Gigabit

If you are eager to sign up for Google Fiber in the Triangle, you have to be patient at least a little while longer. The Skinny reached out to GF for a Triangle update when news broke about Charlotte getting GF deployment first. We’re told that GF is making great progress on construction of the Triangle network. And there may be an announcement “soon” about deployment dates as well as locations. Plus, when GF lights that fiber network, a business option will be available to augment residential service. If you want to fiber up with GF, the best way...

Google Fiber is inching ever closer to formal launch in Charlotte, announcing that it’s now accepting sign-ups for individuals and businesses in one neighborhood. Plus, GF unveiled business and other pricing plans. So what about Google Fiber in the Triangle? We keep getting hints and hearing scuttlebutt that sign-ups are drawing ever closer. But nothing firm as of yet. Launch day must be near, however, as just last week Google announced its first two “tech partners” to help businesses deploy fiber networks. GF announced the Triangle and Charlotte as fiber hubs in January 2015, and as WTW has reported,...

Plugging in an enterprise network to the fiber business highway is NOT a task for the weak at heart. But if your business doesn’t have a full-time IT person, how do you capitalize on gigabit speeds? Google Fiber launches a new program it says will help. It’s called the “Google Fiber Tech Partner” initiative. And Google has already signed up two partners for the Triangle market, where it is building a network. Hosted America and Net Friends are the two IT service providers selected so far as “Tech Partners” in RTP. “To help small businesses make the most of...

Google Fiber and partner Nonprofit Technology Network are seeking applications for its second round of Digital Inclusion Fellowships. The Triangle is one of 11 areas where Google Fiber is being installed. A total of 22 fellowships will be awarded.. The purpose of the fellowships is to find people who will hel “build digital literacy programs from the ground up.” Google Fiber is supporting the initiative with $1 million in funding for salaries and benefits. Projects include: Showing adults how to take their GEDs online Helping job-seekers learn digital workplace skills Teaching parents how to access their children’s grades online...

The battle between AT&T, Google Fiber and other companies seeking to provide ultrafast Internet service over fiber networks is intensifying. The latest skirmish is taking place in Louisville. AT&T has filed a lawsuit against the City of Louisville, seeking to overturn a new ordinance (“Ine Touch Make Ready”) that would grant Google Fiber and other companies to hang fiber from utility poles which AT&T owns. Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) says it’s “standing with Louisville.” AT&T, Google Fiber, Century Link and Frontier Communications are all providing and seeking to offer gigabit Internet access across parts of the Triangle. AT&T (NYSE: T)...

It’s no secret that Google Fiber is constructing an ultra-fast Internet and entertainment network in the Triangle. However, there remains plenty of secrecy about the project, particularly a timeline for deployment. Google Fiber’s top Triangle executive did provide some insight to WRAL TechWire, saying that “thousands of miles” of fiber-optic cable are coming. “Over the last year, we’ve made great progress in bringing Google Fiber to the Triangle,” says Erik Garr, who is head of Google Fiber, Triangle. “In 2015, we completed our detailed study of the seven towns and cities receiving Fiber, designed our network from scratch, and...

While praising Google Fiber’s announced plans Wednesday to offer free ultra-fast Internet access to public housing communities, AT&T notes it is already doing so at several Triangle and Triad locations. Plus, a new program for discounted access is coming. “We’ve worked with community leaders across the U.S. to connect people for nearly 140 years. We applaud any plans to join our broader efforts to bring high-speed Internet access to those who need it,” AT&T (NYSE: T) said in a statement provided to WRAL TechWire shortly after the Google Fiber announcement. “Our efforts include the rapid expansion of AT&T GigaPower...

Google Fiber, which is in the process of deploying in the Triangle, is promising free ultra-fast Internet access to all public housing properties in cities where it offers service. The company announced the plan Wednesday as part of a partnership with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Rivals AT&T and Frontier Communications, which are building their own fiber networks in the Triangle, said they “applaud” the ConnectHome program but also touted their own service efforts. The aim is to deliver the fast Internet “to those who need it most,” said Dennis Kish, vice president of Google Fiber,...