Only hours after an AT&T executive ridiculed Google Fiber’s challenges in rolling out a fiber network, GF responds with a blog of its own about the broadband battle currently underway in Nashville. GF is lobbying to speed up the permitting process for hanging fiber. GF also makes clear that consumers want “choice” among providers.

“To Nashville, with love” is the headline on the post from Chris Levendos, Director of National Deployment and Operations, at Google Fiber.

Levendos does not mention AT&T by name or the “Pardon our dust” blog, which WRAL TechWire reported on Thursday.

However, in the first paragraph, Levendos notes: “[W]e have been humbled by the overwhelming support from local residents, businesses and property owners. We have also been hearing loud and clear that consumers want a choice when it comes to super-fast Internet.”

The telephone poll battle in Nashville reflects in part another battle over poles in Louisville where GF wants access and AT&T is resisting. Both AT&T and Comcast are said to be prepared to file a lawsuit if Nashville approves an ordinance that GF says will speed up adding GF fiber from their utility poles. A meeting among the three companies and the city failed to resolve the issue on Aug. 25.

Now comes the GF blog – and a direct appeal to the Nashville community to support the proposed ordinance.

Burying fiber is extremely expensive, and GF’s fiber efforts in the Triangle have been described by the company to WRAL TechWire as one of the largest infrastructure projects ever undertaken in the region. GF also has been making clear its frustration in the time and expense needed for fiber rollouts, thus its application to the FCC for a test of new wireless technology in Raleigh and elsewhere.

AT&T ridiculed GF’s efforts to date as it prepares for competition from GF in RTP as well as in other markets.

GF lobbies for ordinance help

GF is clearly all in on an ordinance appeal (“One Touch Make Ready”) to be debated next week that GF says would speed up efforts to hang fiber, thus accelerating deployment. GF has made clear over the past three years that a key criteria in considering markets for deployment was cooperation from local governments in permitting and access to public rights-of-way.

But GF obviously is upset with the time needed for deployment in Nashville.

“So what’s taking so long in Nashville? We have — like many of you — been disheartened by the incredibly slow progress.,” the GF executive writes.

“A big contributor to these delays is the ‘make ready’ process required to attach a new line to a utility pole. Under this current system, each existing provider on the pole needs to send out a separate crew, one by one, to move its own line and make room for a new one. This may have worked a generation ago when there were only one or two attachers, but it’s extremely time consuming — not to mention disruptive to residents of Nashville — to do this with the numerous attachers we have today.”

GF says it needs access to 88,000 poles but thus far only 33 “have been made ready.”

(See the graphic included with this post.)

“We want to go faster and we know you do, too. The One Touch Make Ready (OTMR) ordinance now being debated by Nashville Metro Council will reduce delay and disruption by allowing the necessary work to be done much more efficiently — in as little as a single visit,” Levendos writes.

“This means fewer crews coming through neighborhoods and disrupting traffic, making it safer for workers and residents. The work would be done by a crew the pole owner has approved, instead of multiple crews from different companies working on the same pole over several months.”

GF says it has worked with Nashville officials on the ordinance so that it is “ready to be enaced.”

And Levendos makes a direct appeal to Nashville residents to take up the fight.

“If you live in Nashville and you want more choice for super-fast Internet, please reach out to your local Council Member and tell them you support One Touch Make Ready,” he writes. “And attend next Tuesday’s crucial vote at the Metro Courthouse, starting at 6:30 p.m. CDT (arrive early to get a seat!) “

Regardless of the vote on Tuesday, the issue is far from dead in Nashville. And as the blogs from GF as well as AT&T clearly indicate, the competition is going to get even hotter.

Read the full GF blog at:

http://googlefiberblog.blogspot.com/