When Google announced plans in 2010 to jump into the broadband business, the company received more than 1000 applications from communities hoping to be selected for Google Fiber, which promised gigabit-speed Internet at low prices or even free Internet for seven years if you chose a slower speed.
As we head into 2014, Google has delivered super-fast Internet to exactly one place, greater Kansas City; it's just now rolling out the service to Provo, Utah—where it purchased an existing municipal network for $1; and has announced plans for Austin, Texas, in 2014.
After that, who knows? Google has not released any further scheduling information.
But if you're Verizon, Comcast, or AT&T, you might be breathing a little easier these days, knowing that Google apparently is not planning to buy up all that unused dark fiber and compete in the residential broadband market on a nationwide scale—at least for now.
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