City Council Votes on Google Fiber Contract, Installation Could Begin by End of Year

It was not a short City Council meeting this week as council members found themselves in a tough spot. Since the dawn of high-speed internet, many residents have expressed interest in having more provider choices.

Last year, the council approved agreements with Fastwyre and Allo to install networks to provide high-speed internet connection options for Bellevue, giving residents the increased choices many asked for. However, as the first provider came in, so did the angry phone calls and eMails. The most common concerns voiced were lack of communication, damage to yards, seemingly random placement of network pedestals, and slow pace at resolving issues.

When Google Fiber representatives met with the council on Tuesday night, concerns brought about during the Fastwyre installation were asked by all council members. Rachel Merlo is the Central Region’s Head of Government and Community Affairs for Google Fiber. She and Google Fiber Technical Operations Manager Nick Farrell attended the council meeting.

City Council President Paul Cook started the hearing off by asking Merlo and Farrell for specific details of the installation. Some of Cook’s questions included, “Will this be in the front yard or back yard?”, “Will there be pedestals above ground or flush with the ground?”, and “How will you communicate with the city and with the neighborhoods?”

Communication concerns were addressed by sharing what they have been doing in the city of Omaha during their current citywide installation. “We place door hangers a minimum of five days out along with yard signs at the end of streets notifying residents work will be happening in their neighborhood,” Merlo said. “A number will be on all of our displays for people with concerns or questions. They will be greeted by a member of our team who will create a ticket.”

Farrell added, “All of the tickets come to me to be addressed.”

Farrell is from the area and said he will oversee the entire operation. Addressing the council, Farrell said, “The plan in Bellevue is rear easement. We are currently working on a deal with OPPD for easement and pole rights. We plan to follow OPPD as much as we can and go the routes they went. So there may be some aerial areas where underground is just too congested for us to go, but it will primarily be a backyard installation.”

“We will be using pedestals in many cases. They will typically be located near a property line, transformer, or other utility pedestals. Not every home will get one, but we will do everything we can to get it as close to existing pedestals as possible,” Farrell explained.

Merlo said the installation could begin later this year. For a town the size of Bellevue, she estimates it will take a couple of years to finish the entire network. However, as individual neighborhoods get connected, those residents will be able to use the service, some as early as spring of 2024.

The city plans to use the lessons learned from the earlier installation to help make the Google Fiber installation run more smoothly. Permits will be given to work in several neighborhoods at a time, but new permits will not be issued until work is completed and inspected in the previous neighborhoods.

“We will work closely with Google so the public is aware of their arrival date and plans. Some of this was learning in motion for us with the other provider, so now we have some good pieces in place to better inform the public,” City Administrator Jim Ristow said.

Ristow also talked about what would be different with this installation, “Our requirements for permits.  Communication with door hangers, yard signs, and yard flags promoting Google’s number.  There will also be a 24/7 call center available from Google. The majority of installation will parallel OPPD infrastructure – mostly back yard and front yards and when not feasible for back yard.”

Farrell talked about accountability on the Google Fiber side of things, “If we have an issue with a contractor, we have a third party that follows that contractor around, inspects their work, and sends me photos of every vault and pedestal they’ve installed to make sure it’s up to our specs. If it’s not, we do not pay them until it is fixed. So there is a pretty high level of accountability at Google Fiber”

“Our plan is to extend the network to as many addresses as possible. In some cases, where there is not a lot of density in an area, that would affect whether we build there or not,” Merlo said. “Also, for multiple-tenant properties, such as apartments, Google Fiber would need to get an agreement with the property owner. After that, tenants can sign up if they want to.”

Google Fiber has an online form for property managers and owners interested in connecting their properties during installation. The form can be found here.

Google Fiber offers 1, 2, 5, and 8 Gigabit service plans with no data caps and no installation fees. They also provide all of the hardware needed to connect. Depending on the level of service routers and mesh wifi extenders are included as well with no monthly charges. Current pricing is $70 a month for 1 gigabit download speed, $100 for 2 gigabit, $125 for 5 gigabit, and $150 for 8 gigabit.

Google Fiber provides full technical specifications here.

A video of the city council discussing this matter can be viewed here. The discussion regarding Google Fiber is item 16E and begins around the 1 hour, 44 minute, 18-second mark.