Google Fiber and FREEEEE Internet

[Neustache]

Well, sort of. 

If you pay the $300 construction fee for GF, you are guaranteed free internet (except for taxes/fees) for 7 years.

The downside?  Sort-of slow internet. 

The upside?  FREEEEEEEE

We get 5mbps and while there were a few days of adjustment, it's really not bad.  If you run Netflix on two TV's, have someone browsing on the computer, and my hubby video chats with his sitar instructor, sure, things might stop to a standstill.  But usually it works just fine for our needs. 

I just got charged the construction fee, and it looks like there are $25 in fees/taxes for the year.  So essentially, we are getting internet for $25 a year for the next 6 years.   I told my hubby that we can upgrade to the $70 version when we pay our house off, but we'll be so used to it by then I don't know that we will. 

What's amusing is we have a friend who is always complaining about money.  Guess what option he went with?  LOL. 

[oldtoyota]

Could you give more details on the construction fee and how that works?

I live in a place with an expensive option and a more expensive option ($70-$100/month). I have exhausted every possibility trying to find something else, and I am at the point that I think not having internet would be a fine way to go (not quite but getting there at least).

[Neustache]

Well, first off, you have to have Google Fiber in your city.  Our city happened to be the first one picked but even then I had to wait over a year after others got the service as they have to install all the lines.

The $300 contruction fee is the cheapo option and if your neighborhood qualifies for service (Googles brilliant way of getting you to spread the word and pester your neighbors into signing up) then they don't charge the fee until after your first month's of service. 

You can also sign up to pay it off over the first year, at $25 a month.  No real savings for paying it off at once, I just like paying stuff off so I don't have to include it on my monthly figures. 

[Insanity]

Google Fiber will impact the cable companies more than anything else. 

Is that $70 a year for the higher service?  That is still dirt cheap.

[Neustache]

No, it's 70 a month, for the super speedy internet.   Too pricey for me, but still not terrible, if super fast speeds are your thing.  Sorry I was not clear above! 

There's an even higher package that includes cable, but we've never done cable so we didn't even consider it.  We were paying $45 a month with TW and only up to 15mbps - then in the last few months before Fiber, TW upped our bill to $62!  Wait...what?  LOL.  I thought they'd try competing, apparently not.  We had internet only, though, so maybe the customers they keep will be the ones with cable. 

[boarder42]

google fiber is only in KC provo and austin areas.  it takes a lot of time for it to even reach your area of the city and you have to get alot of signups.  my city will have it in 2015 hopefully.  which means it will finally be built in 2016.  the cable and uverse companies here are really having to change price structure to compete.  its fantastic!!

[oldtoyota]

Thank you. $70 is not the bargain I was looking for though.

Where I live, I am forced to get cable. Not getting cable makes the price go UP. That whole "you are going to be poor due to paying for cable" maxim we hear finance people discuss doesn't apply to many in the DC area.

Comcast increased our price to **just under** what Verizon charges. Verizon sends mail that says, "Did Comcast raise your rates?" And then offers a plan that is not any cheaper.

This is the first monopoly I've experienced. I thought the government prevented monopolies, but I guess not.

The only saving grace is that having the internet means I can work from home and I save $$ by WFH. Once I retire, I may move and may consider not having internet at home. I don't really care about it since it's become a data collection device for corporations and the government.

If I lived two miles in another direction, I could pay at least $25 less due to the additional competition.

[TheDude]

Thats awesome. I wish we had Google Fiber. Our city is building its own fiber loop starting this fall. Its going to be more expensive than I pay now but faster and hopefully I don't have to call and renegotiate with the damn price every year. I'm excited the centurylink/Comcast monopoly drives me nuts.

[Neustache]

It was painful waiting for it, after the announcement.  Of course, most people I know opted for the 70/month option, but our feelings were that we could always upgrade if it really bothered us, which it hasn't.  I don't see many people going from the high speed plan to the no cost plan, as once you are accustomed to it, it'd be hard to go backwards, I think.

[eostache]

I wish GF would come to my city. 5mps would work well for us.

I have CenturyLink dry loop DSL 3mps for $25/mo. It has been enough for us an I've been happy with the service. Good enough for web browsing and we do stream some programs online.

[okashira]

If I had google fiber available in my area, I'd cough up the $70 / mo for the epic service.
I'm a computer geek anyhow. Paid $160 for a 33.6 kbps modem in like 1996.

[Jack]

I don't see many people going from the high speed plan to the no cost plan, as once you are accustomed to it, it'd be hard to go backwards, I think.

I wonder how that would work, since the "free" plan has the $300 construction fee but the $70/month plan doesn't. Can you pay $70 for one month and then switch to "free" without being assessed an additional fee since it's already "constructed?"

My city is one of the latest round of Google Fiber cities, but I'm worried my neighborhood (which is gentrifying and something like 40% yuppies and 60% poor) won't have a high enough density of sign-ups.

[Neustache]

Are they hipster yuppies, or yuppy, yuppies?  The hipsters in the gentrified neighborhoods were all over it.  Yuppies might like the speedy plans.  I don't know, seemed like the overwhelming majority of our hoods qualified, but when mine did I stopped paying attention! LOL.  I was all over FB trying to get sign ups, Google came to our HOA meeting, had a store in the poorer neighborhood, and sent out a ton of mailers.  You might qualify!

The poor should be all over this.  The $300 construction fee can be spaced out over 12 months. 

Good question on going backwards, not sure how that would work!

[Jack]

Are they hipster yuppies, or yuppy, yuppies?  The hipsters in the gentrified neighborhoods were all over it.  Yuppies might like the speedy plans.  I don't know, seemed like the overwhelming majority of our hoods qualified, but when mine did I stopped paying attention! LOL.  I was all over FB trying to get sign ups, Google came to our HOA meeting, had a store in the poorer neighborhood, and sent out a ton of mailers.  You might qualify!

Very, very hipster yuppies. My neighborhood is "the Williamsburg of Atlanta!"

I just hope Google gives as much effort here as they did in your town. Since they're doing a bunch of cities at once, maybe not.

[Left]

yep fiber is in my neighborhood now too, not at house yet but I'm signed up
I'm going the free route since I don't need more than what it gives as well

I kind of want their tv plan, its about same as the local competition att uverse/time warner but I'll skip it for now since I rarely watch tv anyhow lately

[Neustache]

@Jack....never fear, the hipsters will get you across the line.  They'll do it in their smug, self-satisfied way, but by God they'll do it.  ;-)