Google Fiber San Antonio Build Stuck in Neutral

Google Fiber paused its San Antonio build a few weeks ago after city residents complained about the placement of the "fiber huts" needed to drive the service. Seventeen huts were planned for San Antonio city-owned property, including six city parks, five fire stations, three vacant residential properties, two libraries and one police station. But many locals consider the 32 by 50 foot fenced in area and structure to be eyesores, and have been pressuring Google and the city to reconsider the location of several of the units.

Most of the complaints revolve around the structures being placed in parks. Other complaints focus on the fact that Google Fiber didn't adequately communicate where the builds would occur.

After pausing deployment a few weeks ago, city residents and leaders say they still haven't heard anything from Google Fiber.

"Google, they're two to three weeks out --they feel-- before they talk to us. What we do know is they're reevaluating the whole network here in San Antonio," said Deputy San Antonio City Manager Peter Zanoni at a January 18 council briefing.

Since then, the city says they've heard nothing from the company about what happens next. Google Fiber says it has no update on the company's build, whether they're redesigning the network to accommodate hut placement concerns, or just how long of a delay will be caused by any changes made.

Google Fiber hasn't exactly been instilling confidence in customers or cities, after the company fired its CEO, laid off a number of employees, and cancelled deployments in a number of markets back in October . Numerous reports have suggested several key Alphabet executives have grown tired of the high cost and slow pace of their fiber deployments, and are eager to instead pivot to next-generation wireless.