Google Fiber will be up and running in Provo before the end of the year, and the local community is buzzing with excitement.
Google’s new Gigabit internet service, Google Fiber, has been in the planning process for quite some time, but it will be available to local residents before 2014.
“We’ve been working on the project with Google for over a year now,” said Provo City Deputy Mayor Corey Norman. “So we knew about it a couple of months before the actual announcement.”
The installation will benefit the community in a variety of ways, including facilitating new tech-business and helping out with the iProvo debt. Norman said this would help return the value to the community that was invested in the original project.
“People are just really excited about the whole thing,” he said.
The director of technology for the Provo City School District, Chad Duncan, expressed similar excitement for the possibilities this would create for the students living within the district. Although Google Fiber won’t be in the schools, Duncan is encouraged by what can happen in the home.
“We’re most excited about the students being able to continue their education from home,” Duncan said. “This really opens some doors for them with this new technology.”
Some students at BYU are also wondering how the announcement of Google Fiber will affect them while they call Provo home.
Google Fiber is currently more of a residential service, and there are no immediate plans to bring Google Fiber to campus. BYU spokesman Joe Hadfield said despite this, he was excited by the possibilities Fiber would create.
“This opens up opportunities for students and faculty to collaborate beyond what has traditionally been available here at the university,” said Hadfield. “A lot of students that are interested in tech careers and entrepreneurial endeavors will really benefit from this service.”
This possibility will be available for students in certain complexes as early as October of this year.
David Bailey, managing partner at Redstone Residential Inc., is excited to bring Google Fiber to all of the properties in Provo.
“Alpine Village will be one of the first installs that Google Fiber will have in Provo,” said Bailey. “We will install Fiber first at Alpine Village, then possibly the Isles; then Google will step away from student housing for a while and focus more on married-student and residential housing.”
He also said they will be bringing it to every property they manage within six to eight months.
“We’re anxious to see the reception of Google Fiber by the students living at the properties,” Bailey said.
There will be no additional charges associated with the basic internet service, but students may opt to upgrade to the Gigabit speed service for an additional cost through Google.
