Google Fiber expanding to Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville and Raleigh-Durham
The fiber optic cable service, with speeds of 1Gbps, is already live in the Kansas City area, as well as Provo, Utah, and Austin, Texas.
Google has been working with city leaders in the new areas for the past year, "and now the really hard work begins," said Dennis Kish, vide president of Google Fiber in a blog posted Tuesday.
He also said Google continues to explore bringing fiber to five other areas: Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Antonio and San Jose. Updates on those areas will come later this year.
Kish hailed findings by President Barack Obama and others that show fast Internet connections are vital to economic development. In cities such as Kansas City, Kans. and Kansas City, Mo., the construction of Google Fiber in residential areas started in 2012 and was opened to businesses by 2014. Google Fiber has also pushed AT&T to launch a number of competitive fiber projects.
"Fiber is on fire," said Heather Burnett Gold, president of Fiber to the Home Council for the Americas, in reaction to Google's announcement. "Communities must be planning/deploying gigabit infrastructure today in order to be part of the global economy tomorrow."
City leaders in Raleigh welcomed the news as well.
"High-speed broadband can help cities enhance service deliver and civic engagement," said Gail Roper, chief information and community relations officer for the City of Raleigh, in a statement. "This next-generation infrastructure is a foundation that will enable future generations to research, collaborate, and develop solutions beyond what we can imagine today."