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Report: Oklahoma City is getting Google Fiber

11:30 AM EDT on October 28, 2015

tlo-internet-nerd

Here's some cool news if you like free high-speed Internet, hate Cox Communications, or like to see our "State's Most Trusted News" get scooped by local message boards.

Earlier today, OKC Talk announced that Google Fiber will be coming to Oklahoma City. Plans will apparently be announced at a press conference later today.

Via OKC Talk:

The City of Oklahoma City has called a press conference for 1PM today and inside sources tell OKCTalk that Google Fiber will announce they are coming to town.

Google Fiber is Google's fiber-to-the-premises service in the United States, providing broadband internet and cable television to a small and slowly increasing number of locations. As of March 2015, Google Fiber had 27,000 television subscribers...

Google Fiber offers three options: a free internet option, a 1 Gbit/s internet option, and an option including television service (in addition to the 1 Gbit/s internet).

The free internet option is truly that; neighborhoods where the fiber optic cable is installed can access the internet completely free of charge, although there is a charge for the ultra fast service.

The internet service includes one terabyte of Google Drive service; the television service includes a two terabyte DVR in addition to the Google Drive. The DVR can record up to eight live television shows simultaneously. In addition, television service will also stream live program content on iPad and Android tablet computers.

In 2010, Oklahoma City set up a task force and launched a formal campaign to recruit Google Fiber.

Once Google Fiber selects a city for expansion, it typically takes 2-3 years to implement the service on a widespread basis.

As I mentioned, this is cool news. I don't know too much about Google Fiber, but it can't be any worse than Cox Communications. I like them about as much as I do wearing semi-damp blue jeans out of the dryer.

Also, let's give it up to OKC Talk for breaking this news first. It's always funny to see local internet message boards run by one guy from California scoop the mainstream Oklahoma City media. Seriously, how did The Oklahoman not get ahold of this first? They have a huge Business team. They're "connected" at City Hall. The conspiracy theorist in me thinks the paper's cozy business relationship with Cox is to blame for the lack of coverage. Remember, the paper has to take care of its advertisers first. However, the realist in me thinks the paper's reporters were simply waiting for a press release to rewrite. Maybe it's a mix of both.

Updates!

- Okay, so we're not technically "getting" Google fiber yet. According to Brianna Yellow Ledbetter Bailey, Google is "eyeing Oklahoma City for an expansion" and adding OKC "to its list of cities for possible expansion." I guess that's better than nothing. Best case scenario: we'll have Google Fiber in a few years. Worse case scenario: Everyone will be reminded of what it was like to live in OKC in the 1980s and 1990s when we were getting passed over by United Airlines, Micron and the National Hockey League.

- Speaking of Brianna Bailey, she's mad at us. She's also mad at OKC Talk for plagiarizing Wikipedia. For more entertaining tweets from Brianna Bailey, follow her on Twitter.

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