The anticipated Google Fiber internet service in Austin has been a varied experience for residents. Some in Southwest Austin speak highly of the fast download speeds and customer service but had issues when it came to the underground fiber line construction or length of time between service signup and in-home installation.

One construction incident included a March 15 gas leak that occurred after a Google Fiber contractor hit a gas line near the intersection at Davis Lane and Coastal Drive, causing Davis Lane from MoPac to Brodie Lane to close. The Austin Fire Department received a call for the gas leak at 12:49 p.m. and cleared the area at 4:32 p.m., AFD Division Chief Palmer Buck said. Austin Police Department reopened the road at 4:47 p.m., he added.

Christina Penders, Texas Gas Service communications manager, said the company works very closely with Google Fiber and its contractors by having weekly conference calls and monthly meetings and providing on-field training and assistance, she said.

Google Fiber installation underway in Southwest Austin neighborhoods[/caption]

The fiber optic internet service, first announced for the Austin market in April 2013, is in construction for residents south of Lady Bird Lake in “fiberhoods,” or neighborhoods classified by Google Fiber that has or can receive service. Construction in fiberhoods is underway in parts of the 78745 ZIP code.

Since December 2014, Google has connected thousands of Austin households to Google Fiber, but has much more work to do to continue building the network in other parts of Austin, according to Google Fiber.

The company did not share a specific timeline for construction completion in Austin, citing the varying amount of time it takes to bring fiber to different parts of the city. Factors that affect construction time include the size of the area, aerial versus underground fiber construction, weather delays, and local soil type. To determine where fiber lines are constructed first, Google considers network engineering issues, city permit approvals and locations of existing infrastructure.

“Austinites who sign up on our website will be the first to know when Google Fiber is available in their neighborhood,” said Parisa Fatehi-Weeks, head of community impact programs and investments for Google Fiber in Austin.

Turning dirt

Austin 3-1-1 is the city’s 24-hour hotline for city information and non-emergency service requests.

When a citizen calls the number to make a telecommunications complaint, it can be about Google Fiber, AT&T, Time Warner Cable or Grande Communications, Bestgen said.

Google Fiber is the telecommunications company referenced most in complaints by far, Bestgen said.

From February 2015 to Dec. 31, 2015, there were 255 Google Fiber construction complaints by residents reported to the city of Austin 3-1-1 phone number, Austin 3-1-1 spokesperson Paul Bestgen said. From Jan. 1 to May 20, there were 132 complaints.

If private property is damaged, then Google Fiber must work with the resident to resolve the issue, Bestgen said. If city property is damaged, such as roadways or equipment, then Austin 3-1-1 sends a service request to the specific city department responsible for the area or item affected.

When construction occurred in the Western Trails neighborhood, resident Patti Riggs said her yard was dug into and surrounded by orange construction fencing for six months. It then took a year after construction for installation to begin inside her home. Riggs began using Google Fiber in late April.

“We have lived in our home for 30 years,” Riggs said. “We have had AT&T and Time Warner Cable come through and bury cable, and nobody has ever been as invasive or as messy as Google Fiber was.”

According to Google, the company hires third-party contractors to construct the fiber optic network in cities.

Google operates 877-454-6959, a 24-hour hotline for construction issues.

Fatehi-Weeks said Google Fiber welcomes questions, concerns and invitations to neighborhood meetings and events through the hotline.

The company immediately investigates any issue Austinites report through the hotline and aim to respond in two days or less, Fatehi-Weeks said.

“As we build one of the biggest infrastructure projects in Austin’s history, we’re committed to resolving issues as quickly and safely as we can,” Faheti-Weeks said. “When construction incidents occur, contractors aim to restore areas to a state as close as possible to the condition they found it in.”

Using Google Fiber

Northwest of the Western Trails neighborhood, architecture firm Designtrait on South Lamar Boulevard received Google Fiber service in February. Principal architect Becky Jeanes said the construction process at the office building was not invasive, but it took eight or nine months from the construction for the internet service to be activated.

“We were supposed to have service go live in September, but we did not get service until February,” Jeanes said.

At home, Jeanes and her family also experienced Google Fiber construction issues. She said a fiber optic cable was left at ground level in her yard, which posed a threat to her 2-year-old daughter, who could have touched the line. Google Fiber responded within two days, she added.

Jeanes’ family did not sign up for Google Fiber service at home because of the delay in installation, and the family decided to go with another internet service provider.

At Designtrait, Jeanes said the fast speeds have benefited the office by leaps and bounds.

“We do a remote server backup nightly,” Jeanes said. “The nightly backup used to take four or five hours because the files are so large. Now it only takes half an hour.”

According to Google, the U.S. ranks 14th in the world for internet speeds, and the average speed in the U.S is 14.2 megabits per second [Mbps], a fraction of Google Fiber’s maximum 1 gigabit per second output.

Faster internet can drive innovation, economic growth and job creation, according to Google.

Both Jeanes and Riggs were satisfied with customer service. Jeanes said the company offered to come back onsite to the office free of charge after some electronic devices were not connecting online.

Riggs said the installation technician thoroughly explained every step of the process and connected all her devices to the internet before leaving.

“If that’s the kind of customer service we’ll get from Google moving forward, there will be no concerns,” Riggs said.