Google Fiber Expands to the Southeast

Published: January 28, 2015 7:23 PM /

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google-fiber logo

Google Fiber is coming to the south. According to Time magazine, Google Fiber will be expanding to Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville and Raleigh-Durham. If you live in or around them, you will have available a service that provides speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second of unlimited download and upload streams for around $70, if they follow previous implementations.

Since its advent three years ago, Google Fiber has been highly demanded and the Southeast is a ripe venue considering the monopoly of companies like AT&T and Comcast.

The service has mostly been viewed as a way to shame traditional ISPs into boosting their own broadband speeds. A speedier Internet benefits Google because it allows people to execute search queries faster, which lets Google serve users more ads.
This push by Google has both a egalitarian and a business motive.

Greater competition means companies like Comcast and AT&T can no longer dictate prices and terms due to being basically the only commercial services available. Comcast's recent implementation of data usage caps has come under fire as both it and At&T are now issuing data caps on users. Considering the growing popularity of online media streaming with popular services such as Hulu Plus, Netflix, and Amazon Prime, as well as gaming and work from home lifestyles that heavily involve an internet connection, these data caps are seen as a predatory means of siphoning money from heavy users. Google's service is unlimited and that could see a massive influx of customers from Comcast and At&T.

As well, faster internet allows Google to deliver more ad revenue to its users and itself. Even if Google does not reach a certain area, the threat of it may be enough to force internet commercial providers to boost their speeds and it wins either way.

Currently, the timetable for this rollout is uncertain, but how the current internet providers in those areas react will be something to watch in the near future.

Edit: This article stated that the speed was 1 gigabyte per second. It is actually 1 gigabit per second. It has been corrected.

So are you excited for Google Fiber? Do you live in one of the areas where it is available or will be available? What do you think of data caps? Respond in our comments below.

Have a tip, or want to point out something we missed? Leave a Comment or e-mail us at tips@techraptor.net


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