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Google Fiber coming to Charlotte?


HopHead

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Looks like Time Warner Cable is jumping on the bandwagon. I also heard that Comporium in York County will be offering similar service as well. Even if we don't get Google here, I'm glad to see they forced some competition here and the other Internet service providers are upping their game.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2014/07/31/twc-joins-the-rush-plans-to-boost-internet-speeds.html

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  • 4 weeks later...

I've been waiting for more news from RST Fiber out of Shelby and their plans to push into Charlotte. Today, I called to inquire when they're coming so I can change my ISP. While they offered no specifics, they made it sound like they're still a few months out from lighting up their Charlotte infrastructure. I did ask if it would be wireless or FTTH and they indicated that they were planning more FTTH for installs rather than wireless. If this comes to pass, I'm going to be a very happy user.

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I've been waiting for more news from RST Fiber out of Shelby and their plans to push into Charlotte. Today, I called to inquire when they're coming so I can change my ISP. While they offered no specifics, they made it sound like they're still a few months out from lighting up their Charlotte infrastructure. I did ask if it would be wireless or FTTH and they indicated that they were planning more FTTH for installs rather than wireless. If this comes to pass, I'm going to be a very happy user.

I'll believe it when I see it. I still think they sell or lease their network to Google.

 

Running a internet / tv provider is much different than running a company that installs fiber.

 

Whether they do it themselves or lease/sell it to Google, I'll be a customer of their network.

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I'll believe it when I see it. I still think they sell or lease their network to Google.

 

Running a internet / tv provider is much different than running a company that installs fiber.

 

Whether they do it themselves or lease/sell it to Google, I'll be a customer of their network.

 

I was thinking the same thing. While I'm reluctant to have Google be my ISP, and was hoping to throw cash at a small "local" operator, neither alternative in Charlotte (if you can call them that) is up to snuff. RST Fiber on paper seemed to be the best alternative.

 

AT&T's spotty roll-out of UVerse has been a letdown (seriously, every block around my block is UVerse eligible and mine sits dark with a maximum DLS speed of 3 Mbps on a good day) and while I had my issues with BellSouth (R.I.P.), AT&T manages to make TimeWarner look reasonable and responsive. The problem with TimeWarner is the annual negotiation to keep my rate reasonable when I've not changed my service. Also, I really don't want Comcast becoming my ISP post merger.

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Man I am so excited about this.  I really think we are almost understating the value this could bring to our local economy.  Start-up companies and even larger ones for that matter seek cities with a strong infrastructure.  That doesn't just mean planes, trains and roads anymore (i know, i wanted to say automobiles too).

 

Charlotte will be a very attractive landing spot for companies if it can offer the speeds Google Fiber will provide.

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Man I am so excited about this.  I really think we are almost understating the value this could bring to our local economy.  Start-up companies and even larger ones for that matter seek cities with a strong infrastructure.  That doesn't just mean planes, trains and roads anymore (i know, i wanted to say automobiles too).

 

Charlotte will be a very attractive landing spot for companies if it can offer the speeds Google Fiber will provide.

 

Agreed. This will be a game changer for not just consumers (like us), but also start ups and small businesses. 

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Man I am so excited about this.  I really think we are almost understating the value this could bring to our local economy.  Start-up companies and even larger ones for that matter seek cities with a strong infrastructure.  That doesn't just mean planes, trains and roads anymore (i know, i wanted to say automobiles too).

 

Charlotte will be a very attractive landing spot for companies if it can offer the speeds Google Fiber will provide.

Long term, yes this will be great. The major issue with Fiber is the time period it takes for that infrastructure to be built. My buddy lives in Austin and it's still not available in a lot of places. Getting it constructed uptown is going to certainly be an expensive challenge (Google has money to burn, they'll figure it out), but it will certainly be a while before buildings uptown can market "Google Fiber Access"

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Man I am so excited about this.  I really think we are almost understating the value this could bring to our local economy.  Start-up companies and even larger ones for that matter seek cities with a strong infrastructure.  That doesn't just mean planes, trains and roads anymore (i know, i wanted to say automobiles too).

 

Charlotte will be a very attractive landing spot for companies if it can offer the speeds Google Fiber will provide.

Only if Google opens fiber up for businesses.

 

Right now it is only available to residential customers with a limited roll out for small business owners.

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Actual construction not starting until Q1 or Q2 NEXT year  :(

Sounds about right. Not surprised by that at all

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2015/01/27/google-fiber-coming-to-charlotte-major-utility.html?page=all

 

Maybe this means they will start burying all the power lines around town :)

Edited by Jayvee
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I guess I am more surprised because I thought what they were doing in the past year since announcing CLT and the others were likely expansion cities was planning a bit more then it seems they were.  I'm sure they were planning something, but not the granular details to get permitting rolling and all the real details of actual execution.  oh well.  still this is a fabulously great long term investment for the city.

 

They got the city page up on Google Fiber site now.  They were not here earlier today.  They must have been busy planning the marketing over the last year :P    https://fiber.google.com/cities/charlotte/home/

Edited by navigator319
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It's just too bad the entirety of the Triangle got it too. Kind of hurts the overall boost to Charlotte's desirability this would have given us if we were the only city in the Carolinas to land Google Fiber. But it is what it is and the Triangle makes sense for Google whether I like it or not.

While I live in city limits, it kind of stings a little that none of our close neighbors were a part of the selection process. Pull up fiber.google.com and look at Raleigh and Atlanta and look at how many of their surrounding towns are going to be included. Granted that, geographically, Charlotte is a physically larger city, you'd think that Matthews/Pineville/Mint Hill could have easily been incorporated into the bid. (But I don't run a multi-billion dollar corporation, so what do I know?) Putting together Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill/Cary/Carrboro/Morrisville is a pretty large area. It's a shame the larger burbs in our surrounding area couldn't reap the benefits. But maybe this is good for Charlotte proper: increases desirability for businesses to locate in city limits rather than across county lines.

But my mission on my days off this week is to campaign to all of my neighbors to register their addresses with Google. There's power in numbers...

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It's just too bad the entirety of the Triangle got it too. Kind of hurts the overall boost to Charlotte's desirability this would have given us if we were the only city in the Carolinas to land Google Fiber. But it is what it is and the Triangle makes sense for Google whether I like it or not.

While I live in city limits, it kind of stings a little that none of our close neighbors were a part of the selection process. Pull up fiber.google.com and look at Raleigh and Atlanta and look at how many of their surrounding towns are going to be included. Granted that, geographically, Charlotte is a physically larger city, you'd think that Matthews/Pineville/Mint Hill could have easily been incorporated into the bid. (But I don't run a multi-billion dollar corporation, so what do I know?) Putting together Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill/Cary/Carrboro/Morrisville is a pretty large area. It's a shame the larger burbs in our surrounding area couldn't reap the benefits. But maybe this is good for Charlotte proper: increases desirability for businesses to locate in city limits rather than across county lines.

But my mission on my days off this week is to campaign to all of my neighbors to register their addresses with Google. There's power in numbers...

 

 

Did you look at the map? It looks to me as Huntersville, Davidson, Concord, Pineville, Matthews, Gastonia, Monroe, and Rockhill were all included in Googles Fiberhoods....

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Did you look at the map? It looks to me as Huntersville, Davidson, Concord, Pineville, Matthews, Gastonia, Monroe, and Rockhill were all included in Googles Fiberhoods....

 

 

That was not a google map.  That was some guy's blog.  This is right off the google fiber twitter account:

 

https://twitter.com/googlefiber/status/560222659917905920

 

 

Charlotte city limits only it looks like.  Which I mean, I could care less.  It'll implore more businesses to move inside our city limits as opposed to on the south side of the border or some business park in Huntersville, ect.

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^^I think we need to understand that Google is not looking provide the type of service level TWC & AT&T provide. This could be a spark for the Innovation Corridor stretching from SouthEnd to UNCC with the epicenter being the NODA/N Tryon/Music Factory area

Edited by js4life
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