# Google Fiber coming to my area – should I be excited? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 28, 2015, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-fiber-coming-to-my-area-should-i-be-excited/711068 "2015-01-28T01:06:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2015, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-fiber-coming-to-my-area-should-i-be-excited/711068/1 "2015-01-28T01:06:29Z")
The local government and news folks seem to think I should be. I live in the Triangle area of NC – so I can certainly see some of the high tech companies here being happy about it. But should I be as a residential customer? It looks like it will be a bit pricey at $70/month for Internet service and $120-$130 if you include television (and so far I haven’t heard what the advantages of having TV service would be, exactly, though we do have a smart TV with Netflix and Amazon streaming services). Anyone else out there use it? What do you think? ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2015, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-fiber-coming-to-my-area-should-i-be-excited/711068/2 "2015-01-28T01:32:20Z")
YES! I’m on Google Fiber here in Kansas City. I also live in Chicago where I am on AT&T DSL. I shoot concert video, and it is faster for me to get on a bus to Kansas City, upload a 2 hour HD concert file on Google Fiber, and take the bus _back_ to Chicago than to stay in Chicago and upload it. The TV service had a few rough spots originally, but they ironed them out. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2015, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-fiber-coming-to-my-area-should-i-be-excited/711068/3 "2015-01-28T01:39:47Z")
Also, pricy? Are you serious? Here in Kansas City, they offer three services: 5 megabits down/1 megabit up for the low, low price of free. You pay $300 for installation, but you can pay that off at $25 a month. And since the system is built for gigabit up and down, that is always 5 megabit/1 megabit. You can stream Netflix in HD with 5 megabits all day, and Google Fiber just installed Netflix co-hosting in their data center. 1000 megabits up/1000 megabits down for $70 a month. If you have no interest in the TV box, get this and a bunch of Roku boxes and never worry. They waive the $300 build fee. As above, plus TV. All their channels are HD if available. Also, you pay $120 for each TV box, and can pay that off $5 a month, after which you own the TV box. None of this cable company “rent a box from us forever” bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2015, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-fiber-coming-to-my-area-should-i-be-excited/711068/4 "2015-01-28T01:48:38Z")
Depends on what you have and what you need. As a person that is lucky to get 250kbs down and 70kbs up. And is throttled at 250MB per 24 hour period. I would be very excited. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2015, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-fiber-coming-to-my-area-should-i-be-excited/711068/5 "2015-01-28T02:09:22Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Depends on what you have and what you need. > > As a person that is lucky to get 250kbs down and 70kbs up. And is throttled at 250MB per 24 hour period. I would be very excited. Right. In your case, you could get the FREE 5 down/1 up option and be a very happy camper. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2015, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-fiber-coming-to-my-area-should-i-be-excited/711068/6 "2015-01-28T02:51:22Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > Also, pricy? Are you serious? Of course I’m serious. So far I’ve not heard anything about free service being offered here at all, and at $70/month for their currently publicized Internet-only offering, that’s almost twice what I currently pay for DSL. You get faster speeds, yes, but unlike you, I don’t have a need to upload 2-hour long HD video clips, so from that standpoint I am unsure if it is worth it the extra cost. If the TV service is good, though, and we could dump our satellite service and get an Internet +TV bundle, that brings the price into a much more competitive range. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2015, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-fiber-coming-to-my-area-should-i-be-excited/711068/7 "2015-01-28T02:59:14Z")
The competition may have some effect on the pricing of significantly slower services in the area that now have to compete with blazing fast for customers. That potentially is a benefit to the community (and you) even for the people that won’t benefit much from fiber’s speed. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2015, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-fiber-coming-to-my-area-should-i-be-excited/711068/8 "2015-01-28T03:04:10Z")
> [@DinoR](#): > > The competition may have some effect on the pricing of significantly slower services in the area that now have to compete with blazing fast for customers. That potentially is a benefit to the community (and you) even for the people that won’t benefit much from fiber’s speed. Good point! ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2015, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-fiber-coming-to-my-area-should-i-be-excited/711068/9 "2015-01-28T03:14:49Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > Of course I’m serious. So far I’ve not heard anything about free service being offered here at all, and at $70/month for their currently publicized Internet-only offering, that’s almost twice what I currently pay for DSL. You get faster speeds, yes, but unlike you, I don’t have a need to upload 2-hour long HD video clips, so from that standpoint I am unsure if it is worth it the extra cost. Look at what they are offering in Kansas City. Then look at what they are [offering in Austin](https://fiber.google.com/cities/austin/home/) and [in Provo](https://fiber.google.com/cities/provo/). Same deal in all three currently active cities. I have no reason to believe that they will not offer the free service in your area. Again, the 5 megabit down/1 megabit up offering is via exactly the same connection being offered to gigabit customers. I have a friend who is on the free version, and he is perfectly happy streaming stuff from NetFlix and Amazon Prime, and will probably go for the upcoming Sling service. Sorry, but I have no sympathy for people saying “Why can’t I get 500 megabits down/250 megabit up for $35 a month?” Google isn’t building this system because they want to be in the cable business, but to see what new things people will come up with when they have gigabit speeds. Oh, and Time-Warner and AT&T have been frantically building their systems out in Kansas City in a last-ditch effort to compete with Google Fiber. Isn’t working. According to realtors, having Google Fiber available increases the value of a house up to $2500. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2015, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-fiber-coming-to-my-area-should-i-be-excited/711068/10 "2015-01-28T13:25:47Z")
Oh, how I wish Google fiber would come to the metro Detroit area, but it’s not on the radar yet. Google has a presence in Ann Arbor Michigan, which is just outside the metro Detroit area, so it would make sense to fiber up AA and hopefully all of Detroit and environs as well. Please, Google? I frickin’ hate Comcast. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2015, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-fiber-coming-to-my-area-should-i-be-excited/711068/11 "2015-01-28T14:12:01Z")
Scheduled for my neighborhood in 2015…I’m pretty stoked, though the excitement is less acute since I’ve been waiting for a couple of years. The free service is probably more than enough for me, but I’ll probably pay for the gigabit service anyway. I mean c’mon. Just to have. Unfortunately, I recently read that Google is falling a little bit behind schedule. AT&T may get my money for longer than I had planned… ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2015, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-fiber-coming-to-my-area-should-i-be-excited/711068/12 "2015-01-28T14:12:02Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > Right. In your case, you could get the FREE 5 down/1 up option and be a very happy camper. Free??? Shees. I’m paying $70 month for my pittance of bandwidth. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2015, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-fiber-coming-to-my-area-should-i-be-excited/711068/13 "2015-01-28T18:05:02Z")
This [current thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=747402) has touched on bandwidth speed and if gigabit speed is useful. I linked to [this article](http://www.oregonlive.com/silicon-forest/index.ssf/2014/11/what_to_do_with_a_gigabit_toyi.html) about a guy in the Portland, OR area with a gigabit line and what he gets out of it. Bottom line, someone like **gaffa** uploading HD videos can certainly use it. Most other people probably don’t need that much bandwidth today. If you have a slow connection now, it might be worth it. And it certainly will be great in a few years when bandwidth and video quality improves on the providers’ side. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2015, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-fiber-coming-to-my-area-should-i-be-excited/711068/14 "2015-01-28T19:37:44Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > Bottom line, someone like **gaffa** uploading HD videos can certainly use it. Most other people probably don’t need that much bandwidth today. If you have a slow connection now, it might be worth it. And it certainly will be great in a few years when bandwidth and video quality improves on the providers’ side. Here’s the thing - when Google started, most people had 56k lines. Until most people had at least 1 megabit, a service like YouTube just wasn’t possible. The vast majority of Google’s income is from advertising done via media that didn’t exist 20 years ago. They want to get people on something an order of magnitude better and see what new services will be created (and sell ads on it.) Yeah, I’m uploading HD videos, but the idea is that the equivilant to YouTube will appear once a critical number of people have gigabit that will make everyone need it. Who knew in 1988 that in 2015 everyone would need better than T1 speeds to watch cat videos? The $70 a month gigabit connectivity is _cheap_, because it is reliable and is more than enough for most anything you can add. Looking at the interface of my Google Fiber Network box, there are 18 IP addresses active at the moment - 4 Google TV Boxes, Rokus, computers, phones, tablets, smart TVs, etc. For instance, I have a cordless phone because I don’t want the expense of a cell plan. I have an Obihai 100 telephone interface and paid $89 for a year of unlimited long distance and local VOIP phone service. Because I’m not on a Baby Bell or cable company, they are not messing with my VOIP and I make hours of phone calls a day. I loathe sports, but if I wanted ESPN, I could get the new [Sling TV service for $20 a month.](http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/sling-tv-hands-on-with-video/), but personally I watch everything via my Roku and Plex. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2015, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-fiber-coming-to-my-area-should-i-be-excited/711068/15 "2015-01-28T20:25:27Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > This [current thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=747402) has touched on bandwidth speed and if gigabit speed is useful. I linked to [this article](http://www.oregonlive.com/silicon-forest/index.ssf/2014/11/what_to_do_with_a_gigabit_toyi.html) about a guy in the Portland, OR area with a gigabit line and what he gets out of it. > > Bottom line, someone like **gaffa** uploading HD videos can certainly use it. Most other people probably don’t need that much bandwidth today. If you have a slow connection now, it might be worth it. And it certainly will be great in a few years when bandwidth and video quality improves on the providers’ side. I expect it will be at least a few years until the service is actually available here. Google has said they’re bringing it, but they are just in the design stage now. What will be interesting is seeing how everyone else - especially service providers - react to it. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2015, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-fiber-coming-to-my-area-should-i-be-excited/711068/16 "2015-01-28T20:50:53Z")
It’s a great deal (I pay $66 a month to Comcast for their 25/5 plan)! I live just riiight outside the city limits of Decatur and Avondale Estates, GA, which were both in the Fiber announcement for Atlanta, so I assume I will be getting it (as in the other metro areas they went by neighborhoods and not necessarily in specific city limits). Though I have read they actually won’t be offering a free service (at least not in Atlanta metro), but a $3 a month service… which is close enough to free. ---
**Author:** ![Katriona](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/katriona/32/113_2.png) [@Katriona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katriona)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2015, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-fiber-coming-to-my-area-should-i-be-excited/711068/17 "2015-01-28T21:15:36Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > Of course I’m serious. So far I’ve not heard anything about free service being offered here at all, and at $70/month for their currently publicized Internet-only offering, that’s almost twice what I currently pay for DSL. You get faster speeds, yes, but unlike you, I don’t have a need to upload 2-hour long HD video clips, so from that standpoint I am unsure if it is worth it the extra cost. > > If the TV service is good, though, and we could dump our satellite service and get an Internet +TV bundle, that brings the price into a much more competitive range. The biggest issue for me is that Google and AMC are not working out their differences anytime soon, apparently. Other than that, I haven’t had any problems with it and have been glad we made the switch from uVerse. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2015, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-fiber-coming-to-my-area-should-i-be-excited/711068/18 "2015-01-28T22:36:36Z")
[QUOTE=gaffa] I’m on Google Fiber here in Kansas City. I also live in Chicago where I am on AT&T DSL. I shoot concert video, and it is faster for me to get on a bus to Kansas City, upload a 2 hour HD concert file on Google Fiber, and take the bus _back_ to Chicago than to stay in Chicago and upload it. [/QUOTE] I don’t doubt it. > [@Andrew Tanenbaum](#): > > Never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of tapes hurtling down the highway. An ISP that I get some email service from is working on building out fiber service in an adjacent suburb. That city was clever enough to require underground conduit for utilities, so it’s relatively trivial for someone to start pulling fiber to homes. The city I’m in also has underground utilities as well, but with direct-buried lines, so pulling new stuff is harder. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2026, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-fiber-coming-to-my-area-should-i-be-excited/711068/19 "2026-03-14T00:58:56Z")
Many years ago many people were expecting Google Fiber to spread across the country. But it didn’t and now: > **[Google Fiber will be sold to private equity firm and merge with cable company](https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/google-fiber-will-be-sold-to-private-equity-firm-and-merge-with-cable-company/)** > > GFiber and Astound to merge with Alphabet selling majority stake to Stonepeak.