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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

Google Fiber Internet service may be expanding to the Los Angeles and Chicago areas [marketwatch.com] in the future:

Google Fiber, Alphabet's fast Internet service, said Tuesday it is planning to come to Los Angeles and Chicago, the second and third-largest U.S. cities by population, if they pass a long review.

"While we can't guarantee that we'll be able to bring Fiber to Chicago and L.A., this is a big step for these cities and their leaders," Jill Szuchmacher, director of Google Fiber's expansion efforts, wrote in a blog. "Expansion planning for a project of this size is a huge undertaking."

There are now 20 cities where Google Fiber is providing service already, building its network or considering building, including Atlanta and Austin. The 20 metro areas contain about 5% of the total U.S. population and include six of the 10 largest U.S. cities by population. Its expansion plans have become a lot more aggressive since Google re-organized itself into the Alphabet holding company earlier this year. The goal is to give newer businesses more freedom to invest while making them more accountable for their financial performance.

The Los Angeles Times reckons that Google will be looking for concessions [latimes.com]:

To better qualify for Google Fiber, L.A. will have to adhere to a checklist developed by the company that includes "efficient and predictable" permitting, access to city property for network hubs and the appointment of a person to deal directly with the company. The goal is to streamline the process to reduce the risk that a city may not be ready.

"In the past, municipalities would ask for significant concessions like 100% coverage or building connections to schools. It was really hard to get into a new area," said Jan Dawson, chief analyst at Jackdaw Research. "What Google has done is turn the model on its head by saying, 'If you want us to build fiber, what are you going to do for us?'"

[...] Google Fiber is currently available in three cities: Kansas City, Mo.; Provo, Utah; and Austin, Texas. The service will soon roll out in six other places: Salt Lake City; Atlanta; San Antonio; Nashville; and Charlotte; and Raleigh-Durham, N.C. The company is also trying to bring Google Fiber to San Diego, Irvine and Chicago, which was named alongside L.A. in Tuesday's announcement.

AT&T recently brought U-Verse gigabit Internet service [engadget.com] to Chicago.

Announcement at the Google Fiber blog [blogspot.com].

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