Palo Alto, Seattle, Utah in line for Google fiber
updated 04:15 pm EST, Mon February 22, 2010
Multiple cities want 1Gbps fiber test
Multiple cities have already queued up to volunteer for Google Fiber. Palo Alto, Seattle and a coalition of 16 towns in Utah have or will soon have responded to Google's request for information as the first step to getting the service. The municipalities in most cases have argued that they already have the infrastructure to make the 1Gbps Internet access easy to deploy, such as Utah's UTOPIA fiber project.
Such projects have often been proposed but have frequently been shelved due to various financial and political factors. Axia had tried a similar project in Palo Alto last year but had to cancel the project early out of a lack of finances. Incumbent carriers have frequently tried to fight municipal fiber as it at times promises faster speeds at prices below what some privately owned services could offer.
Google hasn't set out a timetable for when it expects its fiber optics to go live as its rollout is dependent on teamwork with others. Ultra-fast service has already been deployed in a handful of countries, such as Sweden, but has been relatively rare in North America. Besides Google, the other most publicized project is Shaw's 1Gbps trial due soon in Western Canada.
