San Antonio Likely Next To Score Google Fiber Fat Pipe
The lucky residents of San Antonio in the great state of Texas will probably be next to have access to Google's uber-fast fiber-optic network. As part of a long-term contract, Google will lay down 40 "fiber huts," which are 12-foot by 26-foot communications shelters that contain the infrastructure for Google's fiber-optic gigabit Internet.
"What we've seen in other communities in which Google Fiber has moved in is that it lowers the cost of Internet access for everyday consumers," said San Antonio mayor Julián Castro said. "And that's a great thing in a place like San Antonio, where we do still see a significant digital divide."
While Google has agreed to serve the area its gigabit network, it's not entirely a done deal that San Antonio will be selected as the lucky city. Castro is pushing hard to get the deal done, but it will depend in part on the results of Google's engineering studies. There's a chance that Google could select a different city, such as Austin, though San Antonio is the front-runner at this point.
"Once an announcement is made -- if an announcement is made to deploy Google Fiber here -- then there's a lot of engineering and construction that follows that," said Mark Strama, head of Google Fiber and former Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives.
San Antonio is in a good position to secure the deal because it owns CPS Energy, which would make it easier to deploy utility poles capable of carrying portions of Google's fiber-optic lines.
"What we've seen in other communities in which Google Fiber has moved in is that it lowers the cost of Internet access for everyday consumers," said San Antonio mayor Julián Castro said. "And that's a great thing in a place like San Antonio, where we do still see a significant digital divide."
While Google has agreed to serve the area its gigabit network, it's not entirely a done deal that San Antonio will be selected as the lucky city. Castro is pushing hard to get the deal done, but it will depend in part on the results of Google's engineering studies. There's a chance that Google could select a different city, such as Austin, though San Antonio is the front-runner at this point.
"Once an announcement is made -- if an announcement is made to deploy Google Fiber here -- then there's a lot of engineering and construction that follows that," said Mark Strama, head of Google Fiber and former Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives.
San Antonio is in a good position to secure the deal because it owns CPS Energy, which would make it easier to deploy utility poles capable of carrying portions of Google's fiber-optic lines.
