Google Fiber invited 34 cities in nine metropolitan...

Google Fiber invited 34 cities in nine metropolitan areas to explore the feasibility of bringing high-speed fiber service there, the company said on its blog (bit.ly/1e7MJZS). The company has been in touch with the mayors of the cities and will be working with them over the next few months, said a spokeswoman in an email to us. The metro areas are Atlanta, Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham, N.C., Nashville, Phoenix, Portland, Ore., Salt Lake City, San Antonio and San Jose, the company said. It didn’t say how many cities may get the service, saying it will provide an update by the end of the year. It would be an expansion over Google Fiber projects underway in the Kansas City area, (CD Mar 21 p6), Austin, Texas (CD Apr 10 p10) and Provo, Utah (CD Aug 19 p5). The announcement was heralded by municipal broadband advocates, including the University Community Next Generation Innovation Project. It’s “a big, bold step forward to accelerate the deployment of next generation networks,” said Gig U. Executive Director Blair Levin in a statement. Google said it has asked the cities to provide a checklist of existing infrastructure, including maps of poles, conduits, and existing water, gas, and electricity lines to speed planning and construction. It also asked the cities to streamline permitting procedures. Google said it will begin studying factors that affect construction plans, including the cities’ topography, housing density and infrastructure, to scope out the costs and timelines for building a new fiber network. The announcement was also lauded by Ed Black, president of the Computer & Communications Industry Association. “This follows a recent announcement that C Spire has its own plans for gigabit Internet access in three Mississippi communities that demonstrated the strongest interest,” he said. “As a raft of recent economic studies have illustrated, these new networks will be a boon not only to the cities served by these high-speed offerings but also the public at large who will benefit from new pockets of digital innovation and creativity."