Google Fiber begins construction in Round Rock

Google Fiber began construction this week of its ultra-high-speed internet service in Round Rock.

City officials and Google Fiber representatives said the goal is to provide reliable internet service to as many households as possible.

"Services like Google allow us to continue to innovate and have innovation in our city," Round Rock Mayor Craig Morgan said. "As we saw through COVID, how important connection was to our families, for their children, to our businesses. It's just crucial."

Google Fiber offers one or two gigabyte service to customers without data caps, equipment fees or annual contracts. Prices for one gigabyte start as low as $70 a month.

The City Council last October approved an agreement to allow the company to install, maintain and operate a fiber optic network in the public right of way in Round Rock. The agreement includes a license fee that requires Google to pay 1% of gross revenue on a quarterly basis for the ability to run the network in the city's right of way, city officials said.

Services will become available to Round Rock customers as portions of the network are completed beginning in early 2024, said John-Michael Cortez, the government and community affairs manager for Google Fiber.

"Everyone deserves access to reliable high-speed, fairly priced open Internet," Cortez said. "And that's what we're excited to bring residents and small businesses here in Round Rock."

More: Google Fiber internet service coming to Round Rock

Cortez said that a lot of cities, even those that are thriving, still do not have high-quality internet choices. He said bringing the optic network to Round Rock is the start of the company's goal to bring Google Fiber to Williamson County.

To see availability updates, residents can visit fiber.google.com. To learn more about the agreement with Round Rock, visit roundrocktexas.gov/googlefiber.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Google Fiber begins construction in Round Rock