Google Fiber is opening its sign-up process to homes in several parts of the Sylvan Park neighborhood Wednesday, marking the company's expansion into single-family homes in Nashville.

Google Fiber's Nashville Manager Martha Ivester said other neighborhoods also would become ready for installation, but she did not disclose which neighborhood would be connected next or how long it would take to connect homes throughout the city.

"That's definitely a good mark of progress for us," Ivester said of the Sylvan Park announcement. "It's a great demonstration of our continued commitment to expand our service here in Nashville."

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Google Fiber has connected 26 apartment buildings and condominiums in Nashville in the past 18 months. Since announcing its expansion to Nashville in 2015, Google Fiber has encountered geographical challenges, lengthy utility pole processes and litigation that has slowed its installation.

"It's complicated," Ivester said of the installation process. "It's been absolutely a challenge here in Nashville, but we are continuing to everyday try to figure out new ways to do it better."

The decision to make Sylvan Park the first residential neighborhood for connection was based on design and engineering, Ivester said. The area was more accessible for micro-trenching, an installation method that allows for shallow placement of the fiber cables.

Some homes in Sylvan Park are not eligible at this point, Ivester said. Those that are can sign up online at https://fiber.google.com/cities/nashville/.

AT&T and Comcast have been upgrading their networks to offer the same gigabit speed available through Google's fiber network. Two hundred thousand Nashville homes are eligible for AT&T fiber, and Comcast has said all customers in the Middle Tennessee area have access to gigabit speeds through fiber or its modem technology.

The three internet companies have been sparring over utility pole regulation as they battle for market share. When Metro Council passed a Google-backed ordinance related to attaching new lines, AT&T and Comcast sued the city, claiming pole attachment regulation falls outside the city's jurisdiction.

A federal judge in Kentucky recently dismissed a similar suit AT&T filed against Louisville.

Ivester said Google Fiber will be resubmitting many of its pole attachment applications so the company can utilize the new One Touch Make Ready policy it fought for. The company had slowed applications earlier this year, raising questions about its installation plans.

"We want to be very diligent about how we implement One Touch Make Ready," Ivester said. "It is no surprise, given ongoing litigation, that this is a process you want to do correctly. You want to take time. It doesn't happen overnight."

Reach Jamie McGee at 615-259-8071 and on Twitter @JamieMcGee_.