responsibly. 

We look forward to working with Dallas’s leaders as we explore bringing Fiber to their city. It’s still early days, but we’ll keep residents updated as we approach our decision. To receive the latest news on Google Fiber, head to google.com/fiber and sign up for updates.

Posted by Jill Szuchmacher, Director of Expansion, Google Fiber

Ed. Note: Today, we have a guest post from Heather Burnett Gold, President of the Fiber to the Home Council Americas, and Michael Render, Principal and Founder of RVA, LLC. They are sharing the findings of a new research report on how access to ultrafast Internet can boost the value of multi-family homes.

There are a slew of successful TV shows that follow people who are searching for a new home. Each show follows the same formula: seekers must decide between a few properties, debating the merits of various amenities, neighborhoods, and price points. Savvy producers have discovered we love to see people navigate the complex process of deciding where to live.

One factor that is increasingly having an impact on those decisions: access to ultra-high speed, reliable broadband. We have concrete data that shows access to fiber increases the value of single family homes. But what about the almost 30 percent of people in the US, both renters and owners, who live in multifamily housing?

In a new study the Fiber to the Home Council is releasing today, we find fast and reliable broadband is now rated the single most important amenity for multiple dwelling units (MDUs). In addition to finding ultra-high speed broadband to be more important than a pool, 24-hour security monitoring, covered parking, gym access and even cable TV, these results also show that MDU residents believe fiber-based broadband is significantly faster and more reliable than other technologies.

Our research also shows that MDU residents are willing to pay more to live where there’s fiber. People were willing to pay 2.8 percent more to purchase a condo or apartment with access to fiber optic service (based on a $300,000 home). For renters, it’s even more important. Respondents were willing to pay a premium of 8 percent (based on a $1000 monthly rent) for access to fiber. People who live in MDUs also want access to multiple providers, ranking provider choice as 6 out of 12 possible amenities.

While these numbers are based on all types of fiber-to-the-home, based on our other research and anecdotal evidence, values could be even higher for gigabit fiber service.

What do higher rental and sales values mean to MDU owners and operators? A better bottom line. Using data from the National Apartment Association, we estimate fiber can add 11 percent in net income per average apartment unit. And our findings show that fiber access increases resident satisfaction and appears to reduce churn, helping building owners and operators maintain high levels of occupancy and provide a quality living environment.

We’re excited about this study, which adds to the mounting evidence that fiber improves our communities. And we’re looking forward to continuing to work with MDU owners and operators in different ways in the quest to connect:

• Marketing: Fiber providers throughout the country—including Google Fiber—should continue to work with MDUs to advertise fiber to attract new residents. (Our findings show fiber is a word of mouth technology that can attract residents to properties.) 
• Access: MDU owners can assist by making buildings accessible while the fiber industry continues to make advancements in deployment methods and technologies that reduce any potential disruptions to residents. 
• Education: We at the Council will continue to work with our partners to promote the value of a future-proof technology that increases the attractiveness of properties in an increasingly competitive housing market.

Heather Burnett Gold is President & CEO of the FTTH Council Americas and Michael Render is Principal & Founder of RVA, LLC, Market Research and Consulting

From channel surfing to streaming, there are more ways than ever to find and enjoy the entertainment you love. We want to help you access all of your favorite shows, movies, music, and more. So starting today, we’ll be adding Google Cast^TM—the same technology behind Chromecast—right into your Fiber TV Box.

Google Cast gives you access to thousands of apps, right on your TV screen. That means you can seamlessly enjoy the best of online entertainment and TV without changing inputs. At the click of a button, you can watch the Game of Thrones premiere on HBO, then head to Netflix for the latest season of House of Cards. You can DJ your party with Pandora, then scroll through pictures with friends using Google Photos. You can watch and listen to everything you love, whenever you want.


Casting is easy. Just connect your compatible mobile device or laptop to your Fiber Wi-Fi, then tap the Cast button from the apps you already know and love to send what you’re viewing to your TV. And since Fiber TV comes with Google Cast technology built-in, no additional equipment or setup is needed.

Over the coming weeks, we'll start rolling out Google Cast on Fiber TV to all our TV subscribers. You can learn more at our help center. Get ready for more season premieres, movie screenings, karaoke nights and more—all on your big screen.

Posted by Jared Nusinoff, Product Manager, Google Fiber

Last year, we introduced the Digital Inclusion Fellowship, and paired fellows with community organizations to help build digital inclusion programs in Google Fiber cities. From leading digital literacy courses to training volunteers, fellows have been hard at work over the past 9 months helping to close the digital divide in their communities. Just last month, Susan Reaves, a fellow at the Nashville Public Library, led computer basics courses for 76 people, and trained 7 volunteers who can now help run courses of their own. We want more fellows like Susan to help people take advantage of the Web.

Today, in partnership with the Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN), we’re opening applications for the second year of the Digital Inclusion Fellowship. 22 fellowship positions are now available in community based organizations across 11 cities, including 3 new cities: Portland, OR, San Antonio, TX, and San Francisco, CA. Much like our ConnectHome commitment and affordable Broadband offering, this fellowship is a long-term investment in the cities we work with. As the lead sponsor, Google Fiber will again contribute more than $1 million to help administer the fellowship. Our current fellows have reached thousands of people lacking Internet access, trained hundreds of volunteers, and received positive feedback from community members. And with the help of NTEN, we hope to continue our progress.

Applications are now open for 22 fellowship positions in community based organizations across 11 cities, including three new cities: Portland, OR, San Antonio, TX, and San Francisco, CA.

As we expand the fellowship into its second year, we’re sharpening the focus on digital literacy. Participants will work on digital literacy projects, and help to train adults on a variety of computer skills. Some fellows will work on expanding their Hosts’ current digital literacy courses, or building new programs with community partners. In addition to organizations that specialize in digital inclusion, fellows will also be hosted by libraries, adult literacy organizations, and organizations that provide affordable housing. And, like last year, all fellows will attend a week long orientation program, where they’ll be trained on digital literacy best practices and work to develop leadership skills.

To join the growing community of digital inclusion practitioners, apply to the fellowship now through May 13, 2016.

Posted by Andrew Bentley, Digital Inclusion Program Manager, Google Fiber 

Broadband access truly makes a difference in people’s lives, bringing economic, social, and educational opportunities to those who are online. Yet more than a third of Americans still do not subscribe to home broadband, while half of the nation’s households in the lowest income tier do not subscribe. For many families, affordability remains one of the primary barriers to getting online at home.

Improving access to affordable broadband has always been part of Google Fiber’s DNA—our digital inclusion efforts and community impact work are a central part of our ongoing efforts to help bring fast Internet to more people. Regardless of income, everyone should be able to experience the benefits of high speed connectivity.

Yesterday, the FCC adopted its Lifeline modernization order, an essential move to encouraging broadband adoption nationwide. Until now, Lifeline has provided funds to enable providers to deliver voice service to consumers at affordable rates. When the Lifeline Assistance Program was established in 1985, high speed broadband to homes didn’t exist. But much has changed since 1985—while voice service remains important, increasingly people use their broadband connection as a critical means of communication. As FCC Chairman Wheeler said, “... at a time when our economy and lives are increasingly moving online and millions of Americans remain offline, it doesn’t make sense for Lifeline to remain focused only on 20th century voice service.”

For the first time, low-income consumers can apply the $9.25 Lifeline subsidy to lower the cost of qualifying broadband plans. Now consumers have the opportunity to use their benefit to reduce the cost of subscribing to broadband Internet—not just voice service—so people can choose the connectivity services that meet their needs.

Importantly, the FCC’s reforms also shift the responsibility for determining consumer eligibility out of the hands of the carriers that currently receive subsidies and to a National Eligibility Verifier. As described in the FCC’s statements, the independent third party verifier will make eligibility determinations using data from existing trusted programs such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), streamlining the income verification process. Shifting eligibility determinations away from the service provide has two benefits. First, subscribers can take their benefits with them to a different provider or new address, leading to more consumer choice. Second, because the eligibility determination is based on existing trusted data, it can better protect consumer privacy and security and bring more dignity to the process.

Families with low incomes increasingly choose not to purchase home broadband because it just isn’t affordable—these and many of the other changes that the FCC has voted on go a long way to address this critical problem.

Posted by Staci Pies, Senior Policy Counsel

Nearly 6 years ago, we started Google Fiber with the goal of making the web faster and better for everyone. We began with a fiber to the home solution delivering symmetrical gigabit speeds. The impact has been significant - on people, businesses and local economies. The days of loading bars, pixelated video streams and dropped Hangouts are now a thing of the past for many people and businesses in our Fiber cities.

While gigabit speeds are fast, we have come across an application where 1,000 Mbps is actually quite slow. Terribly slow. Research organizations that wish to remain anonymous have been working on an application that would enable the teleportation of a 160 pound person a distance of 60 miles in 1.2 seconds. This application requires a tremendous amount of bandwidth, because a 160-pound person represents a vast amount of data.

How much data? Our partners developed a compression algorithm that allows us to compress matter with only imperceptible levels of quality degradation. As one of the engineers put it:

“If 1 GigaQuad (GQ) = 109 = 1,000,000,000 Quads, where one quad is 2 GiB or 8 x (2 x 109) x (109 x 109) = 1.6 x 1028 bits, what speeds would we need to send an animal, object, or person 60 miles in under 1.2 seconds?”

They found that at 1 Gbps, it would take 1.6 x 1028 / 109 = 1.6 x 1019 seconds. This means that we need speeds that are 10^9 or 1 billion times faster than gigabit speeds.

Here’s how it might look:



To be clear, we are not a teleportation company. Nor do we intend to become one. We simply want to provide the data transfer speeds required to enable teleportation. The team will be tackling a number of unique scientific challenges – not only figuring out how to break down physical objects into discrete packets of data, but determining how to leverage fiber optic technology to transmit that data across distances at incredible speeds. Innovating on fiber optic infrastructure and moving data really fast is something we are deeply passionate about.

Our partners are using the quantum entanglement of the photons that move through our network to make teleportation happen, which is only possible on a pure fiber optic network. Clearly gigabit speeds are too slow. Even on a pure fiber network with gigaquad transfer rates, it would take weeks to transmit uncompressed physical data a few miles. We want these transfers to be complete in under 1.2 seconds.



The potential benefits of teleportation are tremendous. Imagine a world where you could live anywhere and commute instantly. Imagine traffic and urban congestion becoming a thing of the past. That's what teleportation can do: allow us to live gently and efficiently, spending less energy on getting from place to place, and more on the people and projects that matter.

We will continue to not have data caps – the last thing we want is for our subscribers to be trapped in the Internet because they ran out of data.

Want to see how teleportation might look for you? Use our spreadsheet to calculate how far you’ll be able to go, and how long it will take.

This is a massive challenge. And an important one. We are thrilled to help advance teleportation science to create a world in which distance and travel time will not constrain our physical presence.

Posted by Pál Takácsi, Director of Engineering

Whether it’s calling mom or ordering take-out, we rely on our phones to help reach the people and things that matter. And while mobile phones have pushed us toward the future, home phone service is still important to many families. Landlines can be familiar, reliable and provide high-quality service, but the technology hasn’t always kept up. That’s why today, we’re introducing Fiber Phone as a new option to help you stay connected wherever you are.

Familiar features, improved 
Fiber Phone is meant to give you everything you want from a home phone service, plus a lot more. For $10/month, you get unlimited local and nationwide calling, and the same affordable rates as Google Voice for international calls. You can keep your old phone number, or pick a new one. You can use call waiting, caller ID, and 911 services just as easily as you could before. Fiber Phone can also make it easier to access your voicemail—the service will transcribe your voice messages for you and then send as a text or email.

Fiber Phone includes a Fiber Phone box that works with the phones you already own. Handset not included.

Stay connected, no matter where you are 
Fiber Phone can help you make the most of your home phone—even when you’re not at home. Adding Fiber Phone means getting access on the road, in the office, or wherever you are. Your Fiber Phone number lives in the cloud, which means that you can use it on almost any phone, tablet or laptop. It can ring your landline when you’re home, or your mobile device when you’re on-the-go. 

We’ll be introducing Fiber Phone in a few areas to start. Over time, we’ll roll out Fiber Phone as an option to residential customers in all of our Fiber cities. Once we bring the service to your area, you can sign up and get the service through a simple installation process. To stay updated on the latest, sign up here.

Posted by John Shriver-Blake, Product Manager, Google Fiber

We were heartened and encouraged when, a few weeks ago, the City of Louisville, Kentucky unanimously passed an ordinance that paves the way for its residents having access to faster and better broadband. So yesterday when we heard that AT&T was suing the City of Louisville for passing this so-called “One Touch Make Ready” rule, we were disappointed.

Google Fiber stands with the City of Louisville and the other cities across the country that are taking steps to bring faster, better broadband to their residents. Such policies reduce cost, disruption, and delay, by allowing the work needed to prepare a utility pole for new fiber to be attached in as little as a single visit—which means more safety for drivers and the neighborhood. This work would be done by a team of contractors the pole owner itself has approved, instead of having multiple crews from multiple companies working on the same pole over weeks or months. One Touch Make Ready facilitates new network deployment by anyone—and that's why groups representing communities and fiber builders support it, too.

Google Fiber is disappointed that AT&T has gone to court in an effort to block Louisville's efforts to increase broadband and video competition. We are confident the City's common-sense initiative will be upheld.

In response to the lawsuit yesterday, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer was quoted as saying, "We will vigorously defend the lawsuit filed today by AT&T. Gigabit fiber is too important to our city's future." Mayor Fischer, we couldn’t agree with you more, and stand with you.

Posted by Chris Levendos, Director of National Deployment and Operations, Google Fiber

Nearly six years ago, we started Google Fiber with the goal of making the web better and faster for everyone. We began in Kansas City and have now committed to bring Fiber to a total of ten metropolitan areas. To date, we’ve focused mostly on building fiber-optic networks from scratch. Now, as Google Fiber grows, we’re looking for more ways to serve cities of different shapes and sizes. That’s why we’re working with Huntsville, AL to tap into the city’s planned municipal fiber network. And that’s why we’re trying something different in our latest Fiber city—San Francisco—where we’ll bring service to some apartments, condos, and affordable housing properties, using existing fiber.

San Francisco is the 22nd metro where we're serving customers, building networks, or exploring the possibility of bringing Google Fiber

San Francisco has a long history of creativity, innovation, and development, with its iconic cultural centers, countless startups, and dozens of colleges and universities. In thinking about how best to bring Google Fiber to some residents in this unique city, we considered a number of factors, including the City’s rolling hills, miles of coastline, and historic neighborhoods.

By using existing fiber to connect some apartments and condos, as we’ve done before, we can bring service to residents more quickly. This approach will allow us to serve a portion of San Francisco, complementing the City’s ongoing efforts to bring abundant, high-speed Internet to the City by the Bay.

As part of our work in San Francisco, we also want to help residents get online for the first time. One of our leading initiatives will be connecting some public and affordable housing properties to gigabit speed Internet—for free. In partnership with the Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN), we’re also bringing the Digital Inclusion Fellowship to San Francisco. NTEN is accepting applications from organizations to host fellows who will teach people to set up email accounts, apply for jobs, access content across the web, and more. Through these efforts, we hope to make the Internet more affordable and accessible for those most affected by the digital divide.

Digital literacy training coordinated by Kramden Institute, a Digital Inclusion Fellowship host

We have a lot of work to do before we can offer details on service and timing, or identify the specific condos, apartments, and affordable housing properties that will be connected. In the meantime, residents and property owners interested in Google Fiber can sign up for updates on our website. San Francisco offers tremendous potential for gigabit Internet, and we hope Google Fiber will provide more fuel for this city’s pioneering residents and entrepreneurs.

Posted by Michael Slinger, Director of Business Operations, Google Fiber

This morning, we stood alongside Mayor Tommy Battle as he announced that we’re bringing Google Fiber to Huntsville, Alabama, using part of the fiber network that Huntsville Utilities is building.

Huntsville will join 20 metros where we’re serving customers, designing and building networks, or exploring the possibility of Google Fiber.

Now more than ever, cities are exploring new ways to help their communities flourish with fiber. Like any infrastructure, such as roads or electric grids, a fiber network is a long-term investment that can benefit a city for decades. In 2014, Huntsville’s leaders shared their vision for a community energized by superfast speeds — and they decided to build a network that could support an electrical smart grid and other municipal needs, plus provide the best of the Web for local families, entrepreneurs, businesses and academics alike. To help achieve this goal, the city asked to hear from fiber providers who might be interested in working together. So we got in touch.

To date, we’ve built the majority of our Google Fiber networks from scratch. But over the past five years, we’ve repeatedly seen that every city is unique. So in order to bring Fiber to more people, we’ve taken different approaches in different places. In Provo, Utah, our Google Fiber service is being delivered over a network we purchased from the city. In Atlanta, Georgia, we’re both constructing our own network, and using existing fiber to provide Google Fiber to some apartment buildings. And now, due to the leadership of the Mayor and Huntsville Utilities CEO Jay Stowe, we’ll be working with a muni-owned network to bring our high speed service to Huntsville.

Few places are better positioned than Huntsville to show what’s possible with top Internet speeds. The Rocket City boasts the highest concentration of engineers in the country, and ranks among the best places in the country for STEM workers. Ultrafast Internet will help enable Huntsville to remain at the forefront of science and tech.

So what comes next? Pending final approvals, Huntsville Utilities will design and construct its network. Once the network is built, Google Fiber — or any other broadband provider — will be able to bring high speed Internet service to the city. This is just the beginning of the process, so it's too early to share dates or timelines. But, if you'd like to receive updates on when Google Fiber will come to Huntsville, sign up at google.com/fiber/cities/huntsville.

Posted by Jill Szuchmacher, Director, Google Fiber Expansion