Google Fiber’s fiber optic internet service is coming to Lawrence.

Rachel Merlo, director of government and community affairs for Google Fiber’s central region, said it was too early to say which parts of the city might get access to the service first.

“But I can tell you that we plan to start building the network in the first half of next year and our first customers should be able to sign up by the end of 2025,” she said.

This would include services for both private households and small businesses, she said.

The Lawrence City Commission passed an ordinance earlier this month allowing Google Fiber to use the city’s public streets. In exchange, Google will pay the city $4.20 per quarter per subscriber once the service is up and running, and a little more for each business customer.

Google Fiber will install a new network in the city. It will be mostly underground but may need to be attached to some poles, Merlo said. (If you’ve seen fiber-optic installers around town recently, they’re not connected to this project.)

“With a community the size of Lawrence, you can expect our teams to be active for three to four years, expanding the network throughout the city,” she said.

“As it gets closer and we actually roll it out on a street, for example, we put out an advance notice where we typically let people know, ‘Hey, you’re going to see Google Fiber in your neighborhood soon; if you have any questions, here’s the phone number to call,'” she continued.

Lawrence is home to many student housing and many apartment complexes. When asked if people might need to pressure their landlords to sign up, Merlo said, “Please do that.”

Individual units cannot sign up for the service themselves – it must be sold for the entire building with the permission of the property manager, Merlo said.

“While we have a sales team focused on the multifamily sector of the company, we’re always happy when tenants say, ‘I want Google Fiber in my building,'” she said.

Google Fiber was named the fastest internet provider of 2023 by HighSpeedInternet.com, offering a 99.9% reliable connection, according to statistics on its website. It was overtaken by Cox this year, but with an average of 228 megabits per second, it far surpasses the competitors currently available in Lawrence.

Google Fiber offers a 1-gigabit service for $70 a month, “best for basic needs and smaller households,” and a 2-gigabit service for $100 a month, “internet for high-speed activities like gaming and streaming,” according to the website. The latter offers “download speeds of up to 2 gigabits and upload speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second,” according to the website.

In some locations, Google Fiber also offers 5-gigabit and 8-gigabit plans for $125 and $150 per month, respectively.

If you would like to stay up to date with the latest developments at Google Fiber in Lawrence, you can sign up for updates at this link.

“We will work closely with the City of Lawrence to minimize disruption and keep residents informed throughout the project,” Merlo said in a blog post.

Mackenzie Clark (she/her), reporter/founder of The Lawrence Times, can be reached at [email protected]. Read more about her work for The Times here. Read her staff bio here.

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