Webpass is adding a new pin to the map today: Denver. The company has identified its first apartment community to receive Webpass service. Residents across the Mile-High City, whose buildings are wired with Ethernet, will be able to contact Webpass and sign up for superfast Internet service — up to a gigabit per second!

To lead and grow our local business, we have hired General Manager, Roger Fitch. Roger has worked in telecom and Internet for nearly 30 years and brings plenty of local expertise to our new home office in Denver.

Webpass Denver launch team

Webpass is currently building out its local data center stack that will allow installation of point-to-point wireless radios to provide service to customers.

We can’t wait for Denverites to experience the difference of Webpass Internet — from a fast and seamless install experience, to high-touch, dedicated customer support. With Webpass, customers are connected with superfast speeds of up to a gigabit, perfect for cutting the cord or running your small business.

Customers can learn more about our service here, or contact 1-800-WEBPASS.

Posted by Charles Barr, founder, Webpass

When you go to the Google Fiber map today, you will notice it has a new hue: Webpass green.

With so much great entertainment to watch this winter, we don’t want you to miss a thing. Which is why we’ve updated the Fiber TV App to help you find and enjoy all the entertainment you love.


The Fiber TV App already lets you watch some of your favorite TV channels live or On Demand. Plus you can use it to control your TV from your mobile device. With today’s update you can now play and record your favorite TV shows, sports, and movies with one tap. Here’s more of what you can do with the updated Fiber TV App.

1. Catch up on your favorite shows. You’ll now find the next episodes from your favorite shows waiting for you as soon as you open the Fiber TV app. With one tap you can begin watching.
2. Don’t miss the game. See what sports are happening right now, or are scheduled for later, then record them to your DVR with one tap. And you can set up your recordings no matter where you are, even when you’re out with friends.
3. Find recommendations for what to watch. View personalized recommendations for live TV. That means you’ll know to check out that Fresh Prince of Bel Air marathon or a new show you might enjoy, like Designated Survivor.
4. Get to your recordings quickly. The app now recommends recordings on your DVR to watch next as soon as you open it, so you can save time getting to the entertainment you love. 

We hope today’s updates make it easier than ever to find, record, and watch all the entertainment you love. The Fiber TV App will be updated for all our TV subscribers in the coming weeks. You can download the app from the Play Store for Android, or App store for iPhones and iPads.

Posted by Jared Nusinoff, Product Manager, Google Fiber

Five years after announcing we’d bring Google Fiber to Kansas City, our vision remains: to connect more people to superfast and abundant Internet. At that time, Gigabit residential speeds were unheard of, built-from-the-ground-up Fiberhood designs and builds were as yet unproven, and a great customer experience simply didn’t exist. Since then, we have reshaped the landscape — these innovations are becoming more commonplace (which we all can agree is great for everyone, particularly for consumers!).


And thanks to the hard work of everyone on the Access team, our business is solid: our subscriber base and revenue are growing quickly, and we expect that growth to continue. I am extremely proud of what we’ve built together in five short years.



Now, just as any competitive business must, we have to continue not only to grow, but also stay ahead of the curve — pushing the boundaries of technology, business, and policy — to remain a leader in delivering superfast Internet. We have refined our plan going forward to achieve these objectives. It entails us making changes to focus our business and product strategy. Importantly, the plan enhances our focus on new technology and deployment methods to make superfast Internet more abundant than it is today.



These changes to our business and technology will have some immediate implications. Some of our efforts will remain unchanged, but others will be impacted. In terms of our existing footprint, in the cities where we’ve launched or are under construction, our work will continue. For most of our “potential Fiber cities” — those where we’ve been in exploratory discussions — we’re going to pause our operations and offices while we refine our approaches. We’re ever grateful to these cities for their ongoing partnership and patience, and we’re confident we’ll have an opportunity to resume our partnership discussions once we’ve advanced our technologies and solutions. In this handful of cities that are still in an exploratory stage, and in certain related areas of our supporting operations, we’ll be reducing our employee base.



As for me personally, it’s been quite a journey over the past few years, taking a broad-based set of projects and initiatives and growing a focused business that is on a strong trajectory. And I’ve decided this is the right juncture to step aside from my CEO role. Larry has asked me to continue as an advisor, so I’ll still be around.



I am humbled by our growth and progress across Access today, and I’m so grateful to have been part of such an extraordinary bet. And as we continue this bet, I remain confident that the future will hold a much more connected society and abundant access for all. Let’s keep doing our part to make it so!


Posted by Craig Barratt, SVP, Alphabet and CEO of Access

Back in June Google Fiber entered into an agreement to acquire Webpass. Today we’re happy to announce that we’ve closed the transaction for Webpass, Inc., which is now officially part of the Google Fiber family. (We should mention that a smaller affiliate, Webpass Telecommunications, LLC, is expected to close later this year, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.)


Webpass set out to change the landscape for Internet providers back in 2003. Their mission today is the same: deliver a simple, high quality Internet connection to as many people as possible. At Google Fiber we share that same goal, and together we can grow faster — and reach more people— than ever before.


It’s been impressive to watch Webpass evolve from a boot-strapped startup to an established category leader with tens of thousands of happy customers in five major metros from San Francisco to Boston.

Current Webpass markets in the U.S.

This growth is due to their fast, reliable Internet service, available at an affordable price with no hidden fees, no contracts and an install experience that puts the customer first. In fact, Webpass customers have been known to choose the building they live in based on Webpass’ service map. Providing an excellent customer service experience is another philosophy we share with Webpass.



In addition, Webpass is known for their successful track record lighting up new buildings with super fast Internet service very quickly — sometimes within a month or less once building access agreements are in place. This speed of deployment is possible in part because Webpass manages its own network, which also has the benefit of higher service availability, automatic upgrades for service that gets better over time, and bandwidths of up to 1 gigabit per second.


Of course, at Google Fiber we’re particularly excited about Webpass’ application of point-to-point wireless deployment methodology. As we’ve said, our strategy going forward will be a hybrid approach with wireless playing an integral part. Webpass has proven that point-to-point wireless is a reliable way to connect more people to high-speed Internet in a densely populated environment, by setting up wireless transmission links between buildings. Residents simply plug their device or router into the data jack Webpass installs in their unit, and they’re good to go, browsing with speeds reaching up to a Gig.


Going forward, Webpass will continue to grow and scale their business with point-to-point wireless technology, including expanding into new cities. And for our part, Google Fiber will continue to build out our portfolio of wireless and fiber technologies, to bring super fast Internet to more people, faster. In the meantime, there will be no changes for current Webpass or Google Fiber customers, who will continue to get the same great services they love. 

Update September 20, 2016, 6:00pm PDT: It’s a great day for Nashville. Congratulations to Nashville Metro Council and residents on passing Council Member Davis’ One Touch Make Ready ordinance on its third and final reading. This will allow new entrants like Google Fiber to bring broadband to more Nashvillians efficiently, safely and quickly. We look forward to continuing our work with NES and the local community. 


Update September 6, 2016, 7:35pm PDT: We're pleased that Nashville Metro Council supports Council Member Davis’ proposal for a 21st century framework, with a second reading vote of 32-7. Improving the make-ready construction process is key to unlocking access to a faster Internet for Nashville, and this Ordinance will allow new entrants like Google Fiber to bring broadband to more Nashvillians efficiently, safely and quickly. We look forward to continuing our work with NES and other attachers to bring our service to more homes and businesses in Nashville, faster.

Guest post from Ruben Campillo, former Digital Inclusion Fellow, currently the Digital Inclusion Outreach & Community Engagement Manager, Knight School of Communication, Queens University of Charlotte.

The first time I went online was in the fall of 1995. A librarian at the main branch of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library taught me to type website addresses into the browser. I was amazed by the infinite scope of information at my fingertips. That day I joined the burgeoning information revolution and the internet became part of my life as a student, professional and father. In all these roles I have witnessed the power of technology to improve people’s lives.

Unfortunately, many people aren’t able to benefit from transformational digital tools and skills. More than 60 million Americans don’t use the internet in the home. In my city, Charlotte, NC, 28% of residents don’t have internet access in the home. These families are put at a disadvantage when it comes to finding a job, completing homework and communicating with relatives. I wanted to help address this disparity, so I went back to where it all started for me -- the library.

I have spent the last year working as a Digital Inclusion Fellow at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. The fellowship is a program facilitated by the Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN), in partnership with Google Fiber. This first-ever fellowship to address the digital divide embedded 16 community leaders into local organizations that are working to close the digital divide. Collectively, we helped our host organizations address barriers to widespread internet adoption, such as awareness of the internet’s importance, digital literacy and access to affordable devices.

I became a Digital Inclusion Fellow to help shape how our city embraces new technology, while ensuring that our entire community benefits. Thankfully, I was joined by others across the city who feel the same way. The library was one of the key members in developing the City of Charlotte’s first Digital Inclusion Task Force, along with Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, Goodwill Industries, the Knight School of Communication and Mecklenburg County. This group of dedicated individuals and organizations is continuing to meet the challenge of making Charlotte a more digitally inclusive city. 

The library, which has 20 branches and serves around 1.1 million people, has already been a steward for digital inclusion for two decades in Charlotte. I joined the library’s leadership team to scale programming, sustainably. We mapped internet adoption in Charlotte and focused our resources on the least connected communities.

We piloted classes in these digitally divided communities, teaching residents basic computing skills. The course we developed, DigitLit101, has several modules, including email and job searching. To support our 1:1 training format, we trained 71 library staffers and dozens of volunteers to become DigitLit101 instructors. We also partnered with community based organizations, such as the YMCA, to help them incorporate DigitLit101 into their programming and scale our impact. Overall, this course has served 183 students in seven library branches in both English and Spanish.

The other Fellows were busy in their cities as well. Collectively, we trained 550 people per month and reached an estimated 1 million people with awareness campaigns about the importance of the Internet.

You can read case studies from my city, Charlotte, as well as Nashville and Austin in the Digital Inclusion Toolkit that launched today. The toolkit highlights some of the successes and challenges Fellows and host organizations have encountered throughout the first year. Additionally, the toolkit includes best practices in volunteer recruitment, classroom logistics, digital literacy, and partnership development. It’s a great resource for organizations looking to join the digital inclusion movement.



I am passionate about social justice and I believe that access to reliable, affordable internet access at home can have a transformative effect in people's lives. Our first fellowship year was a success, but we have more work to do. Twenty-two new Fellows in 11 cities are taking up this challenge for the coming year. As they begin their work, I’m reminded that joining the information revolution can start with something as simple as teaching someone how to use a web browser at their local library.

Posted by Ruben Campillo, former Digital Inclusion Fellow

We’ve always believed that small businesses can do big things with superfast Internet. In 2014, we launched our Early Access program to bring faster speeds to businesses in our Fiber cities. Since then, we’ve been inspired by what these businesses have been able to do. From a media company that now conducts virtual jam sessions to a coffee house that livestreams their community events, we’ve seen many unlock new possibilities with a speedy, reliable connection.

At the same time, we know that businesses come in different shapes and sizes. They have varying needs and would like the flexibility to choose a plan that best fits their needs. That’s why we’re transitioning from the Early Access program and introducing three new plans.
Small businesses in all of our Fiber cities will now be able to pick from speeds ranging from 100 Mbps to 1000 Mbps. We’ve also increased the number of static IP addresses available to a business—up to 13. And we continue to be committed to providing fast, reliable service tailored to the needs of small businesses. Our support team is available to help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Eligible small businesses in Charlotte can now sign up for one of our new plans. Businesses everywhere can check their address and join our list to be among the first to know when we’re available in their area.

Eligible small businesses in Kansas City, Provo, Austin, and Nashville will have until July 31st to sign up under the Early Access program. Beginning August 1, 2016, they’ll be able to choose from one of our new plans or keep their Early Access plan and pricing for a full year.

We can’t wait to see what small businesses will do next with superfast Internet.

Posted by John Shriver-Blake, Product Manager, Google Fiber