March 15, 2021
City Update: Google Fiber is on the move in Austin
As 2021 gets properly underway, we’re checking in with each of our city teams. Starting with Austin, over the next few months we’ll be posting updates from our teams across the country, sharing what’s happening in each community and what our local customers can expect next.
The last month has been a challenging one for our city, and in many ways we’re still recovering as a community. Like many of you, our Google Fiber Austin team spent days without power, water, heat, and, yes, internet.
As a team, we are as committed as ever to making sure our customers stay connected as we continue to build out our Google Fiber network across the city. In fact we recently launched service in Allandale, North Loop, Mueller and North Shoal Creek, and soon we’ll be live in other parts of North Austin. We’re also continuing to connect buildings across the city of Austin with Google Fiber Webpass (if you’d like us to connect your apartment or condominium, let us know).
Read on to find out more about what’s happening with Google Fiber in Austin.
New Fiber Space opens on South Lamar
Today, we are opening the doors to our brand new Fiber Space at 701 South Lamar Boulevard with easier access and parking for our customers, something you’ve told us you wanted. The new Fiber Space will be open from 10 AM to 3 PM Monday through Saturday. Safety is our number one priority, and our customer retail experience is designed to keep our customers and our team members happy and healthy — including customer occupancy limits, on-site social distancing and masks and enhanced cleaning protocols.
South Lamar is an incredibly vibrant neighborhood, and we’re looking forward to getting to know our neighbors. We hope you’ll come visit us, and check out our incredible mural by Austin artist, Catie Lewis, and local photography by Austin Fiber team member, Rose Lichtenfels.
While we’ve closed our downtown retail space to the public, the building will remain our main office for our growing local Google Fiber team. We recently welcomed John-Michael Cortez as our new Government and Community Affairs Manager to lead our community efforts in Austin. John-Michael brings a deep knowledge and love for his hometown of Austin to his new role. We’re hiring for several roles in Austin — we’d love to have you join our team.
HACA launches a new Gigabit Community
This month we’re proud to help the Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) welcome new residents to Chalmers Court East, our 10th Gigabit Community in Austin. 110 residents will receive a gigabit internet connection at no cost. Through our Gigabit Community program, Google Fiber currently provides the option for free gigabit internet to more than 875 families in HACA communities across Austin.
We’re also continuing to bring free gigabit internet service to new Community Connections partners. Over the past year, we’ve connected four new community partners in Austin, including OutYouth, Oswaldo “A.B.” Cantu Pan American Recreation Center, American Institutes for Research (Southwest Educational Development Corporation) and Austin Groups for the Elderly (AGE) of Central Texas, which brings the total to 36 Community Connections across Austin. These incredible organizations are working to help our neighbors everyday, and we’re proud to be able to help connect them and the people they serve.
Continuing to grow our network
We’re continuing to build out our network, rolling out service in new areas every few weeks. Currently, you may see our crews in North Shoal Creek, Allandale and Rosedale. As usual, we’re working to make sure that residents are kept up-to-date on any activities happening in their neighborhood. If you have questions about construction in Austin in your community, give us a call at (877) 454-6959.
Austin will always be weird, and Google Fiber is working to make sure Austin is wired. To stay up-to-date on service in your area, check availability for your address and join our email list.
Posted by the Austin Fiber Team