Google Fiber to remove controversial ‘fiber hut’

Siblings Anna (left) and Erin Franklin walk by a Google Hut in Haskin Park on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017. Their mother and Oak Park Northwood Homeowners Association member Cynthia Franklin is disappointed by the location of the Google Hut which was placed in Haskin Park near her home. She used to be able to look past her chain-link fence and see her kids playing on a playscape in the little park. Now, however, the hut blocks her view. She and others like fellow homeowner John Whitsett are upset and say the city violated its own ordinances in allowing Google to install the network building there. Among other things, they say, it violates rules about fencing, noise and construction. (Kin Man Hui/San Antonio Express-News) less Siblings Anna (left) and Erin Franklin walk by a Google Hut in Haskin Park on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017. Their mother and Oak Park Northwood Homeowners Association member Cynthia Franklin is disappointed by the ... more Photo: Kin Man Hui, Staff / San Antonio Express-News Photo: Kin Man Hui, Staff / San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close Google Fiber to remove controversial ‘fiber hut’ 1 / 8 Back to Gallery

Google Fiber is significantly reducing the number of “fiber huts” needed to house its infrastructure and will remove one of the controversial structures that has upset residents.

Mark Strama, Google Fiber’s regional director for West/SW Sales and Business Organization, told the San Antonio Express-News in an exclusive interview Wednesday that evolving technology has changed the landscape. The company will also be using a new trenching method to bury its fiber-optic lines, allowing it to speed up construction of the network while being less intrusive in the community.

When Google initially announced that it would bring its service here and contracted with the city for access to municipally owned property, it had planned to install some 40 fiber huts, though later reduced that number to 17. The huts contain needed infrastructure that aids in connectivity.

Google has installed two so far, much to the consternation of critics upset with their locations: Haskin and East End parks. Other proposed locations include at public-safety facilities and libraries.

“We can get by with far fewer huts because of advancements (in technology),” Strama said. “One site we no longer need a hut at is Haskin Park.”

San Antonio is one of a handful of U.S. cities selected for Google Fiber, which requires the installation of all-new infrastructure.

But concerns have been raised over the size of the huts, which are the size of a small house — about 12 feet wide, 30 feet long and 9 feet tall. Residents also complained about constructions noise and inconvenience. As the firm moved to the construction phase, officials said they needed to install only 17 huts.

Earlier this year, the city paused further construction so it could vet the sites it had already approved. Meanwhile, Google was busy testing new technology that would render the need for 17 huts moot.

Mayor Ivy Taylor has met at least three times this year with Google officials — twice in San Antonio and once in Washington, D.C.

“We’ve enjoyed a strong relationship with Google Fiber and appreciate their willingness to continue to work with us to create a fiber network that fits our community,” Taylor said.

In the next few months, the hut at Haskin Park will be removed and replaced with a cabinet, which typically fits within public right of way and ranges in size from an air-conditioning compressor to a small refrigerator, Strama said.

Moving forward, installation of the fiber-optic lines should be smoother as well, Strama added. Google has been criticized for damaging utilities as its contractors install some 4,000 miles of fiber optic cable in San Antonio.

Google has also taken heat from city officials, who in the past have said the California-based firm dropped the ball on communicating with residents. City Manager Sheryl Sculley noted in an email to council members earlier this year that the company “fell short of their committed obligations to properly inform neighborhood residents about the construction schedule.”

And despite council approval, some officials were bothered by plans to lease park space to Google.

In construction that’s been under way since April 2016, Google has faced “challenges” typical of major infrastructure projects, Strama said. When the cable goes underground, Google has to bore horizontally at about three feet beneath the surface — the same depth as other utilities.

The machines are loud and drilling through rock, ubiquitous in San Antonio, is time consuming. And though workers work with utility maps to avoid striking existing utilities, it still happens, Strama said.

But Google has tested “micro-trenching” — a method that is far less invasive, quicker and doesn’t require the same depth as typical utilities — in Austin to great success, the Google official said. In 300 miles of micro-trenching, the company hasn’t struck an existing utility once, he said. And construction crews are able to get in and out of neighborhoods quicker.

The shift in deployment strategy, Strama said, will “be great in reducing friction and disruption” common in large-scale projects.

Outgoing District 10 Councilman Mike Gallagher, who faced criticism from some of his constituents for not blocking the fiber hut from Haskin Park, said Google’s new plan will ensure residents can access the Internet service while having their park preserved.

“Technology is ever-changing, and we are proud to help keep San Antonio at the forefront of fiber deployment,” he said. “The goal has always been to work toward a solution that not only benefits our community around Haskin Park, but also the 40,000 residents served by the fiber backbone. I am pleased to see that our collective efforts made that goal a reality.”

jbaugh@express-news.net

Twitter: @jbaugh