Our city update series continues, this time checking in with our team in Utah.

Google Fiber got our start in Utah in Provo in 2014, and expanded to start building our network in Salt Lake City the following year. This month, we’ll complete our initial build in Salt Lake City, which means that residents across the capital city have access to our high-speed, high-broadband service and everything that comes with it — for working, learning, playing, or watching.

As we close out our SLC build (don’t worry, we’ll continue to maintain our network and fill in new neighborhoods in SLC proper as needed going forward), we’re ramping up our activities in other communities throughout the Wasatch Front.

We’re currently building in South Salt Lake, Millcreek, Taylorsville, and Holladay, and expect to launch build efforts soon in North Salt Lake, Sandy, and as of last week, Woods Cross. We’ll launch service in many of these areas by early next year. We’re also talking to other cities across the region, and hope to continue to expand access to great internet for more Utahns.



All of this activity means more work for our local team than ever before. So we’re looking for a few more team members. If you are looking for your next challenge, take a look at our open jobs and join us!

Serving the Valley

Google Fiber is proud to partner with some incredible local organizations, working to help make digital equity a reality for all our communities. The last year has shown just how vital these efforts are and we’re grateful for the work these partners do. To help support these efforts, we continue to support local schools, libraries, Utah Communities Connect and others in furthering the goal of digital equity in Utah.

Most recently, we connected Spy Hop’s new facility to gigabit internet as a part of Google Fiber’s Community Connection program. And last week, we welcomed four new NTEN fellows who will work to address digital equity issues in Utah.

We’re just heating up here in Utah, and don’t expect to cool off anytime soon. Google Fiber is working to bring more people online across the region — follow us on Twitter and Facebook to stay up-to-date on what’s next.

Posted by Scott Tenney, Head of Sales; Michelle Koyle, Tech Lead; & Jacob Brace, Government & Community Affairs Manager.

   

When I joined the very first cohort of Google Fiber Digital Inclusion Fellows back in 2015, I wanted to figure out how to make broadband internet more accessible for communities like the one I grew up in.

I was raised in the Rio Grande Valley, along the US-Mexico border, where the internet is often inaccessible, either because broadband service isn’t offered or it is too expensive. In fact, many cities in the Valley (including Harlingen, Pharr and Brownsville) still rank among the worst connected communities in the country. When we finally got the internet at home, it made a world of difference for me and my family. Suddenly, I could fill out college applications at home, I could research things and places that I had never heard of and - most importantly — I could begin the long process of building up digital skills that would last me a lifetime, and continue to play a central role in my work as a Community Impact Manager at Google Fiber today

When I applied to the program six years ago, I could not have imagined the impact that the Digital Inclusion Fellowship would have in the coming years. Nor could I have imagined how critical and important the work of digital navigators would become. Even before the pandemic, the demand for internet speed and capacity was growing, and there are still at least 21 million Americans without broadband internet at home (and this number may be much higher). And while 2021 promises to be a banner year for broadband internet funding, breaking down barriers to digital equity will mean getting folks on the ground to create and implement robust digital inclusion programs. 

That’s why I’m extremely proud to welcome the 7th cohort of Digital Inclusion Fellows — Google Fiber co-founded this program with NTEN to grow the community of digital literacy leaders, advocates and practitioners across the country. Since 2015, we’ve sponsored 75 Fellows across the country, working with local nonprofit organizations and institutions to create and manage digital inclusion programs. These programs range from improving access to the internet to multi-generational digital literacy initiatives. 

Here’s the next generation of change makers who are devoting the next year to broadening digital equity in their communities:

We’re looking forward to watching these Fellows in action and supporting their critical work, as they drive digital equity in their communities. To learn more about the fellows and keep up with the latest on Google Fiber, follow our Twitter and Facebook feeds!

Posted by Daniel Lucio, Community Impact Manager

My family loves TV. Seriously, any one of us would be a stellar entertainment trivia partner. But we don’t watch anything over cable. Why? Because we know the best way to watch TV is over the internet — especially over internet that’s both fast and reliable (hint: no buffering, low resolution, or data overages). 

Check out each of our streaming setups.



My ad-averse mom

My mom’s movie-obsessed and commercial-averse. She doesn’t believe that critically acclaimed work should be interrupted by a 30-second plea for you to buy something. Which is why she doesn’t mind paying the extra bucks for commercial-free services like Netflix for her binge-watching ways. 

She also recently discovered the highly curated movie streaming service: The Criterion Channel — essentially her very own equivalent to striking gold. Her next mission is finding a service that delivers popcorn to couches.

 

Some other good services if you love film and TV without commercials:

• Hulu
• Disney+
• Peacock

 

My major league stepdad

My stepdad’s from Boston, translation: He has never missed an important baseball game in what I’m assuming is his entire life. Aside from a well-grilled quesadilla, there’s nothing he cares about more than sports. 

That’s why he’s big on services like Fubo TV and ESPN+. And even if he’s not home to catch the game, these services make it so that he can stay up on every play from his phone.

 

Some other good services if you love live, local, and sometimes not-so-local sports:

• MLB Network
• B/R Live

 

My money-conscious girlfriend

My partner is the financial-minded person in our relationship. She saves way more than she spends and is always looking for new ways to stay budget-friendly. That’s why she prefers free streaming services like Pluto TV. She also genuinely enjoys watching commercials … I know — I don’t get it, either.

 

Some other good services if you don’t love spending money:

• Crackle
• Tubi TV

 

My on-the-go bro

My brother is graduating from college this year and will likely be moving around a lot, which makes being roped into a cable bundle way less than ideal. That’s part of why he watches live TV with YouTube TV. It has every major channel he wants to watch and then some — plus, he can watch from anywhere. 

And if he’s studying for a test (which he’d better be) and has to miss a live premiere, he can record it with unlimited DVR space and watch it later.

 

Some other good services if you love live TV without forced bundles:

• SlingTV
• Philo

 

As for me, I like a lot of different things

From horror, to drag competitions, to documentaries, I like it all. That’s why I go with a few low-cost, channel-specific streaming services like Shudder, World of Wonder Presents Plus, and HBO Max. And since they’re all month-to-month services, I can always cancel if I want a different mix of streaming services for the month.

 

Some other good services if you love to mix it up:

• Discovery+
• Paramount+
• CuriosityStream

 

Oh, and I didn’t forget about my little snack stealer

My dog Vero (a very fluffy Bernedoodle) doesn’t care what’s on TV as long as there’s a spot for him on the couch. Which there always is. There’s usually a few pieces of popcorn for him, too. 

 

Posted by Talia Bootz, Creative and Social Content Manager. When she’s not streaming her faves, she’s likely kayaking, skating around town, or cooking up some vegetarian food.