(TNS) — This week, the Smyrna City Council approved a deal with Internet service provider Google Fiber allowing them to install their equipment in the Jonquil City.

The board voted 6-0 to approve the meeting’s consent agenda, which included the proposed installation deal. Councilman Glenn Pickens was absent.

Mayor Derek Norton told the MDJ he believes this new deal will provide residents with another good option for the connections they need.

“I don’t know that we (the city) went looking for (Google Fiber), I think it found us,” Norton said. “I think it’s going to be good for that part of the city to have Google Fiber there.”GOOGLE FIBER: BASICS AND INSTALLATION
Google Fiber is Google’s private Internet service, providing products and services for customers’ Internet, Wi-Fi, television and phone needs.Advertised as the “most awarded Internet” provider, Google Fiber provides three tiers of high-speed Internet services. Their Core plan, the lowest plan, provides upload and download speeds up to 1 gigabit (or 1000 megabits) per second, while their Edge plan, the largest, provides speeds up to 8 gigabits (or 8,000 megabits) per second.

By comparison, Xfinity’s lowest plan provides Internet speeds up to 300 megabits per second, while their largest provides up to 2,000 megabits per second.

But while Google Fiber’s speeds are among the fastest, their availability is limited due to the complexity of installing lines. Unlike most Internet providers that install lines on utility poles, the majority of Google Fiber lines are laid underground, which requires permission from both city and private residents before crews can install lines on their property.

“Before we invite you to sign up for (Google Fiber), we spend a lot of time developing a construction plan for your community and working with local authorities on permitting and other issues,” Google Fiber authorities wrote. “Once we’ve determined that we can bring (Google Fiber) service to a particular area, there is more design and planning work to be done.”

According to their website, the service is only provided in limited areas of Cobb County including Marietta, Smyrna and Kennesaw.

AGREEMENT DETAILS
The new deal with Smyrna gives the company access to the city’s rights-of-way — including streets, highways, sidewalks and medians — to construct, install, repair, maintain and operate the necessary equipment.

According to Norton, much of Google Fiber’s equipment will be installed on the south side of the city.

“I think they (Google Fiber) are going to be on their way to give great service in that part of the city,” he said.

With their newly-installed equipment, Google Fiber will provide customers both broadband Internet services and voice over Internet protocol services, the agreement states.

Jennifer Bennett, community relations director for the city, said this deal is non-exclusive to Google Fiber, and that they will still have to file for the required permits before beginning any installation work.

The deal comes soon after city officials in Brookhaven issued a citywide stop work order to Google Fiber in December last year after one of their crews struck a gas main near an elementary school.

To avoid a similar situation happening, Bennett said the city will be closely monitoring any work conducted and will take action when necessary.

“Smyrna will closely monitor (work), a permit process must be followed and if needed, stop work orders will be issued,” Bennett said. “Anyone looking to … dig to install utilities, it would fall under a similar process.”

All installation and repair costs for Google Fiber’s products will be paid for by Google, according to the deal.

With this new partnership, anytime Google Fiber needs to access any of the city’s rights-of-way, they will pay Smyrna a franchise fee to compensate for their use of the public right-of-way. The fee, according to the agreement, will be equal to 2% of the gross revenue for using the right-of-way.

“The benefit is that, where (Google Fiber) does go in, it’s another (Internet) option,” Bennett said.

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