Google Fiber approved by Metro Council
The Louisville Metro Council has voted to grant a communications-services franchise to Google Fiber, clearing the way for the company to decide whether to install facilities across Jefferson County for a high-speed broadband system.
The final decision on proceeding with the network is now in Google Fiber's court, said Ted Smith, the city's chief of civic innovation and point person on dealing with communications-services providers. "We have done our part" and city has completed its due diligence, he said.
A.T. McWilliams, a Google Fiber spokesman, said the council approval of franchise rights "is one important step in our exploration process and brings us closer to a decision on bringing Google Fiber to Louisville. We continue to make progress and will update Louisville residents as soon as we can" on any final plan to proceed with installation of a fiberoptics network."
AT&T and Comcast/Spectrum, which recently took over Time Warner's local facilities, are also upgrading facilities to meet demand for ultrarapid Internet access.
The Metro Council on Thursday evening approved an ordinance granting the communications-services franchise to a new Kentucky affiliate of Google Fiber.
The main sponsors of the ordinance were Council President David Yates, D-25th District, and Councilman Kevin Kramer, R-11th.
The ordinance said Google Fiber "submitted a bid proposal.....(that) meets all of the requirements" the city has set. The ordinance grants Google Fiber Kentucky a 20-year, non-exclusive franchise - if the company decides to proceed with setting up Louisville broadband service.
Smith speculated that installation of the Google Fiber network could begin as early as within six months if not sooner and that the first service connections could be available by fall 2017.
On its part, Google Fiber has taken numerous preparatory steps while continuing to evaluate Louisville as a potential market. It has advertised for several top management and engineering positions in Louisville, and it has filed plans with metro regulators showing where it would put about a dozen communications distribution huts, each of which would serve more than 10,000 households.
Smith noted that arrangements have been worked with each of Jefferson County's more than 80 suburban cities that could opt in or opt out of a master franchise agreement between Metro Government and Google Fiber.
Installation of the network would greatly increase Internet access speeds and provide to users gigabit downloading capability.
If the fiber network is installed, Google Fiber might provide Internet access around 20 times faster than conventional broadband, city officials said when they announced last fall that the company had agreed to put Louisville near the head of the class among dozens of communities that had also sought the network.
Ultrafast Internet service is widely seen as a major enhancement for business attraction and retention.
Smith acknowledged that city ordinances are also in the works to award the non-exclusive franchise to two other out-of-town potential fiber optics providers - Shelby Communications and Goff Network Technologies.
Regulations allow any franchise holder to seek permits from the city to install its own network. The end result might be that residences would have more than one provider to choose from.
Google Fiber has completed or has underway installation of high-speed, fiber optics networks in metro Kansas City; San Antonio and Austin, Texas; Salt Lake City and Provo, Utah; Nashville, Tenn.; Raleigh-Durham and Charlotte, N.C.; and Atlanta.
Reporter Sheldon S. Shafer can be reached at (502) 582-7089, or via email at sshafer@courier-journal.com.