Google Fiber believes everyone deserves fast, reliable internet at an accessible price all year round. But this week is Digital Inclusion week- the perfect opportunity for us to reflect on some of the high-impact digital equity work that we are excited to be a part of! Join us as we celebrate the projects and partnerships that are getting more people connected to the amazing opportunities the internet provides. 

Affordable high-speed internet: Access to high-quality internet is essential for every household, yet affordability is a challenge for many on the wrong side of the digital divide. That’s why we’ve been such strong supporters of the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program, and why we are now offering 300 Meg for $30 a month to customers who are participating in this program. With the $30 subsidy through the FCC, this plan is available at no cost to our ACP customers. The need for the Affordable Connectivity Program has never been clearer.  Over 20 million American households are using these funds to stay connected to work, school, family and more. That’s why Google Fiber has been encouraging Congress to renew funding for ACP. Reach out to your representatives to ask them to ensure this essential program continues to connect our country.

Digital literacy: We invest in digital literacy programs that empower people with the skills needed to navigate the online world. This year GFiber supported Des Moines, Iowa’s Shalom Community Impact Center’s digital literacy programming, helping immigrant families get connected to the critical resources needed to navigate their new home. In Nashville, Tennessee, we proudly supported the Nashville Cyber Seniors workshops, classes, and educational resources. And in Atlanta, Georgia, our partner Inspiredu provided over 3,500 hours of digital literacy training to community members.

Transformative partnerships: Many of our longtime partnerships are pioneers of sustainable and scalable community-based solutions. In 2015, we became a founding sponsor of NTEN’s  Digital Inclusion Fellowship, a nationwide effort to build the capacity of local organizations to close the digital divide in their communities. In 2023, we are proud to sponsor 15 fellows in this year’s cohort of digital equity champions. PCs for People in Kansas City was one of our earliest community partners.  This year, we launched a new partnership with this digital equity powerhouse to get low-cost internet to 4 affordable housing communities.  And in North Carolina, our longtime partner E2D is bridging the device gap, distributing over 1,000 no-cost laptops to families in need when they need them most- before the start of the new school year.    

Local alliances:  We support foundations and coalitions who are tackling their community’s big challenges.  We proudly support the Community of Huntsville Foundation’s Digital Equity Fund, which has invested in 33 digital equity programs across the city. In Austin, Texas, we supported Foundation Communities’ vision of  creating “housing where families succeed” by providing residents with a no-cost laptop. In Arizona, Google Fiber joined the Mesa College Promise Program supporting the education of Mesa’s high school students for the first two years of college. 

First it was Mesa, Arizona, then it was West Des Moines, Iowa — and now Google Fiber is excited to announce Charlotte, North Carolina as the third city to launch 8 Gig speed. Charlotte customers have even more choice when it comes to their internet needs. The 8 Gig plan includes symmetrical upload and download speeds up to 8,000 Mbps, a Wi-Fi 6 router (or you can use your own), up to 2 mesh extenders for strong WI-Fi coverage, and professional installation with Google Fiber’s dedicated customer service all for the price of $150/month.

With the introduction of the symmetrical 8 Gig internet, Google Fiber is embracing the future of connectivity and setting a new standard for internet speed and reliability not just based on current needs but future needs as well. With up to 8000 Mbps upload and download speeds customers can enjoy near instantaneous downloads, 8k streaming, minimal lag gaming and rapid data uploads.

As we said last week, Google Fiber will continue pushing what “fast” means when it comes to internet service. We believe that everyone deserves fast, reliable, fairly priced internet without contracts, data caps or installation fees. Charlotteans can find more information or check service availability here.

Posted by Nick Saporito, Head of Product

Update: As of October 5, 2023, eligible customers who are enrolled in the Affordable Connectivity Program with Google Fiber Webpass can sign up for a net-zero cost service plan offering uploads and download speeds of up to 300 Mbps. To get access to this $30 a month plan ($0 with the ACP benefit), Google Fiber Webpass Customers must first qualify through the FCC and then sign up for a Google Fiber Webpass monthly internet plan. Existing customers who qualify can apply and change to the new plan through their account. New customers should check out the ACP page on our website. For more information about ACP and the new plan, check out our website.

In 2022, Google Fiber provided a $30,000 grant to the West Des Moines Community Schools Foundation to advance their initiative to expand STEM programming in all West Des Moines Community Schools (WDMCS) elementary schools. This support was directed to Western Hills Elementary School, where principal Jenna Presley has launched a new STEAM lab this fall. STEAM programming taps into children's natural curiosity and creativity, and Western Hills staff and teachers have been evaluating and planning the best ways to engage the entire student body to explore the world through this new resource.

For our dedicated team at Western Hills Elementary School, getting back to school is our favorite time of the year. Each of our students, from pre-K through sixth grade, comes from a different background and learns in different ways, so we’re constantly looking for opportunities to better reach students, enhance their learning experience and set them up for success both inside and outside the classroom. 

This year, we are proud to offer a brand new, interactive STEAM lab to our students with resources that span across ages and grades. STEAM incorporates all the great attributes of STEM – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – while incorporating arts into the mix, including visual, language and physical arts. Many students have greater aptitude and affinity for either arts and humanities or mathematics and science, and STEAM brings these together while tapping into students’ natural curiosity and creativity.

Several WDMCS elementary schools offer some STEM/STEAM programming to their students, so when we were presented with this opportunity by Google Fiber, we knew our students would greatly benefit from these types of learning resources.

Our staff has been incredibly intentional with the grant from Google Fiber. We not only needed a physical space in the school, but also a way to create access to the resources and activities so teachers could check them out from the lab and bring them into their classrooms. Much more than a play space, we wanted to create an interactive and exploratory space that fosters hands-on learning, hones underlying strengths and student learning targets, and finds ways to connect these resources within existing lesson plans. 

We have worked for months to make this program and lab as accessible as possible. After going through a professional development and training seminar this summer, each of our teachers worked with staff to evaluate lesson plans for opportunities to incorporate our new STEAM resources. A few of the tools students get to experience and learn with this year include:

• BeeBots programmable robots introduce the concept of coding and emphasize measurement and multiplication skills

• Spirobots introduce the practical application of robotics to students 

• Merge Cubes interactive digital canvas enhance learning potential and opportunities 

These tools are just a few of the many our staff will utilize to explore and leverage new learning methods and opportunities with our students. At Western Hills Elementary, we are big proponents of voice and choice, and we strive to offer a variety of resources for both our staff and students that foster engagement, learning and excitement while here at school. 

Thanks to a generous donation from Google Fiber, our team is proud to bring these new exciting STEAM resources and lab to our staff and students. This is just the beginning. We know this lab will grow and shift as the tools and resources become more ingrained in our lesson plans and offerings, and we are excited to create new ways to bring out the genius in all of our students. 

Posted by: Jenna Pressley, Principal, Western Hills Elementary School 

It’s already been a busy summer for Google Fiber in Middle Tennessee with big announcements in Franklin and Smyrna — and it’s getting even hotter. Today, the Murfreesboro City Council approved a license agreement which will enable us to bring fast, reliable internet to one of the fastest growing cities in the country.

Our engineering team is getting to work on network design, which is the first step in our construction process, and we’ll be working closely with the City of Murfreesboro on permitting throughout the project. We expect to kick off construction early in 2024 and plan to serve our first customers in Murfreesboro later in the year. Residents who are interested in staying up to date on the construction process and service availability can sign up here. 

Thank you to the Mayor and City Council for their leadership. They had a clear vision of ensuring access to high speed internet for residents and local businesses. Google Fiber is looking forward to being a part of Murfreesboro’s connected future.

Posted by Ryun Jackson, Government & Community Affairs Manager

GFiber trabaja con organizaciones de todo el país para conectar a más personas con los beneficios de Internet de calidad. En Austin, Latinitas ayuda a las mujeres jóvenes a desarrollar las habilidades necesarias para vivir en un mundo digital. La directora de comunicaciones, Salwa Yordi, comparte su historia.

Nuestra misión en Latinitas es empoderar a todas las niñas para que innoven a través de los medios de comunicación y la tecnología. Brindamos programación en persona y virtual para que las estudiantes se expresen, desarrollen habilidades tecnológicas, aprendan sobre su cultura y descubran su voz única. Cada verano la Latinitas organiza “Campamento Latinitas” para niños de ocho a 18 años para facilitar clases sobre creatividad digital y codificación. Sin duda, se necesita Internet confiable de alta velocidad para apoyar adecuadamente a estos estudiantes y sus proyectos innovadores.

Como conexión comunitaria de Google Fiber, Latinitas ha confiado en nuestro servicio Google Fiber para brindar actividades enriquecedoras y recursos educativos que se han integrado perfectamente en las actividades de nuestro campamento, incluidos talleres de transmisión en vivo con oradores invitados de alrededor de todo el país. Además, para abordar la brecha en las habilidades de alfabetización digital dentro de la comunidad latina, Google Fiber ha sido un socio destacado en la financiación de clases digitales para padres de Latinitas durante los últimos años.

Según la Liga Nacional de Ciudades, solo el 65% de las personas Hispanas que viven en los Estados Unidos tienen acceso a una forma de conexión de banda ancha en comparación con las personas Blancas (80%) y Negras (71%). En Texas, más del 15% de los hogares carecen de banda ancha en cinco condados del centro de Texas (Bastrop, Fayette, Lee, Caldwell y Mason), según estimaciones de la Oficina del Censo de EE. UU. de 2017 a 2021. Además de la falta de acceso, también hay una falta de habilidades digitales dentro de la comunidad Latina. Para abordar esta necesidad, Google Fiber ha sido un socio constante en la financiación de las clases digitales para padres de Latinitas durante los últimos años.

Por primera vez, cada campista en Latinitas tiene la capacidad de interactuar con profesionales de la industria en sesiones virtuales en tiempo real, participar en talleres dinámicos y colaborar en proyectos multimedia sin interrupciones debido a la conectividad. Además, la confiabilidad de Internet también ha facilitado la investigación en línea, permitiendo a las niñas a profundizarse en áreas de interés y ultimamente desarrollar su confianza.

Latinitas se compromete a fomentar una generación de líderes expertos en tecnología. Este es un compromiso a largo plazo. Conectar a nuestra comunidad garantiza que la misión y la visión de nuestra organización permanezcan accesibles para todos, y estamos agradecidas por socios como Google Fiber que están ayudando a nuestras futuras generaciones a prosperar.

Publicado por Salwa Yordi, Directora de Comunicaciones de Latinitas

GFiber works with organizations across the country to connect more people to the benefits of quality internet. In Austin, Latinitas helps young women develop the necessary skills for living in a digital world. Communications Director Salwa Yordi shares their story.

Our mission at Latinitas is to empower all girls to innovate through media and technology. We provide in-person and virtual programming for students to express themselves, develop tech skills, learn about their culture, and discover their unique voice. Every summer the organization hosts “Camp Latinitas” for kids ages eight to 18 to facilitate classes on digital creativity and coding. Without question, reliable high-speed internet is necessary in order to adequately support these students and their innovative projects.

As a Google Fiber Community Connection, Latinitas has relied on our Google Fiber service to provide enriching activities and educational resources that have been seamlessly integrated into our camp activities, including live streaming workshops with guest speakers from around the country. Furthermore, to address the gap in digital literacy skills within the Latino community, Google Fiber has been a remarkable partner in funding Latinitas Digital Parents classes for the past few years.

According to the National League of Cities, only 65% of Hispanic individuals living in the United States have access to a form of broadband connection compared to white (80%) and Black (71%) individuals. In Texas, more than 15% of households lacked broadband in five Central Texas counties (Bastrop, Fayette, Lee, Caldwell and Mason), according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates from 2017 to 2021. In addition to the lack of access, there’s also a lack of digital skills within the Latino community. To address this need Google Fiber has been an ongoing partner in funding Latinitas Digital Parents classes for the past few years. 

For the first time, every camper at Latinitas has the ability to interact with industry professionals in real-time virtual sessions, participate in dynamic workshops and collaborate on multimedia projects without disruption due to connectivity. Additionally, the internet's reliability has also facilitated smooth online research, empowering kids to delve deeper into areas of interest and ultimately building up their confidence. 

Latinitas is committed to fostering a generation of tech-savvy leaders. This is a long-term commitment. Connecting our community ensures the mission and vision of our organization remains accessible to all, and we are thankful for partners like Google Fiber who are helping our future generations thrive.

Posted by Salwa Yordi, Communications Director at Latinitas