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Starting today, residents of the Alameda neighborhood of Pocatello can sign up for GFiber’s award-winning internet service. We celebrated this milestone with Pocatello Mayor Brian Bland this afternoon at Lookout Point Park. Neighbors who stopped by got information on our products and some delicious empanadas from Beixy Kitchen.

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As the gateway city of the northwest, Pocatello is a natural way to expand GFiber from our service areas in Utah. While we’re continuing to build our network across the city (and neighboring Chubbuck), we appreciate the support and collaboration of the city staff, mayor, and city council to help us continue to connect more people to great internet.  

Pocatello customers have a choice of 1 Gig for $70/month, 2 Gig for $100/month, 5 Gig for $125/month or 8 Gig for $150/month — all with symmetrical uploads and downloads,  equipment and installation included at no additional cost, and no annual contracts or data caps. We also offer GFiber for Business. Local businesses can choose between Business 2 Gig for $250/month or Business 1 Gig for $100/month. 

The Alameda neighborhood is just the beginning with more areas opening up for service as network segments are completed.You can stay up to date on our construction progress and service availability, by signing up here.

Posted by Alberto Garcia, Government and Community Affairs Manager



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Across each of our fiber cities, GFiber collaborates with local organizations that are driving positive change in their communities, addressing issues of digital equity and driving STEM education initiatives. In Denver, we work closely with the Latin American Educational Foundation (LAEF), a non-profit that increases access to higher education for STEM-focused students across Colorado. Nick Lopez, President and CEO of LAEF, shares how LAEF is making a career in STEM even more attainable for future Latino professionals. 

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The Latin American Educational Foundation (LAEF) is focusing on the future of Colorado by investing in its brightest and most driven Latino students. For 75 years we have identified, cultivated, supported and highlighted bright young minds throughout the state, and enabled them to grow in their career pursuits in STEM via scholarship and professional opportunities. 

A key component of our scholars’ achievement is not only the financial support LAEF provides, but also the access to a success coach. Our success coaches help college students navigate campus life, utilize university resources to their fullest potential and provide counsel on career opportunities. This holistic, culturally-centered, support is critical for the success of the students we work with, especially knowing that of the 121 scholarships awarded in 2024, 81% of these scholars were first-generation college students. 


We rely on community donations and industry partners for our scholarships— Google Fiber’s support funded four scholarships this year alone. Once students are part of LAEF, we make the commitment to renew that scholarship every year for the duration of their college education. 

Through our match opportunities we build on donations from industry partners dollar-for-dollar, enabling our donors to double their impact and allowing us to reach twice as many students. 

As the longest serving Latino scholarship foundation in the state of Colorado with a 75-year history, we have unique insight into how the demand for scholarships is growing exponentially across the state.  

Over the past 10-15 years, we have seen more and more Latinos pursue a higher education in Colorado, but the biggest barrier remains access to financial resources, especially amid the increasing costs to attend college. 

Last year LAEF had 525 students apply for our scholarship program and we had the capacity to provide awards to 121 students. However, there is still work to be done to meet rising scholarship demand.


As we look to the years ahead, partnering with other nonprofit organizations throughout Colorado, securing long-term support from our industry partners like GFiber has never been more important. 

This support represents an investment in the very future of Colorado. By 2050, Latinos are projected to comprise more than 35% of the state population. In this way, our work has a direct impact on not only today’s students, but the future innovators, entrepreneurs, and STEM workforce of the state of Colorado.

Just like GFiber is an innovative, forward-looking company, this is next-generation work for us. We’re looking at the future, finding ways to support students and create pathways to higher education.  

Posted by Nick Lopez, President & CEO LAEF

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Continuous improvement has become quite the corporate watchword. No matter where you look, someone is telling you how they constantly focus on making things better for their customers. And that’s as it should be. 


But you can’t just say you want to be getting better, you have to be working towards that goal with a single-minded focus. Improvement requires self-awareness, clear-eyed honest feedback, recognition of your business’s strengths and weaknesses, a vision of where you are going, and a willingness to lean into the uncomfortable. At GFiber, we’re obsessed with this, and we like it when someone tells us we’re doing a good job. And over the last couple years, we’ve had a few. . .maybe more than a few, people tell us we’re doing a good job. 


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It’s very nice to have JD Power recognize us as the South’s internet service provider with the highest customer satisfaction, CNET call us the best value from a major ISP, and we are PC Mag’s Most Decorated internet provider including the 2024 PCMag Readers Choice Award, but while that’s a great indicator of how we’ve been doing, it’s not a guarantee of future performance. What’s more important is what these organizations are hearing from our customers, and as much as we love the accolades, we appreciate hearing the holistic feedback that often comes with these awards. In addition to the internal surveys and customer response, it provides a valuable look at where we need to be doing better. 


That’s why we were so excited when Ookla approached us about their doing a white paper on how we use Speedtestto ensure we’re meeting our customers, and our, very high expectations, when it comes to internet performance. Staying at the top of Ookla’s ratings for speeds by city is important to us, because it’s an independent indicator that our customers are getting the speeds they are paying for; that our in-home equipment is working across diferent devices and uses; and that our network is healthy and delivering quality internet. We also use those independently collected and verified numbers to help us identify issues. (Like helping us recognize that our legacy network box equipment wasn’t delivering on the latest standards we set. So we proactively swapped them out for new Wi-Fi routers to ensure our customers had the latest technology and were getting the speeds they should, even if the customers never realized the issue themselves). 


As the paper explains, these numbers help us ensure we’re also having the desired effect overall — when we enter a market we see speeds go up and prices come down, and not just for our customers. Having a third-party like Ookla help us see what’s happening keeps us on our toes and striving to push to the next level. Which is what it’s really all about. We know we have a long way to go. Next gen internet requires constant improvement and you can only do that with candid, real world feedback. We’re grateful when we get that input because it helps us continue to improve and get closer to giving our customers the internet we all want to have. GFiber runs on customer insight, understanding our customers allows us to continue to drive the internet forward.



Posted by Melani Griffith, Chief Growth Officer



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GFiber co-founded the Digital Inclusion Fellowship Program with NTEN in 2015 to equip fellows to address digital equity in their communities nationwide. Over that time GFiber has funded 133 fellows in our service areas. Today on the GFiber Blog, NTEN CEO Amy Sample Ward reflects on a decade of growth and the lessons learned from empowering over 153 digital equity champions.

NTEN 10th Cohort 2024
This September, NTEN launched the tenth cohort of the Digital Inclusion Fellowship. Over the years, the Fellowship has expanded the pool of capable and innovative digital equity leaders and champions in the nonprofit sector. Created in close collaboration with Google Fiber and proudly engaging with nearly ten other funders across the industry and country, the program has drawn on insights from a diverse range of practitioners, allowing us to continuously refine the Fellowship into a truly inclusive, adaptable, and holistic training model. 

These ten cohorts have reaffirmed several key beliefs that underpin our work. As we mark this tenth anniversary, we want to celebrate the remarkable impact of our fellows and share the valuable lessons we’ve learned together.

There are many barriers that keep communities digitally divided. 

We aim to give fellows the freedom, resources, and skills to design programs tailored to their community’s unique needs. As a result, each cohort and fellow has approached this work differently. Fellows have covered a wide range of topics and learning goals in their training. We’ve seen fellows organize drop-in computer lab sessions that consistently fill up, or lead partnerships to provide participants with free devices or hotspots. We’ve had fellows who focused on helping their community build the skills that were valuable to them – from job applications, accessing healthcare, and continuing education, to finding a recording of their first concert on YouTube, or staying connected with distant friends and family.


Nonprofit organizations that already work with, and are trusted by, digitally divided communities are ideally positioned to deliver digital inclusion programs. 

Our goal isn't to create new organizations solely focused on digital inclusion, but rather to integrate these programs into the existing missions and services of organizations that community members already rely on for support. There's no one-size-fits-all approach to digital inclusion programs; we have had fellows from a diverse array of organizations, including libraries, public housing authorities, parks and recreation departments, adult literacy organizations, immigrant and refugee service agencies, parent centers, and many others.

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We are stronger together, always. 

Working within a cohort model ensures that fellows, even if they are the only ones in their region, remain part of a deeply supportive network of peers and practitioners, so they never feel alone in their work. Additionally, we are more effective in bridging digital divides when we collaborate rather than compete. Many fellows have developed partnership programs across their cities, encouraging participants to access training, devices, and other services from multiple organizations, fostering a sense of community and shared purpose.

With these guiding beliefs, the Digital Inclusion Fellowship launched with and continues to hold three priority goals, each with measurable and exciting impact to date. 

  • To support nonprofit staff who want to be digital equity champions within their organizations and communities to have the skills and confidence to design and expand programs.  To date, we have supported 153 fellows from 131 organizations, across 22 regions.
  • To guide those staff with training, coaching, and support to build programs that are sustainable, equitable, and relevant to their specific communities. Our fellows equip underserved communities with digital literacy and access – such as Tanesha Whitelaw, who worked with incarcerated women in Missouri and Kansas; Julie Heller, who supported newly resettled refugees with culturally sensitive digital literacy training; and Brianna Glass, who created educational zines for seniors in her library. In total, fellows have provided 130,088 hours of training and distributed over 5,800 devices in their communities.
  • To expand the number of digital equity leaders across the country and strengthen the coalitions, networks, and movement for this sector. Over the past ten years, DIF fellows have reached 56,065 participants and fostered 1,238 partnerships that strengthen the impact of their digital equity work. 

These are more than just numbers. They represent lives changed, communities connected, and opportunities created through the dedication of our fellows. Our DIF fellows have stepped up as digital equity advocates and leaders. They’ve shared their stories and insights at digital equity conferences and even pushed for policy changes to ensure that everyone has a fair chance in our increasingly digital world.

Like all of the programs at NTEN, we see our role as the spark, the supporter, the capacity builder, and the one cheering the loudest for this community. We are incredibly proud to spotlight every fellow that has been part of a decade of remarkable, critical work for communities and our sector. Check out their stories, their programs, and the impact they have each made. And we welcome you to join us as part of this pivotal program!

Posted by Amy Sample Ward, CEO of NTEN 



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GFiber is committed to supporting women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). In Charlotte, we work with the Dottie Rose Foundation, supporting their vision of making computer science education accessible, inclusive and equitable for all regardless of gender.  Jillian Klinberg , Executive Director, shares with us the organization’s impact and how sponsorships and proceeds raised from the upcoming Dazzle the Dot gala will help them meet their goals. 

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Dottie Rose Foundation (DRF) is deeply committed to empowering and supporting girls in their journey through computer science. We firmly believe that achieving gender equality in the tech field starts with early intervention, which is why we focus primarily on girls from 5th to 12th grade. Our approach at DRF is offering comprehensive and continuous programming that nurtures their interest and skills in the world of computer science. We are setting the standard in computer science education through our in-school and year round programs, summer camps, workshops and girls in tech days. Our mission is centered around equipping girls with the skills and confidence to succeed in the field of technology. We understand that it's not enough to teach computer science; we also need to inspire and empower them!  

DRF was founded in February 2018 and is named in honor of our founder, Dr. Sharon Jones’s grandmother,  a lifelong learner who was always taking a new class or picking up a new skill. Dr. Jones was teaching computer science at Philip O. Berry High School and noticed the lack of girls in her high school computer science courses. In fact,  only 3-4 girls were signing up for the classes. 


For five years, Sharon and I hustled non-stop, building relationships and forging strategic partnerships. Our relentless efforts enabled us to secure key funders such as GFiber and drive our vision forward. Since our start in 2018, we have served over 2500 girls! As of August 2023, DRF is now 100% scholarships based with 85% of our girls coming from underserved, underfunded communities within Charlotte, NC and surrounding areas. Our programs serve girls from different backgrounds, races and economic households. It makes for a wonderful blend of girls with different perspectives and points of view, and beautiful friendships are made. Through our deeply rooted partnerships with industry volunteers, we are able to enhance the impact and expertise of our programming. 



We provide our girls with the skills and knowledge to succeed in the fast-changing tech industry. Our programs are designed to be adaptable and responsive to the needs of the girls we serve. We recognize that the gender gap in computer science is rooted in a number of factors, including stereotypes about girls' abilities in STEM fields and a lack of female role models in the tech industry. The foundation's programs are designed to address these root causes by providing girls with positive role models and by challenging stereotypes about girls' abilities in STEM. Through our deeply rooted partnerships with industry professionals, we are able to enhance the impact and expertise of our programming. With 95% of our volunteers being women, and 76% representing minority groups, we are able to provide girls with authentic insights into real-world applications and networking opportunities. We are better together!



DRF has grown from Sharon and myself to a team of 5 full-time employees! Our staff and volunteers at the DRF are passionate about closing the gender gap in computer science. They are dedicated to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for girls to learn and explore their interests in tech. They come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. This diversity allows them to connect with girls from all walks of life and help them see themselves in the tech industry. Our DRF staff and volunteers serve as mentors and role models for the girls they work with. They share their own stories and experiences in tech, and they help girls to develop their skills and confidence. They are active in the community, raising awareness of the gender gap in computer science and encouraging girls to pursue careers in tech.

According to code.org, there are currently 10,873 open computing jobs with an average salary of $109,439 in North Carolina. Yet, there were only 2,482 graduates in computer science from North Carolina colleges and universities, and only 61% of all public high schools teach a foundational computer science course. 

At the Dottie Rose Foundation, we not only inspire girls to dream about rewarding careers in technology, but we give them the support and hands-on experiences to empower them to do the work to turn their dreams into reality. 

Posted by Jillian Klingberg, Executive Director Dottie Rose Foundation 



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Colorado, here we come! Starting today, residents in the Eiber neighborhood of Lakewood can sign up to get connected to high-speed internet from GFiber to meet their families’ internet needs, whatever their online lives require. 

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We’re marking the occasion with an ice cream social at The Ice Cream Farm. This afternoon many Lakewood residents braved the rain to come by and get the scoop on GFiber while enjoying some delicious frozen treats on us. 

Lakewood Mayor Wendi Strom stops by our event at The Ice Cream Farm.

Lakewood customers will be able to choose any GFiber plan — 1 Gig for $70/month, 2 Gig for $100/month, 5 Gig for $125/month or 8 Gig for $150/month —  all with symmetrical uploads and downloads and equipment and installation included at no additional cost, no annual contracts and no data caps. Local businesses can sign up for GFiber for Business, offering Business 2 Gig for $250/month or Business 1 Gig for $100/month. 


This is just the next step for GFiber in the Denver metro area. GFiber Webpass has been available in Denver since 2017. We’re continuing to build our network out across Lakewood. As new segments are complete, we’ll open service in those neighborhoods. Additionally, we’re set to start construction in Westminster soon, and actively working on design and permitting for Golden, Wheat Ridge, and additional parts of Adams County.  For the latest on our construction progress and service availability in Colorado, sign up here.

Posted by Andy Simpson, General Manager Central Manager







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In each of our GFiber cities, we support organizations that focus on the advancement of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and deliver cutting edge programming. Craft Lake City shares on the blog the impact over the past 10 years of ensuring community members have the opportunity to engage with and benefit from STEM educational experiences with the support of GFiber . 

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The GFiber STEM Building has been a time honored source of discovery and learning for festival goers for a full decade now! This collaboration has supported Craft Lake City to foster hands-on experiences and illustrate how creativity drives innovation across various fields. CLC  believes that the power of creativity is universal and essential to providing solutions in the science, technology, engineering and math worlds as much as it is for the arts.  

While the STEM Building has been a staple of the DIY Fest since its inception in 2012, GFiber’s sponsorship took it to the next level in 2015. That year, the STEM area hosted around 30 STEM exhibitors and it quickly became a fan-favorite attraction of the Festival. Over the last decade, GFiber has remained committed to making digital resources and technology more accessible to the local community in Utah, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to engage with and benefit from the latest STEM advancements year after year. 

The GFiber STEM Building has collaborated with Craft Lake City to create a space for makers and STEM enthusiasts alike, where everyone is allowed to let their curiosity take over and discover new interests. This space plays an integral part in building community for science, technology, engineering and math creators while inspiring the next generation to pursue their own creative passions. 


As a direct result of this partnership, Craft Lake City has been able to grow year-round STEM programming as well, teaching concepts like rocketry to Title I elementary schools across Utah through the CLC rocket launch program. Kicking off in 2022, this program teaches students about the use of variables, ratios, principles of motion, and more through hands-on, kid-friendly activities. 


At this year’s Craft Lake City DIY Festival, the GFiber STEM Building hosted over 40 STEM exhibitors, including local game developers, DIY Engineers, local tinkerers, nonprofit organizations and educational institutions. Across the weekend, there were interactive experiences for all audiences including Photon Glow Tent, Meta’s Virtual Reality headset, DIY rocket launches, STEM Action Center’s Pop-Up Maker Faire and Indie Game Day! Each day, attendees had the opportunity to creatively explore  the photon glow booth, play virtual reality games with Meta’s VR headset and customize their very own bottle rockets then launch them into the sky! On Saturday, STEM Action Center’s Pop-Up Maker Fair hosted additional local makers with crafting activities for the whole family. On Sunday, Indie Game Day presented festival go-ers with the chance to check out the newest offerings from nine indie studios and engage with the Utah Chapter of the International Game Developers Association of Utah (IGDA). These partnerships demonstrate that the GFiber STEM Building has grown in the past decade to both offer festival attendees and local STEM educators new and engaging opportunities.


Craft Lake City and GFiber are excited to continue this collaboration with a shared mission of advancing local STEM education and delivering cutting-edge programming in Utah. Over the past decade, we have been jointly committed to ensuring that all community members have the opportunity to engage with and benefit from these impactful educational experiences.

Posted by Angela Brown, Executive Director Craft Lake City









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At GFiber, we are committed to providing you with a great internet experience at every point in the network, both outside and inside your home. You should have access to quality internet anywhere in your home, not just in certain areas. Having a strong Wi-Fi signal throughout your home is important for seamless browsing, streaming, gaming, and working. If you’ve ever dealt with dead zones or slow speeds, you know the struggle. Mesh extenders can be a game changer by boosting your signal and expanding your coverage. Let's dive into what they are, how they work, and why you might need one. (For GFiber customers, our plans come with GFiber Wi-Fi 6E Mesh Extenders included at no extra cost.) 

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How Mesh Extenders work

Mesh extenders strengthen your home network by capturing the Wi-Fi signal from your router and sharing it in hard-to-reach spots. They create additional access points in your home, expanding your network’s reach. This is especially helpful when your router’s signal can’t cover every room or area, which can happen for many reasons, like if you have thicker walls, several floors or the home is more spread out.

Setting up your mesh extenders

A mesh extender can be added to your network in just a few simple steps 

  • Connect the mesh extender’s adapter to a power source.
  • Connect the mesh extender to the router using the ethernet cables. 
  • Wait for the blinking white status light to turn green on the mesh extender. (The green status color means the mesh extender is now paired to your router). 
The GFiber App can also help you pair the router and mesh extender, easily find the best spot for your mesh extenders and also check your mesh extender’s internet connectivity, speed, and coverage with the app’s Network Health feature. If eligible (not all routers are compatible) to use Network Health, you can tap on “Show my network’s health” and it will run a test and score the spot either excellent, good, or poor. If the signal isn’t quite as strong as you’d like it to be, you can adjust the extender’s position for optimal coverage.

Placement matters
















Once the mesh extender is connected to the network, you need to find the perfect spot for your mesh extender, which is key to a strong Wi-Fi signal. The sweet spot is usually halfway between your router and the area with poor Wi-Fi coverage. 

Start by placing the first mesh extender no more than one or two rooms away from the router and close to the area with weak coverage, ideally 5-10 feet high and away from obstructions like walls and furniture. Pro Tip: Placing the extender in the dead zone won’t work, since the mesh extender needs a strong signal from the Router to be effective. 

If you have a large home with multiple dead spots, you can add additional mesh extenders. Remember, thick walls and materials like concrete and metal can interfere with the signal, so place your mesh extenders carefully. 

Some additional things to consider 

Each extender adds to the network’s workload. While mesh extenders are generally better than traditional repeaters, too many Mesh Extenders close to each other can actually slow your Wi-Fi down and lead to lag, interference, and other annoying issues. Plus, managing a large number of extenders can be a headache if you need to troubleshoot issues or tweak your network settings.

Also, you’ll need to make sure your mesh extenders are compatible with your router. For GFiber customers using the GFiber provided router, the included mesh extenders will work with your system, but you can also use your own compatible multi-gig router. Just make sure you get mesh extenders that are compatible with your particular router.

Mesh extenders are a great way to expand your home’s Wi-Fi coverage and performance by eliminating dead zones and improving your online experience.  If you’d like more information or still have questions, head over to our GFiber Help page or contact us.

Posted by Ishan Patel, Product Manager




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Today is National 8/11 Day; August 11th highlights the significance of underground excavation safety when doing home projects. By reinforcing the importance of calling the national 811 hotline before digging, everyone can help prevent damage to underground utilities and ensure the safety of workers and homeowners alike.

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In the United States, nearly every digging project, regardless of its size or location, requires contacting 811 a few days in advance of breaking ground. This free, national service connects homeowners with their local utility companies and others who may have infrastructure assets underground, who will mark the locations of underground lines such as gas, electric, and water pipes, as well as internet lines. By calling 811 before digging, homeowners can avoid accidentally damaging these lines, which can lead to injuries, property damage, loss of service, and costly repairs.

Excavation accidents are far too common, causing damage to underground utilities and posing a significant risk to public safety. According to the Common Ground Alliance’s (“CGA”) annual DIRT Report (issued in conjunction with CGA’s affiliated Damage Prevention Institute), over 213,000 excavation-related damages occurred in the United States in the year 2022 alone. However, data collection, transparency, and industry collaboration of the nature reflected in the DIRT Report are instrumental tools in the fight to mitigate the frequency of excavation-related accidents. We have been impressed with the work that CGA and the Damage Prevention Institute have done and would encourage others in the industry to join and participate.


Homeowners play a vital role in preventing excavation accidents by contacting 811 by phone or online before any digging project, no matter how small. Even if you are just planting a tree, installing a fence, or building a deck, it's crucial to contact 811 to have underground utilities marked before you start digging.

Once a call comes in to 811, a Utility Locator will come out to mark the location of existing underground infrastructure by spray painting the sidewalk or lawn or putting in flags. Being a Utility Locator is a tough job. These individuals are helping to save lives by taking affirmative safety measures designed to avoid major damages that in extreme circumstances lead to loss of life. Please help us get this important message out by sharing with your neighbors that these Locators are doing this job as a public service. In fact, you might even want to thank a Locator next time you see them! By working together, we can create a safer environment for everyone and make sure everyone’s utility services stay online.

Our internet services should “just work”, and typically that is the case. The foundation of the internet is millions of miles of fiber optic cable that connect each of us to the online world. These cables are continuously at risk of damage from construction activities (and the same could be said for utilities as well). Locators are the first line of defense, working diligently to provide a safe working environment for excavators, and ensuring access to the internet whenever we need it.


Thank you for being proactive when it comes to making that 811 call - on 8/11 and every day. GFiber is committed to doing our part. We use 811 for all of our construction projects, and we’re going even further. By leveraging large public databases of historic utility damages, a detailed model of the GFiber network, and 811 locate tickets, GFiber is developing an AI model that can better predict when and where damage to our network may occur. This will allow GFiber to implement additional protective measures in high-risk areas.

Posted by Ariane Schaffer, Government Affairs & Public Policy Manager, & Kelly Bell, Network Deployment & Operations Lead



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Google Fiber is officially coming to Lawrence, Kansas! Yesterday, the Lawrence City Commission passed an ordinance, paving the way for GFiber to bring our high-speed, reliable internet service further west in the Sunflower State.

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Lawrence is a friendly, vibrant community and GFiber is looking forward to helping residents connect to everything the internet has to offer. We’re kicking off the design and engineering process now, and expect to start construction next year. We’ll work closely with the City of Lawrence to ensure that we minimize any disruption  and that we are keeping residents informed throughout this project. Service will be available to our first customers in Lawrence by the end of 2025.

Residents who want to stay up to date on what’s happening with Google Fiber in Lawrence  can sign up for updates here

Posted By Rachel Merlo, Head of Government & Community Affairs - Central Region




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