Ultra-Fast Google Fiber Internet Could Be Coming To Chicago

By Mae Rice in News on Dec 8, 2015 8:39PM

Ultra-fast Google Fiber Internet, with connection speeds of roughly 1,000 megabits per second, might be coming to Chicago, Google announced in a blog post Tuesday. The company chose Chicago as a potential Fiber site due to our high population and burgeoning tech scene, among other factors. Specifically shouted out in the Google post: startup incubator 1871 and venture capital firm Chicago Ventures.

This is a preliminary announcement, though. Chicago has been invited to apply for Google Fiber, a process detailed in the Google Fiber checklist. Now, city officials will outline our local policies about construction and help match Google with sites for its Google Fiber huts. These fenced-in structures house Fiber equipment, and usually occupy city property—areas like fire stations and police stations. (Google does not like to place them at dumps.)

Chicago’s just one of the “potential Fiber cities” Google’s exploring. Overall, the company's investigating 11 new metro areas, including LA. Google also has six “upcoming Fiber cities” on its roster; this is a firmer designation than “potential.” Fiber systems are only up and running three cities so far—Provo, Austin, and Kansas City, also known as “wow, that would be a really weird road trip”—but clearly, expansion is a priority.