Google Fiber Is Coming To Huntsville, Alabama

Google today announced that it is bringing its gigabit Fiber service to Huntsville, Alabama. As Google noted in today’s announcement, every city it has brought Fiber to is different. In Huntsville, the company is piggybacking on the fiber network that Huntsville Utilities is building in the city.

That’s a different approach for Google. With the exception of Provo, Utah, where Google is using a fiber network it acquired from the city, and Atlanta, where it is using a mix of new and existing networks, the company has typically built its network from scratch.

Screen Shot 2016-02-21 at 4.10.57 PM

In Huntsville, it will be providing its service on top of a municipally owned network. This means that once the network is ready, Google may just be one of a number of companies that could offer their services over the same fast network.

“Google’s entrance into our market bolsters our high-tech legacy, energizes our entrepreneurs, tinkerers and engineers, and supports the high quality of life Huntsville is known for delivering,” said Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle. “Fiber to the home is the Internet infrastructure for the 21st century. It is as vital to our quality of life as roads, water, sewer and electricity.  It will become the benchmark for cities vying for talent.“

If everything goes according to plan, Huntsville will become the 10th city to offer Google Fiber service. Fiber is currently available in Kansas City; Provo; Austin, Texas; and Atlanta, Ga., but Google has already announced it plans to bring it to five more cities, including Nashville, Tenn.