The Courier-Journal

Hey Louisville, Google Fiber could be giving us some love soon, but our relationship status is unchanged.

After the Courier-Journal reported that Louisville is on the "upcoming" category on Google Fiber's list showing cities where its sought-after high-speed internet service is to be installed, a company spokeswoman reached out to clarify that the city has been on its "upcoming" list since October.

"We are excited to bring Google Fiber to Louisville and are still figuring out the path," the spokeswoman said in a statement. "We've made great progress working with the city and are excited to find innovative new ways to deploy superfast internet. ... We'll make a full announcement with the city at the right time."

So the city will just have to wait to tie the knot.

Chris Poynter, a spokesman for Mayor Greg Fischer, said that the city and Google "continue working together as we lay the foundation for the company to have a presence in our city."

Grace Simrall, Louisville Metro's chief of civic involvement, echoed Poynter's comments, saying that nothing is imminent. But she affirmed that the last word she had received from Google Fiber was that it remains committed to bringing service to Louisville.

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She said that bringing Google Fiber's service would not have any impact on AT&T Fiber, which was launched in Louisville last year. AT&T previously filed a federal lawsuit against the city alleging Louisville was violating its constitutional rights by giving Google and others the right to install and move equipment on their utility polls.

"Competition is better for the community," Simrall said. "That's absolutely what we want."

The Google Fiber website listed Louisville along with San Antonio and Huntsville, Ala., as cities in line for "upcoming" service.

Google Fiber is a super-fast internet service. Packages that include TV and phone service are also available.

In an indicator of its intent to do business in Louisville, Google Fiber recently posted jobs for several top Louisville management positions, including a network deployment and operations construction manager; a field operations manager; a project manager; a fiber network deployment manager and operations construction lead; and a lead engineer.

The postings follow the disclosure last summer that Google Fiber intends to develop a series of about a dozen communications hubs across Jefferson County, each of which would be designed to distribute fiber-optics service to more than 10,000 residences.

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A Google Fiber blog posting last summer said "we have a solid plan — including diagrams of every utility pole our fiber will travel on, detailed maps of where we'll need to dig up streets to install new conduit and the specs for every single hut and cabinet — can we get boots on the ground to start building our network. That's when you'll start to see crews out in the streets with their boom trucks, boring machines, and rolls of conduit and cables."

If the fiber network is installed, Google Fiber would provide internet access about 20 times faster than conventional broadband, city officials said when they announced in late 2015 that the company had agreed to put Louisville near the head of the class among dozens of communities that had also sought the network.

Ultrafast internet service is widely seen as a boon for business attraction and retention.

City officials have been working with Google Fiber on details such as construction, utility permits and issues related to use of city-owned right of way.

At the same time, Google has been compiling a detailed study of local factors that might affect construction plans — such as topography, housing density and the condition of existing infrastructure.

Joe Burgan, a spokesman for AT&T Kentucky, issued a statement Friday that said in part:

“As one of the first, largest, and only providers of 100 percent fiber internet to locations in the Louisville market, we’re improving the way consumers are connecting to their entertainment and communities. It’s clear that any perceived movement by potential competitors is a reaction to our leadership. Our deployment of our 100 percent fiber network is the largest of its kind in Louisville, and we’re not slowing down."

Burgan said in an interview that his company is providing ultrafast internet service to tens of thousands of households and small businesses in Beechmont, Chickasaw, Germantown, Newburg, Parkland, Smoketown, Spring Mill, the Highlands and in at least parts of dozens of other neighborhoods.

He said he couldn't be more specific because exact locations are considered proprietary information. He also said he couldn't reveal any timetable for when other specific local areas might get the upgraded service.

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