Google announced Thursday it is working with San Diego to potentially build a fiber-optic network delivering 1,000 megabit Internet speeds.
San Diego would be one of 15 cities nationwide that either have a Google Fiber network now or are in development or consideration by the company. In addition to San Diego, Google announced Thursday that Irvine in Orange County and Lousiville, KY, were under consideration.
“San Diego stood out to us,” said Jill Szuchmacher, director of expansion for Google Fiber. “It’s a community with a growing tech sector.”
She also praised city leadership for being supportive of the project and said San Diego’s diverse population was also a consideration because Google wants to bring the Internet to under-served communities.
Szuchmacher joined Mayor Kevin Faulconer and local business leaders in making the announcement under the Barrio Logan sign in a community that would significantly benefit from the project.
“It’s neighborhoods like this with a vibrant past that we must connect to the future,” said Faulconer.
The Mayor cautioned that extensive planning remains to be done before Google commits to moving forward. Szuchmacher said it would be a multi-year project requiring thousands of miles of fiber, and she declined to give a cost estimate.
“This would be a significant, privately-funded capital project,” said Faulconer. “We have an opportunity to build the 21st Century infrastructure.”
Szuchmacher said Internet speeds currently average 12 megabits per second in the United States, so 1,000 megabits would be almost almost a hundred-fold improvement.
In Kansas City, MO, the first city to get the service, the monthly cost is $70 for residences and $100 for small businesses.
Mark Cafferty, president and CEO of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp., said “a partnership with Google Fiber is a tremendous opportunity for San Diego” to increase its economic competitiveness.
