Google Fiber opens downtown showroom

Photo by Joe OlivieriPhoto by Joe OlivieriPhoto by Joe Olivieri

Google Inc. opened a downtown showroom for its gigabit-speed Internet service, Google Fiber, and began signing up South Austin residents Dec. 1.

Google set up shop in the former Austin Children's Museum site at 201 Colorado St. In the work space visitors can test out Google Fiber and its bundled TV service and sign up for future service.

Residents can visit Google Fiber's website to see the deadline for their neighborhood to sign up for Fiber, said Mark Strama, head of Google Fiber Austin. Upcoming dates include:

• Bluebonnet, Jan. 29
• Lady Bird Lake, March 12
• Emerald Forest, April 23
• Ben White, June 4
• Onion Creek, July 16

Strama explained signups and installations will be a rolling process. A neighborhood will sign up for service before the deadline. Google's technicians will complete all installations in the neighborhood while sign ups take place in another neighborhood. The technicians will move from neighborhood to neighborhood.

He said residents who do not see their area of the city earmarked for Google Fiber should not be discouraged. Google plans to build out its network in Austin and eventually install 3,000 miles of fiber cables above and below ground.

On Nov. 24, Google announced its pricing structure for Fiber: basic service for a one-time $300 construction fee, $70 per month for gigabit Internet and $130 for gigabit Internet and TV.