Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer announced on Sept. 10 that Google Fiber will begin working with the City of San Diego to explore the possibility of building a brand new high-speed broadband network in the city.
“Information is power, and the more we connect San Diego to superfast Internet the stronger our neighborhoods and economy will be,” said Faulconer. “We don’t just want modern infrastructure – we also want it smarter, faster and more accessible to San Diego families and businesses. This is part of an ongoing effort to lay the foundation for our local economy and community to compete and thrive in the 21st century. It’s how we make sure San Diego continues to lead in the areas of science, technology and innovation.”
Faulconer made increasing San Diegans’ access to high-speed Internet a priority at his 2015 State of the City address.
Starting this week, Google will work with the City of San Diego to explore what it would take to build a fiber optic network capable of delivering gigabit speeds.
Today’s average American broadband speed is 11.9 Megabits per second. In contrast, gigabit Internet services can offer up to 1,000 Megabits per second – or up to 40 times faster than basic broadband.
“Abundant high speed Internet can help communities grow stronger, establishing a groundwork for innovation and economic growth,” said Jill Szuchmacher, director of expansion, Google Fiber. “City leaders like Mayor Faulconer have taken a big step to see what they can do to bring superfast fiber networks to their citizens. We look forward to working side by side with San Diego in the coming months to explore if we can bring Google Fiber to the city, and help write the next chapter of the Internet, together, on gigabit speeds,” Szuchmacher said.
Over the course of the coming months, Google will begin compiling a detailed study of local factors that might affect construction plans. Simultaneously, City staff will begin meetings with Google to discuss what it would take to plan and prepare the city for a fiber project of this scale. This includes reviewing the permit process and mapping the location of existing infrastructure like utility poles and gas, water and electricity lines.
If it’s determined the project can move forward, Google Fiber will begin designing the network, street by street. The network follows a “hub and spoke” design where the city would be encircled with a ring of fiber cables that branch off into neighborhoods, homes and businesses. Then comes construction, which includes stringing and laying thousands of miles of state-of-the-art fiber optic cable, followed a gradual roll-out of service to the city.
“We are very excited by the proposed Google Fiber project,” said Ray King, president and CEO of the Urban League of San Diego County. “It would open new venues and pathways for connecting disadvantaged neighborhoods and communities to the innovation economy through employment, new electronic business platforms and digital learning.”
“In addition to providing our community members with near instant access to information and online services, ultra high-speed Internet also helps San Diego empower, attract and retain top tech talent,” said Jarrod Russell, director of public affairs for downtown startup Underground Elephant Inc.
“This development would literally fuel the growth of our startups as well as our small and medium-sized businesses. Data powers some of San Diego’s most promising industries including digital marketing, software development, communication technology, cyber security, and life sciences. By increasing connectivity across our community, we are effectively engineering serendipity for our citizens and our economy,” Russell said.
Google Fiber Internet and TV service is currently available in Kansas City, Kan., Kansas City, Mo., Provo, UT, and Austin, TX. Google Fiber is in the process of expanding to six additional metro areas: Atlanta, Charlotte, N.C., Nashville, Raleigh Durham, N.C., Salt Lake City, and San Antonio. For more information about this announcement, visit the Google Fiber blog.