Fiber map misleads residents

Within hours of the announcement that Google was bringing its fiber network to Nashville and three other metropolitan areas, a map created by a California company began floating around, giving false hope and unwarranted concern to those in Davidson County and surrounding areas.

The map showed parts of Franklin, Brentwood, Smyrna, Hendersonville, Gallatin and Springfield, designated in orange, as gaining access to fiber, with Inglewood and Whites Creek left out. Residents in Franklin cheered the possibility while Nashvillians in the fiber dead zones began to worry if their neighborhood was already discounted.

Something important to note: Google did not create the map. Instead, it was made by Erichsen Group, a web design agency in Davis, Calif. It’s unclear what the company was basing its projections on, but it has since taken its fiber maps down and could not be reached for comment.

Google has said that as it plans its fiber network in Nashville, it is just looking to build in Davidson County. While fiber build-out in Kansas City, Kan., and Mo., has expanded beyond the cities to neighboring suburban areas, Google is not making any guarantees, other than it will build in Nashville proper.

Even within Nashville, it is too soon to gauge which neighborhoods will be connected first or at all, a point Google officials have stressed. Kevin Lo, Google Fiber director of business operations, discussed design plans that would take months to complete and installation that would be carried out “one area at a time.”

As Google explains it, the company builds its fiber network “in areas where people want it.” If enough people in a neighborhood show interest, fiber comes. Each neighborhood will have a sign-up goal that residents can view on Google’s website, allowing them to see how close their “fiberhood” is to meeting its target. When the goal is reached, fiber is connected and Google moves onto the next area.

While few details are known about the Google Fiber landscape in — and perhaps eventually outside of — Nashville, neighborhood and community leaders can still begin to build awareness of fiber and the sign-up process that eventually will be in effect, addressing as many hurdles as possible ahead of time.

Areas outside of Nashville also can explore fiber options that are slowly becoming more available. TDS Telecom is expanding its 1 Gigservice in Mt. Juliet, several Tennessee municipalities provide fiber through electric power providers, and AT&T has said it is committed to fiber in the Nashville area, although no timeline has been set.

The Erichsen map is just a projection, but it has helped spur conversation about what is possible in Nashville and the nearby communities. With Google, community leaders and residents working together, there ideally will be more orange and less green.

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