fiber

In our Google I/O poll, we looked at what Google could possibly announce this week to measure up to the high bar set by last year's skydiving introduction of Google Glass, along with the Nexus 7, Android Jelly Bean, and the apparently ill-fated Nexus Q.

Most of you were interested in seeing some really cool new Nexus hardware from Google this week. It's a sentiment I share, but I also have a fantasy that we'll see something relatively unexpected and bleeding edge that will top even last year's Glass debut. I've come up with four imagined Google I/O announcements that I think are highly unlikely, but within the realm of possibility, and would have the whole world buzzing for weeks to come.

Just to be clear: I have no evidence any of these things will happen this week. In fact, I'm pretty positive three of them won't come true anytime soon. It's just my (admittedly demanding) wish list for Santa Brin and his elves in Mountain View. Let's hope they're listening.… Read more

Six months after wireline telephone operators and trade groups asked the Federal Communications Commission for permission to begin shutting down their aging switched networks, the agency responded late Friday, calling for further study.

In a public notice (PDF) issued by an agency task force created in December 2012, the FCC reiterated the importance of accelerating the transition from switched networks to native IP infrastructure. But rather than approving limited trials to test technical and regulatory obstacles to a full conversion, the agency instead raised more questions about the trials and called for more rounds of comments.

The task force also … Read more

Google's Fiber web is growing a little bigger in the Midwest.

The Gladstone, Mo., city council on Monday approved expansion of the Web giant's speedy Internet and video service into the Kansas City suburb, Google announced Monday.

Already available in Kansas City, the first location to get the high-speed Internet service, Google Fiber's expansion plans have been picking up speed in recent months. The Gladstone decision comes a little more than a week after Shawnee, Kan. -- another city located near Kansas City -- voted to bring Google Fiber to its residents. Google also plans to install … Read more

Google Fiber is hitting another Kansas City, Mo., suburb, the online giant said Tuesday.

Grandview, Mo., will become the latest location to snag the super-high-speed Internet, joining other cities such as Austin, Texas; Provo, Utah; and Shawnee, Kan.

However, Google said in its blog post that it will still be "awhile" before it can build Fiber in Grandview as it needs to plan and engineer its network there first.

Google, which announced the Fiber project in February 2010, began construction of the network backbone in February 2012. The idea behind Google Fiber is for the company to build … Read more

Google Fiber is making its way to another part of Kansas.

The search giant on Thursday announced that Shawnee, located just outside of Kansas City, has voted to bring Google Fiber to its residents. Google Fiber is already available in Kansas City, the first location to get the Google high-speed Internet service.

Google Fiber has started to slowly expand its footprint across the U.S., with the company recently announcing that it'll be made available to Austin, Texas, residents. Provo, Utah will also receive Fiber service.

Google on Thursday did not say when its service will be available to … Read more

Though Time Warner Cable's free Wi-Fi hot spots are nothing new, there is something perhaps more than coincidental about the timing of their launch in Austin, Texas.

Did someone say Google Fiber?

Well, actually, Time Warner itself did. In its announcement Thursday that it's bringing free Wi-Fi hot spots to its Austin customers, the company said it was Google launching its superfast Internet and TV service in the Texas capital that gave Time Warner momentum.

"We've been rolling out our free Wi-Fi network across our footprint for some time now, as part of our larger strategy … Read more

If you live in Kansas City, have Google Fiber, and also own an iPad -- you're in luck. As of Tuesday, the Google Fiber TV app for iPad is available in Apple's iTunes store.

Just what does this app do?

Well, besides doubling as a TV remote control, it also lets users search for programming, browse listings, access on-demand content, and pick shows or recordings to watch. The app also lets users watch any of these shows or movies directly on their iPad.

The Google Fiber TV app has been available to Android owners for about a month … Read more

Google Fiber's blazingly fast gigabit Internet speeds will come to Provo, Utah, later this year, Google and the city announced today.

Although Provo is already wired for fiber, Google Fiber general manager Kevin Lo said at the press conference revealing the partnership that the company will need to upgrade the current fiber network, which has seen several owners since it was built in 2004.

Google Fiber will bring "free basic broadband service for every Provo resident for at least seven years, and free gigabit connectivity for hospitals and schools," he said.

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert was enthusiastic … Read more

The next American city to land the gigabit speeds of Google Fiber will be Provo, Utah, according to one rumor.

The mayor of Provo has been building buzz for what he described on his blog as an "epic announcement" and "the single largest accomplishment" of his career. While building buzz with Provo's citizens on Twitter with the hashtag "#ProvoEpicAnnouncement", the blog ProvoBuzz.com gave six reasons why the reveal will be Google Fiber.

Chief among them are that Provo already has fiber-optic infrastructure, and that the infrastructure, which had been sold to to … Read more