Google ‘exploring’ Fiber rollout for Chicago, LA

Google is now “exploring” whether to expand its Google Fiber broadband initiative to two of the biggest cities in the US, Chicago and Los Angeles.

Announcing its plans in on the Google Fiber blog, the search giant said that it will now work closely with city leaders to collect detailed information about each metro area to determine if it is viable to roll out the scheme in these areas.

“While we can’t guarantee that we’ll be able to bring Fiber to Chicago and LA, this is a big step for these cities and their leaders. Planning for a project of this size is a huge undertaking, but we’ll be sure to keep residents updated along the way,” said Jill Szuchmacher, director, Google Fiber Expansion.

In October, Google said it is looking at whether to expand Fiber to Jacksonville, Tampa and Oklahoma City, working side-by-side with local leaders to create detailed studies of each metro area.

Google first started experimenting with Gigabit-speed broadband almost five years ago and now offers internet and fibre-powered TV services in Kansas City, Austin and Provo.

Upcoming Google Fiber cities include Salt Lake City, San Antonio, Nashville and Atlanta. Other cities currently under consideration for the project are San Diego, Portland, Louisville and Phoenix.