Google Fiber said it is gearing up to start construction into the Iowa capital of Des Moines later this year.
“We’re currently in the planning stages, working with the City of Des Moines on the next steps to get started with the permitting process,” Google Fiber Central Region General Manager Andy Simpson said in a blog post offering a Google Des Moines update. “Being next door in West Des Moines gives us a running start in Des Moines, as network construction takes time.”
The operator already serves neighboring West Des Moines and has weathered a lawsuit aimed at stopping its activities there and has begun offering service in that city.
In May 2021, MCC Iowa LLC, a subsidiary of Mediacom Communications Corp., filed a petition with the FCC seeking a review of West Des Moines rights-of-way management practices. Mediacom claimed the city was using taxpayer money to build a $50 million conduit that would be used exclusively by the service provider. Mediacom had filed suit against the city and its city council in December 2020.
Iowa media outlet The Business Record reported in January that the city and Mediacom had settled the suit. At the time of the report, details of the agreement – which passed the city council in a 4-0 vote – were not available. The agreement, which had been the subject of negotiations between Mediacom and the city beginning in September 2021, was sent to the judge for approval. The settlement did allow the city to move forward with the conduit strategy.
Google Fiber is now offering 2 Gbps service, having been largely responsible for the gigabit movement among ISPs. In February 2021, Google Fiber said that it was expanding its 2 Gbps service to Atlanta, Salt Lake City and Provo, Utah. The service already was available in Nashville and Huntsville AL.
The 2 Gig service began in the Google Fiber Trusted Tester program in September 2020. The company said that thousands of testers across its network had joined the program.
