Google Abandons Fiber Internet Service in Louisville, Kentucky

Google Fiber has reportedly failed to roll out its much-hyped gigabit internet service in Louisville, Kentucky, choosing to abandon the project entirely.

The Verge reports that Google Fiber’s attempt to bring gigabit internet connections to Louisville, Kentucky, has failed entirely with Google choosing to abandon the project in the area. Alphabet’s Access division confirmed that Google Fiber would be pulling out of the area, with the Fiber team releasing a statement which reads: “We’ll work with our customers and partners to minimize disruption, and we’re committed to doing right by the community, which welcomed us as we tested methods of delivering high-speed internet in new and different ways.”

Google Fiber has faced a number of issues since it’s inception; what was initially expected to be an extremely popular internet service provider had many of its future prospects ended when Alphabet curtailed investments and its expansion plans. The company shut down its Webpass gigabit internet service in Boston almost a year ago, but later hired a former Time Warner Cable executive to run the Access unit in charge of Google Fiber. It appears that the service is not running as well as expected.

Google Fiber announced their plans to leave Louisville in a tweet which can be read below:

In another tweet, the ISP claimed that they were “connecting new customers every day,”

The company also acknowledged that its work in the Louisville area had been “disruptive” and promised to work with the city to “do the right thing” for residents:

This is likely a reference to the use of “shallow trenching” by Google Fiber installers which involves laying fiber cables below ground on the sides of the roads in the city and covering them with a type of sealant. Over time, some of the cables have become exposed resulting in a second layer of hot asphalt being used to cover them.

In a blog post, the Google Fiber team stated that “the lessons we’ve learned in Louisville have already made us better in our other Google Fiber cities. We’ve refined our micro-trenching methods and are seeing good outcomes elsewhere.”

Jean Porter, director of communications for Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, commented on the development stating:

From the time Louisville Metro began working with Google Fiber, we’ve believed that adding this service as a choice for residents would lead other providers to offer better services, faster speeds and lower costs. Competition is good for a market. AT&T, Spectrum, and others have stepped up and increased investment in Louisville. We look forward to working with them and others to provide residents with choices for low-cost, gigabit-speed internet access. We are also excited by our expansion of internet network capacity through the LFIT middle mile fiber initiative and 5G wireless coverage.

Google Fiber appears to still have plans to expand to other areas, whether these will have a better experience than Louisville remains to be seen.