The average broadband speed is up from 173 megabits per second in 2022 to 304 Mbps, but average monthly ISP prices have increased by around $9 to $85 over the same span.

And more than half of the 48,000 members it surveyed, Consumer Reports said, gave their internet service provider an unfavorable rating in the company's third annual dive into internet service quality and satisfaction. 

“We’ve observed consistent dissatisfaction among CR members in recent years when it comes to their telecommunication services, and internet service is no exception,” Tian Wang, senior survey research associate at CR, said. “In fact, telecommunication services are some of the least popular of all the services that CR members help us to rate.”

Speaking broadly, fiber-based service providers scored the highest, with 69% of customers reporting to be “completely” or “very” satisfied, vs. just 39% for cable. 

Among individual providers, Greenlight Networks, which serves municipalities in New York’s Rochester, Buffalo, Binghamton and Albany areas, scored highest in the survey, a “95.” Meanwhile, Chattanooga, Tennessee, municipal broadband service, EPB ranked second with a 92.

Allo Fiber, Google Fiber, GoNetSpeed and Sonic also were on the top side of the list.

Scoring worst (14 points each) were satellite broadband providers Viasat Internet and HughesNet. Other poor performers included Comcast Xfinity (28), CenturyLink’s Lumen (25), Mediacom’s Xtream (25) and Altice’s Optimum (20).

So yeah, we just listed cable companies serving millions of American homes as “other poor performers.”

Service monopolies remain a barrier to quality in many regions. Nearly half of those surveyed said they had two or fewer options for ISPs. 

Comcast’s Xfinity Internet provides the highest internet speeds in the most states — 20 — according to research by web-services company Hostinger, while Google Fiber is the speediest service in the relatively few states where it is available.

That ranking is based on data from speedtest.net, a Ziff Davis-owned company that compares internet provider speeds.

Cox Communications ranked second with the highest speeds in seven states, with Google Fiber third with top speeds in five states. AT&T was fourth with the top median speed in four states.

Google Fiber has the fastest median average speed by far at 337 Megabits per second, compared to Cox’s median average of 288 Mbps; Xfinity’s 275 Mbps; and AT&T's 243 Mbps.

Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite broadband service sported an underwhelming median speed average of 75 Mbps, below the FCC's proposed new 100 Mbps definition for baseline high-speed internet.

“[N]o provider monopolizes the speediest connections,” Eiviltas Paraščiakas, head of communications for Hostinger, said. “It is clear that while some areas are spoiled for choice, there are places in the country whose only option is slow Wi-Fi.”

Editor's note: Ookla, which runs speedtest.net, says the ranking is not based on its data and has reached out to Hostinger for clarification, as has NextTV.

Three weeks after bringing 8 Gbps symmetrical fiber-to-the-home speeds to Mesa, Arizona, Google Fiber said late last week that it’s on now the move for the first time in Idaho, where it will debut FTTH services in Pocatello next year. 

Google didn't announce which of its FTTH speed tiers will be available in the city of around 57,000 residents — these range from the  $70-a-month 1 gigabit-per-second base plan to the high-end $150-a-month 8-gig tier. 

Google Fiber announced plans last summer  to deploy 5- and 8-Gbps symmetrical services in Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Idaho.

For Pocatello, Google Fiber has set up a page for residents to sign up and track progress of the buildout. 

“We’re kicking off the engineering process and working with the city to get ready for construction, which we expect to start late this year,“ Silvia Castro, Google Fiber's government and community affairs manager for Utah and Idaho, said in a blog post. “We plan to begin connecting Pocatello residents and businesses to fast, reliable internet in the middle of 2024.”

In Pocatello, which is home to Idaho State University, Google Fiber will compete with Cable One, among other telecom companies. As Light Reading noted, Cable One launched gigabit-download-speed service in Pocatello back in 2016 and has plans to upgrade the area as part of its DOCSIS 4.0 “10G” rollout. 

Light Reading also has a comprehensive list of the 22 markets where Google Fiber has deployed FTTH and its multi-occupancy-building-targeted "WebPass" services. In all, Google Fiber has deployed FTTH into 16 markets across 12 states. Webpass is available in six areas across California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois and Washington. 

Back in 2016, it appeared that Google might be losing interest in fiber internet service — as it sometimes does with certain business ventures. It laid off 9% of its workforce that year, paused expansion in 11 cities and completely withdrew from Louisville, Kentucky.  

But it’s on the move again.

Speaking to Fierce Telecom earlier this month, Mark Strama, general manager of expansion markets for Google Fiber, said his division is in talks with at least two municipalities in Idaho and around five in Nevada.

“We do a pretty complicated analysis of cost of construction and housing density to see whether it meets the criteria that would enable us to pay back the investment,” Strama told Fierce. “It’s when homes are sparse that you have to build lots of linear footage to get to a customer … we have to make deployment of the network affordable.”

According to J.P. Morgan’s State of Broadband report released Friday, “The speed race is on and customers are taking higher speed tiers as 1 Gbps marketing has been relatively effective, despite few customers actually needing that level of service.”

And the 13-year-old Google Fiber initiative remains on the leading edge of this competition, launching for the first time new symmetrical 5 Gigabits per second and 8 Gbps symmetrical-speed tiers in Mesa, Arizona. 

The price tag for 8 Gbps, a Wi-Fi 6 router and two mesh extenders: $150 a month. The symmetrical 5-Gbps tier comes with the same hardware and runs $125 a month. 

Mesa is also the first Arizona city to receive Google Fiber service, which also supports the operator's two other incumbent tiers: a symmetrical 1-Gbps plan for $70 a month and the $100-a-month symmetrical 2-Gbps plan that also includes the Wi-Fi 6 router and two mesh extenders.

Each of the four plans also includes a terabyte of cloud storage and professional installation. Google outlines its new 5- and 8 Gbps offerings, which were originally announced last fall, on this landing page. Also, Ashley Church, Google Fiber’s West Region general manager, discusses Google Fiber's broader plans for Arizona — which include expansion throughout the state — in this blog post. 

In October, Google said customers in Utah, Kansas City and West Des Moines could begin testing the faster 5- and 8-Gbps tiers “as early as next month.” It described rollout of the faster tiers in five states starting in early 2023. 

Back in 2016, it appeared that Google might be losing interest — as it sometimes does — with its fiber internet service. It laid off 9% of its workforce that year, paused expansion in 11 cities and completely withdrew from Louisville, Kentucky. 

Last summer, however, Google Fiber touted renewed growth plans, expanding into 22 metro areas from 17, while entering Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Idaho for the first time. 

The Google Fiber Mesa announcement coincided with a J.P. Morgan report showing the increased importance of 1 Gbps-and-above service offerings for cable operators, particularly in regions marked by overbuilding. 

Regardless as to whether customers really need a gig, a competitive marketing environment among ISPs is effectively convincing them they should pay for it, anyway.

Currently, J.P. Morgan said, MSOs offer speeds ranging from 900 Mbps to 1.2 Gbps in around 90% of their collective footprint. Only 23% of their customers now take these service offerings, but the investment bank sees that take rate expanding to 55% by 2025. ■

The National Advertising Division (NAD) of BBB National Programs has concluded that quite a few of Google Fiber's ad claims of superior performance over cable internet service are off base, though it said some general claims are defensible.

That is according to a just-announced NAD mixed decision following a challenge by cable ISP Charter Communications to Google’s claims about its service compared to cable internet-service providers in its footprint.

Also: Did YouTube TV Back Off From Its Specious '$750 Cheaper Than Cable' Claim?

The NAD recommendations are just that, but Google Fiber said that while it disagrees with some of the conclusions, it will follow them.

While NAD said there was a reasonable basis for certain general speed claims, it said Google should discontinue “quantified” speed claims — that upload speeds were up to 77 times faster, for example.

NAD pointed out that while a reasonable consumer could conclude it was an apples-to-apples comparison of “comparable metrics,” Google was actually comparing Google Fiber’s top potential speed for its 1 and 2 Gigabit-per-second tiers to the median speeds of lower tiers from Charter and other cable ISPs.

NAD also said Google should drop claims of superior reliability or knocks on the cable competition as “unreliable and prone to outages.”

“Google Fiber is a strong supporter of self-regulation and will respect NAD’s recommendations,” the company said.

The Biden administration has put its thumb on the scale for fiber-to-the-home buildouts with the tens of billions of dollars it is putting into broadband subsidies, so it is important for cable ISPs to defend their turf and keep the proper perspective on their relative merits. ■

Cable broadband operators are concerned that localities could start putting a thumb on the scale for Google Fiber when it comes to broadband service — making it a less-free market in which to compete for eyeballs and subscription dollars — and they want the Federal Communications Commission to nip that notion in the bud.

The current battleground over the extent to which municipalities can build out broadband is West Des Moines, Iowa. Incumbent provider Mediacom Communications wants the FCC to require the city to stop construction on Google Fiber‘s network, stop marketing service to residents and reconfigure the network and contract. 

Also Read: NCTA Says Google Fiber Definition of Competition Is Too Narrow

Opponents of the petition — comments were due Oct. 7 — said the FCC does not even have the authority to grant it.

Mediacom earlier this year asked the FCC to declare that the preferential treatment it says the city was extending to Google Fiber violated the Communications Act requirement that providers get nondiscriminatory access.

ACA Connects — the trade group representing Mediacom and other smaller, independent cable providers — filed comments in the proceeding saying preferential rates, terms and conditions obtained by Google Fiber clearly did not fit the competitively neutral directive of the Communications Act’s Section 253.

ACAC suggests the potential problem goes further than West Des Moines, and the commission needs to recognize that.

“[T]he FCC should recognize that the City’s alleged actions are of general concern to all providers regardless of location,” ACAC said in its comments. “Incumbent providers of telecommunications service and new entrants alike, including ACA Connects members, are concerned that actions by state or local governments in providing access to [public rights of way], including those like the City’s, may skew the market, such that they cannot compete in a fair and reasonable legal and regulatory environment as envisioned by Section 253.“

Muni Advocates Weigh In

Not surprisingly, Next Century Cities, which comprises advocates of municipal broadband service, filed in opposition to the Mediacom petition.

Next Century told the commission that Mediacom was trying “to prohibit a local government’s public-private partnership agreement that is designed to increase competition and expand broadband service options for residents.” It said the declaratory ruling would set the “negative precedent” that could discourage cities from forming public-private partnerships to close the digital divide.

Next Century was certainly suggesting ACAC‘s fear that not declaring such muni deals with Google Fiber violated the Act could encourage others was well-founded.

Also Read: More Muni, More Money

“Local officials nationwide are exploring opportunities to bring high-quality, affordable broadband within reach for residents and businesses,“ Next Century said. “These initiatives are often necessary, innovative, and community-driven, yet face numerous obstacles,“ including what it called "federal interference," and what ACAC would call the obstacle that favoring Google Fiber violates FCC rules.

But Next Century said that even if the FCC wanted to invalidate the Google Fiber deal, it gave up that authority when it reclassified broadband as an information service under Title I of the Communications Act. “Mediacom‘s complaint only pertains to the deployment and delivery of broadband Internet access service and does not affect the delivery of telecommunications services,” Next Century argued. “Therefore, the commission lacks authority to rule on this matter.”

Google Claims Mischaracterization

In its comments, Google said Mediacom‘s petition mischaracterizes its agreement with the city, which it says is not a grant of monopoly control of conduits; is not a subsidy to the company; grants it no special permitting or access rights; and is not on more favorable financial terms than other all-fiber ISPs.

Besides, the FCC has never been in the business of rewriting private contracts and should not start now, it said.

Among those filing in support of Google and West Des Moines were INCOMPAS, the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisers (NATOA), the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and National League of Cities, among others.

INCOMPAS, whose members include Google, urged the FCC to deny the petition, saying West Des Moines was just trying to create an open conduit network that will provide fast, competitive fiber to residents throughout the city.

Municipal networks have a friend in the White House. President Joe Biden has signaled that he would favor targeting broadband subsidy money to municipal nets and public-private partnerships, which he has signaled equates to better and cheaper broadband service and cable broadband providers argue often leads to failed efforts and taxpayers holding the bag.

Google Fiber, which announced back in early February that it was giving up on its own bundled pay TV service, has now added Sling TV to the list of third-party virtual MVPD options it offers to customers. 

Sling TV joins YouTube TV, fuboTV and Philo among the promoted options.

“At Google Fiber, we know that TV, both live and on demand, is going somewhere only the internet can go, so we’re focused on providing high speed internet that makes streaming easy and enjoyable. And all that choice usually comes with a lower price tag than traditional TV (including ours!),” wrote Liz Hsu, director of product strategy for Google Fiber, in a company blog post. 

Also read: Google Fiber Kills Its TV Service, Starts Marketing fuboTV

When it launched nearly a decade ago, Google Fiber bundled around 150 high-definition and standard-def channels, including ESPN, along with a 2-terabyte DVR that could record eight shows at once. In 2016, Google Fiber announced a major retrenchment, laying off 8% of its staff and pausing its buildout in 11 cities.

At that time, Google Fiber had 68,715 TV subscribers out of a total base of 453,000 customers taking broadband services. Customers could bundle 100 Mbps broadband and TV service for around $130 a month, with a $300 installation fee.

Also in February, Google Fiber began phasing out its 100 Mbps service and is only 1 Gbps products in the 18 regions it still operates.

It’s unclear as to how many broadband customers it has left. 

As for Dish Network-owned Sling TV, it reported an addition of 203,000 customers in the third quarter, following losses of 237,000 subscribers in the first six months of 2020. The service has around 2.5 million paid users, ranking it roughly on par with the more expensive YouTube TV, but trailing market leader Hulu among virtual pay TV services. 

Gary Bolton has been named the new president of the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA).

FBA represents fiber optic network infrastructure vendors and providers, including Corning, Nokia, Google and Verizon FiOS.

Bolton, who had been VP of global marketing and government affairs at ADTRAN, will come aboard Nov. 2. He succeeds Lisa youngers, who is exiting for a private industry job.

“This is an exciting and challenging time for our members, the Association, and the industry as COVID-19 has laid bare the profound importance of connectivity for all of us," said FBA board chair Katie Espeseth. We’re lucky to have found a leader with Gary’s deep understanding of our industry who can take the helm at this important juncture.”

Bolton is no stranger to FBA, having chaired its audit and finance committees. 

Google Fiber will now promote virtual MVPD service Philo as a video option to customers. 

The addition of the entertainment-oriented, more budget-minded Philo complements the other vMPVD options Google Fiber offers to customers, YouTube TV and fuboTV, both of which offer more robust, sports-oriented channel lineups for $65-a-month. 

Philo offers just over 60 channels, no ESPN or sports included, for $20 a month.

Also read: Google Fiber Kills Its TV Service, Starts Marketing fuboTV

Google Fiber announced in February that it would market virtual pay TV services in place of its own legacy pay TV service. 

“More than 84% of our customers use some sort of streaming service. Whether you are part of the 16% who haven’t yet found the right way to watch or you’re a seasoned streaming pro, we’ve put together some info on our website to help make it easier for you to find the best content for you,” said Liz Hsu, director of product strategy for Google Fiber, said in a company blog post.

NCTA-The Internet & Television Association is telling the FCC that it should conclude all makes and models of broadband in gauging competition in the communications marketplace.

That came in comments on the FCC's framework for its next review of that marketplace.

NCTA took aim at comments from Google and INCOMPAS that the FCC should only consider service with symmetrical upstream and downstream speeds or only service of at least 1 gig downstream as providing competitive service. NCTA said that was a transparent effort to game the competitive analysis by "excluding options that millions of consumers purchase."

It said that limiting the competitive landscape to a minority of available services would be like assessing automotive competition by only looking at high-end sports cars.

Google Fiber argues that competition can be inadequate because of a variety of factors including "asymmetric bandwidth, data caps, and opaque pricing that makes broadband unaffordable..."

Back in February, the FCC's new Office of Economics and Analytics asked for comment on the FCC's biennial report to Congress on the state of competition in the communications marketplace.

That report encompasses competition for voice, video, audio and data services from "providers of telecommunications, providers of commercial mobile service, multichannel video programming distributors, broadcast stations, providers of satellite communications, Internet service providers, and other providers of communications services."

The FCC has to assess whether laws and regulations, or "demonstrated marketplace practices" pose a barrier to competitive entry or expansion of existing competition.

The FCC issues its first communications competition report in 2018, so this will be its second bite at the apple.

NCTA-The Internet & Television Association is telling the FCC that it should include all makes and models of broadband in gauging competition in the communications marketplace.

That came in comments on the FCC's framework for its next review of that marketplace.

NCTA took aim at comments from Google and INCOMPAS that the FCC should only consider service with symmetrical upstream and downstream speeds or only service of at least 1 gig downstream as providing competitive service. NCTA said that was a transparent effort to game the competitive analysis by "excluding options that millions of consumers purchase."

It said that limiting the competitive landscape to a minority of available services would be like assessing automotive competition by only looking at high-end sports cars.

Google Fiber argues that competition can be inadequate because of a variety of factors including "asymmetric bandwidth, data caps, and opaque pricing that makes broadband unaffordable..."

Back in February, the FCC's new Office of Economics and Analytics asked for comment on the FCC's biennial report to Congress on the state of competition in the communications marketplace.

That report encompasses competition for voice, video, audio and data services from "providers of telecommunications, providers of commercial mobile service, multichannel video programming distributors, broadcast stations, providers of satellite communications, Internet service providers, and other providers of communications services."

The FCC has to assess whether laws and regulations, or "demonstrated marketplace practices" pose a barrier to competitive entry or expansion of existing competition.

The FCC issues its first communications competition report in 2018, so this will be its second bite at the apple.

Alphabet today announced today that its Google Fiber ISP division will no longer offer TV service to new customers and will instead market virtual pay TV platform fuboTV.

“As we return our focus to where we started—as a gigabit internet company—we’re also ready to challenge the status quo, to finally come right out and say it: customers today just don’t need traditional TV,” reads a Google Fiber blog post. “The best TV is already online. And we want to help you watch it, in the ways that work best for your budget and your own viewing preferences.”

Google Fiber bundled around 150 high-definition and standard-def channels, including ESPN, along with a 2-terabyte DVR that could record eight shows at once. In 2016, Google Fiber announced a major retrenchment, laying off 8% of its staff and pausing its buildout in 11 cities, as VentureBeat noted.

Google Fiber had 68,715 TV subscribers at that time out of a total base of 453,000 customers taking broadband services. Customers could bundle 100 Mbps broadband and TV service for around $130 a month, with a $300 installation fee.

Google Fiber is also phasing out its 100 Mbps service and is only 1 Gbps products in the 18 regions it still operates.

As for fuboTV, it’s base-priced at $55 a month, offering over 100 channels, some of them with 4K, and 500 hours of virtual DVR storage.

Google Fiber also recently entered a deal with Google to sell virtual MVPD YouTube TV to customers when they sign up for broadband service.

“This is particularly exciting for sports fans—fuboTV offers more than 35,000 live sporting events each year,” Google Fiber said in its post. “And you can also watch popular TV shows, movies and news on fuboTV—their base package alone has more than 100 live channels and more than 30,000 TV episodes and movies on demand every month. You also get cloud DVR and the ability to stream simultaneously on multiple screens.

Alphabet today announced today that its Google Fiber ISP division will no longer offer TV service to new customers and will instead market virtual pay TV platform fuboTV. 

“As we return our focus to where we started—as a gigabit internet company—we’re also ready to challenge the status quo, to finally come right out and say it: customers today just don’t need traditional TV,” reads a Google Fiber blog post. “The best TV is already online. And we want to help you watch it, in the ways that work best for your budget and your own viewing preferences.”

Google Fiber bundled around 150 high-definition and standard-def channels, including ESPN, along with a 2-terabyte DVR that could record eight shows at once. In 2016, Google Fiber announced a major retrenchment, laying off 8% of its staff and pausing its buildout in 11 cities, as VentureBeat noted. 

Google Fiber had 68,715 TV subscribers at that time out of a total base of 453,000 customers taking broadband services. Customers could bundle 100 Mbps broadband and TV service for around $130 a month, with a $300 installation fee. 

Google Fiber is also phasing out its 100 Mbps service and is only 1 Gbps products in the 18 regions it still operates. 

As for fuboTV, it’s base-priced at $55 a month, offering over 100 channels, some of them with 4K, and 500 hours of virtual DVR storage.

Google Fiber also recently entered a deal with Google to sell virtual MVPD YouTube TV to customers when they sign up for broadband service.  

“This is particularly exciting for sports fans—fuboTV offers more than 35,000 live sporting events each year,” Google Fiber said in its post. “And you can also watch popular TV shows, movies and news on fuboTV—their base package alone has more than 100 live channels and more than 30,000 TV episodes and movies on demand every month. You also get cloud DVR and the ability to stream simultaneously on multiple screens.”

Just weeks after scrapping its merger with Sinclair Broadcast Group, Tribune Media said it landed carriage deals with three Multichannel Video Programming Distributors – Verizon Communications’ Fios TV, Atlantic Broadband and Google Fiber.

Related: Atlantic Broadband Completes Fiber Network Purchase

Tribune did not disclose the terms of the deals, but said collectively they encompass about 3.6 million customers in markets primarily located in the Northeast and Southeast regions of the country.

Tribune has about 42 owned and operated stations across the country that reach about 50 million homes and also includes cable network WGN America, websites and national multicast networks Antenna TV and THIS TV. In August it terminated its $3.9 billion merger with Sinclair, after federal regulators moved to hold hearings to further look into the transaction, a signal that its chances of being approved were diminishing.  Tribune subsequently sued Sinclair for $1 billion for breach of contract. Sinclair counter-sued shortly after.  

Alphabet, Google’s parent company, has tapped a cable industry vet to run Access, the unit that operates the Google Fiber and Webpass businesses.

Dinesh (Dinni) Jain, most recently COO of Time Warner Cable, started as CEO of Access today, the company announced in this blog post.

Jain takes on that role almost seven months after Gregory McCray, the former CEO of Access, stepped down after just five months on the job. McCray had come on board to replace Craig Barratt, who was named CEO of Barefoot Networks about a year ago.

As the head of Access, Jain will lead the way from the company’s headquarters in California.

Jain, an exec who is also late of what used to be Insight Communications (acquired by TWC in 2012) and NTL (now part of Virgin Media/Liberty Global) in Europe, is also coming on board following a recent string of tweaks to Alphabet’s strategy for Access.

In the fall of 2016, Google Fiber hit the pause button on its ambitious expansion plans so it could concentrate in its current deployments and pursue less expensive wireless alternatives following the acquisition of Webpass.

RELATED: Capex at Alphabet's 'Other Bets' Continues to Fall 

Last week, Access confirmed that Webpass was winding down operations in Boston following a review of its business there, while continuing on in markets such as Denver, Seattle, Chicago, Miami, Oakland, San Francisco, and San Diego.

RELATED: Google’s Webpass Backing Out of Boston

Cathy Fogler, another vet from the cable industry, joined Access last year to head up sales and marketing.

Capital spending at “Other Bets,” the unit of Alphabet containing Google Fiber, Nest and Verily, fell sharply for 2017 amid shrinking spending for fiber-fed broadband services.

Accrued capex at Other Bets was $507 million, down from $1.4 billion in 2016, “primarily reflecting a reduced investment in Fiber,” Ruth Porat, CTO of Google parent Alphabet, said Thursday on the company’s Q4 call.

That reduced investment follows the company’s decision to pause expansion of Google Fiber as it focuses on existing deployments and less expensive wireless broadband alternatives. This week, the company also confirmed that it is winding down operations of Webpass, the wireless broadband company acquired in 2016, in Boston. Other Webpass market deployments are not affected.

RELATED: Google’s Webpass Backing Out of Boston

Revenues at Other Bets for Q4 hit $409 million, up from $262 million in the year-ago quarter. The unit posted an operating loss of $916 million, narrowed from $1.08 billion.

For full-year 2017, Other Bets revenues were $1.2 billion, up 49%, driven by Nest, Fiber and Verily, while the operating loss for 201 was $3.4 billion, trimmed slightly from a loss of $3.6 billion in 2016.

Porat noted that Nest “turned in a strong holiday performance,” with Nest products also becoming available in 12 new countries in 2017, more than double the number from 2016.

Turning to YouTube TV, Google did not announce a subscriber figure (a CNBC report puts it at about 300,000). But Sundar Pichai, Google’s CEO, talked up YouTube TV new multi-year partnership with Major League Soccer’s LA Football Club.  

YouTube TV is on board as the “Official Live TV Partner” and “official Video Partner” of the club, and will be the exclusive home for all locally televised English-language LAFC matches. YouTube TV will also carry the team’s nationally televised matches on ESPN, Fox and FS1. LAFC jerseys will also don the YouTube TV logo.

In addition to showing locally televised LAFC matches on a designated YouTube TV channel (they will be geo-fenced and offered only in the L.A. market), the broadcasts will also feature a 30-minute pre- and post-game show from the YouTube TV Studio set at Banc of California Stadium.

Turning to Google’s hardware business, Pichai said device shipments in Q4 more than doubled year-over-year, and that the company sold “tens of millions” of products such as Google Home, the Google Home Mini, Google Home Max and Chromecast streaming adapters in 2017.

YouTube this week also expanded its YouTube Go app to more than 130 countries. That offering lets users download and view videos (and share them with others using device-to-device links) when there is a limited or slow data connection. This video offers more detail about that offering: 

Webpass, the wireless broadband company acquired by Google Fiber in the fall of 2016, confirmed that it will shut down operations in Boston following a review of Webpass’s business in that market.

“As with any acquisition, we’ve spent some time evaluating the Webpass business,” a spokesperson with Alphabet’s Access unit said in a statement (Alphabet is Google’s parent company). “As a result of our analysis, we’ve made the decision to wind down Webpass operations in Boston. We’ll work with customers and partners to minimize disruption, and there will be no immediate impacts to their Webpass service. We continue to see strong subscriber response across the rest of the Webpass portfolio, including successful launches in Denver and Seattle in 2017.”

RELATED: Google Fiber Wraps Webpass Buy

Google didn’t elaborate further on the decision, first reported by The Verge, but it’s believed that Webpass’s performance and response in Boston wasn’t as strong as it’s been in new launch cities such as Denver and Seattle.

RELATED: Google’s Webpass Debuts in Denver

Webpass’s wind-down in Boston is expected to take several months, so customers there shouldn’t see an impact to their service right away.

RELATED: Building Fiber Networks: Difficult and Lame?

Though Webpass has found some rough sledding in Boston, another wireless broadband entrant there, Starry, said recently that it’s had some success penetrating parts of the city with a platform that relies on millimeter wave spectrum. Starry, which passes more than 240,000 homes in the market with an uncapped 200 Mbps service starting at $50 per month, says it’s been particularly appealing to cord-cutters and consumers who have never taken a pay TV service.

RELATED: Starry Connects with Cord Cutters (subscription required)

Starry and Webpass have been dueling with a trio of incumbent broadband providers in Boston that includes Comcast, Verizon and RCN.

The decision to wind down operations appears to be a small a setback for Google’s plans involving Webpass, which has been viewed as a more cost-effective alternative for broadband as Google Fiber curtailed expansion plans for its FTTP rollouts.

However, at this point, it appears that there’s no change for Webpass in its other deployment cities, which, in addition to Denver and Seattle, includes parts of Chicago, Miami, Oakland, San Francisco, and San Diego.

In October 2017, Google confirmed last week that Charles Barr, founder of Webpass, had left the company, but didn’t elaborate on the reason for his departure.

RELATED: Capex for Alphabet’s ‘Other Bets’ Falls Off a Cliff

Google Fiber this week has opened up sign-ups in two initial areas in San Antonio and is kicking things off with a discounted price on its flagship 1 Gbps broadband service.

In San Antonio, Google Fiber is selling uncapped 1-Gig for $55 per month, versus $70 per month in other Fiber markets.

Among other tweaks, Google Fiber isn’t offering an IPTV service it’s been selling in several of its other markets, opting instead for an option for customers to add YouTube TV, Google’s relatively new OTT-delivered pay TV service, plus an Nvidia Shield TV streaming box/gaming console. In San Antonio, Google Fiber is also pitching in one of its own WiFi routers.

RELATED: Google Fiber Won't Put TV on the Menu in Two New Markets

Google Fiber will keep the first two neighborhoods open for sign-ups until December 21, according to a blog post from Tyler Wallis, Google’s Fiber’s San Antonio city manager.

RELATED: Capex for Alphabet’s ‘Other Bets’ Falls Off a Cliff

Capital expenditures for “Other Bets,” the unit of Alphabet that contains Google Fiber, fell significantly in Q3 2017 – to $77 million, from $324 million in the year-ago period.

The big change in spending follows a decision by the company to hit the pause button on Google Fiber’s original, ambitious expansion plans, and as it puts more emphasis on less expensive wireless broadband alternatives.

RELATED: Google Fiber Pauses Expansion Plans, Laying Off Some Staff

That shift in strategy also followed Google Fiber’s acquisition of Webpass, a wireless broadband company, in the fall of 2016. Google confirmed last week that Charles Barr, founder of Webpass, had left the company, but didn’t elaborate on the reason for his departure.

“Webpass has a great model for serving customers with a variety of access technologies. They've grown their customer base over the past year since Fiber acquired them, and we're excited to continue that growth,” a Google spokesperson said.

RELATED: Google Fiber Won't Put TV on the Menu in Two New Markets

Other Bets, which also includes Nest, posted Q3 revenues of $302 million, up from $197 million a year earlier, and an operating loss of $812 million, narrowed from $861 million.

Jan Dawson, founder and chief analyst at Jackdaw Research, summed up the capex situation at Other Bets in this tweet:

In case you’re wondering how Alphabet feels about Google Fiber at this point… pic.twitter.com/iYcAlhuBot

— Jan Dawson (@jandawson) October 26, 2017

Google Fiber will offer internet service – and internet service only – in two new deployment markets, Louisville and San Antonio, the company confirmed this week.

That means it won’t be bundling traditional pay TV services in those locations, as it does now in the other, existing Google Fiber cities, which are starting to see some rate hikes coming courtesy of rising programming costs.

Of course, it’s not like Google Fiber subs in Louisville and San Antonio won't have plenty of other options at their fingertips. They can go with another traditional MVPD for TV, or pick from growing mix of OTT TV services, such as Sling TV, fuboTV, Hulu, PlayStation Vue and DirecTV Now.

Also, YouTube TV, Google’s own OTT TV offering, does provide service in Louisville and San Antonio. So I’d look for Google Fiber to come up with some creative ways to market and sell YouTube TV to its broadband subs not just on Louisville and San Antonio, but even its legacy markets.

RELATED: YouTube TV Lights Up More Markets

“Customers today want to control what, where, when, and how they get content. They want to do it their way, and we want to help them,” Cathy Fogler, the new head of sales and marketing for Google Access, explained in this blog post. “Whether it’s through YouTube TV, Hulu, Netflix, or more specific targeted services -- there are so many ways to watch what you want, when you want it. And Google Fiber’s superfast Internet allows customers to make the most of all these streaming choices by providing the bandwidth to use multiple devices and apps at the same time.

Fogler also stressed that there’s nothing changing with respect to TV service in Google Fiber’s existing service areas, but noted that “more and more of you are choosing Internet-only options from Google Fiber.”

That seems to be reflected in Google Fiber’s subscriber makeup, with TV service being less than a must-have for many.  Google Fiber hasn’t announced how many internet subs it has, but it ended 2016 with a mere 84,232 of them.

RELATED: Google Fiber Ended 2016 With 84,232 Pay TV Subs: Study

Google Fiber may have hit the pause button on an ambitious market expansion plan as it concentrates on current deployments and wireless alternatives, but it claims to be gaining ground with respect to multi-dwelling units in its existing footprint.

Google Fiber this week announced that it has activated service to more than 3,000 apartment and condo communities in its existing Fiber cities, along with another 300 “Community Connections,” an internet-only service that’s offered in partnership with local nonprofit organizations.

RELATED: Cathy Fogler Joins Google Access

Regarding the MDU-focused strategy, “[i]t’s a collaborative effort -- working with each property, we identify the best way to serve their residents from the beginning of construction to installation and our ongoing service,” Lee Bienstock, head of partnerships at Google Fiber, noted in this blog post.

RELATED: Google Fiber’s Webpass Sets Seattle Service Launch

Bienstock also announced that Google Fiber has expanded our its commitment to become a technology partner by launching the Google Hardware Program, a connected home inititiatve that provides properties with preferred pricing on company products such as Google Home and Nest Thermostats.

Google confirmed that Cathy Fogler, a cable industry vet late of MSOs such as Charter Communications and AT&T Broadband, has been named head of sales and marketing at Google Access.

Google Access is a unit of the company that operates Google Fiber, the provider of broadband, voice and video services, as well as Webpass, the wireless broadband company that Google Fiber acquired in the fall of 2016.

RELATED: Google Fiber’s Webpass Sets Seattle Service Launch

Google is not elaborating on Fogler’s role at Google Access, but said Fogler replaces Christina Wire, who has moved to YouTube in a VP capacity.

Before joining Google Access, Fogler, a highly regarded exec and well-known name in cable industry circles, was a VP at Hitachi Consulting; a co-founder of CAfrica Sports, a U.S.-based TV company that provides premium sports programs through a network of free-to-air broadcasters in sub-Saharan Africa, and was a consultant at Sand Cherry Associates.

Fogler is also a former exec at Charter, where she was VP and GM of video services; was VP of video product management at Adelphia Communications, and was director of video product management at AT&T Broadband (now part of Comcast).

Another former Charter exec, Marwan Fawaz, is also at Google, serving as CEO of Nest. Fawaz was also in charge of Motorola Home before Google sold it to Arris in 2013.

RELATED: Marwan Fawaz Named CEO of Nest

Nest and Google Access are both part of the “Other Bets” division of Alphabet, Google’s parent company.

Alphabet’s Access division and its Google Fiber unit are again in search of a new leader following the resignation of Gregory McCray just five months after he took the post, Bloomberg first reported. 

Update: A Google spokesperson confirmed that McCray had stepped down and that a search for his replacement is underway.

McCray was named CEO of Alphabet’s Access division in mid-February, taking over a role previously held by Craig Barratt, who had resigned that post last fall and is now CEO of Barefoot Networks, a maker of fast, programmable Ethernet switch chips that counts Google among its financial backers.

RELATED: Google Fiber Taps New Leader Amid Restructuring 

McCray, previously was CEO of Aero Communications and a member of the CenturyLink board of directors, had taken the helm of Alphabet’s Access unit as it paused expansion plans for Google Fiber, concentrated on current deployments, and placed a greater emphasis on more cost-effective wireless broadband alternatives that included WebPass, a company acquired by Google last fall.

RELATED: Google Fiber Pauses Expansion Plans, Laying Off Some Staff

“We are committed to the success of Google Fiber. The team is bringing gigabit connections to more and more happy customers,” Alphabet CEO Larry Page said in a statement. “Fiber has a great team and I’m confident we will find an amazing person to lead this important business.”

Google Fiber is part of Alphabet’s “Other Bets,” a unit that emphasizes longer-term projects.

RELATED: Bigger Revenues, Losses at Alphabet’s ‘Other Bets’ in Q1

“We’re working to connect more people to abundant access, on networks that are always fast and always open. It’s a mission that we're fully committed to as a Google Fiber team,” a Google Fiber spokesperson said in a statement.

Webpass, the wireless broadband company acquired by Google Fiber in 2016, will soon launch a gigabit service in Seattle, starting with a downtown condo unit.

Webpass will launch at Fifteen Twenty-One Second Avenue, a 40-story building at the city’s Pike Place Market, according to local reports, including one from The Seattle Times. Webpass will reportedly start with a 1-Gbps symmetrical service that sells for $60 per month.

Update: In an announcement, Webpass said the data service will be marketed without contract requirements or data caps, noting that it will use point-to-point wireless radios that work in conjunction with the building’s existing Ethernet network.

RELATED: Google Fiber Wraps Webpass Buy

In Seattle, Webpass will compete with incumbents such as Comcast and CenturyLink. Comcast recently launched a 1-Gig (downstream) service in Seattle that uses DOCSIS 3.1 for its HFC network, and also offers Gigabit Pro, a pricier symmetrical 2-Gbps service that uses fiber-to-the-premises technology.

RELATED: Comcast Lights Up DOCSIS 3.1 in More Markets

The coming launch in Seattle  follows the February debut of Webpass service in Denver. Webpass also offers service in parts of Boston; Miami; Chicago; and San Diego, San Francisco, Oakland, Emeryville and Berkeley, Calif.

RELATED: Google Fiber’s Webpass Debuts in Denver

Google Fiber has been emphasizing the use of lower-cost wireless-based broadband deployments as it concentrates on existing FTTP deployment markets and after it paused a plan to expand into more cities.

RELATED: Google Fiber Pauses Expansion Plans, Laying Off Some Staff

Alphabet, Google’s parent company, recently announced Gregory McCray as CEO of its Access division, which includes Google Fiber.

Charles Barr, CEO and founder of Webpass, told Fortune, “We operate very autonomously and very independently” from Google Fiber.

Google Fiber said it has begun to accept service sign ups in Huntsville, Ala., where it will offer a mix of broadband, pay TV and phone services via a municipal-owned fiber network.

Google Fiber and Huntsville Utilities announced the partnership in February 2016, and represents an agreement that does not tie into Google Fiber’s separate decision to pause expansion in some markets as it pursues less expensive wireless access alternatives.

RELATED: Google Fiber to Ride Muni-Owned Huntsville Network

In “Rocket City,” an area served by incumbent providers such as Comcast and AT&T, Google Fiber is selling 1-Gig broadband for $70 per month, a symmetrical 100 Mbps service for $50 per month, or TV bundles for $140 per month (with 100-meg), or $170 (with 1-Gig) . Google Fiber is also selling a home phone service for an additional $10 per month.

Homes and some businesses in North Huntsville are first in line for Google Fiber service. The first area tagged for service is “bounded on the west by Pulaski Pike and covers all of Huntsville north of Interstate 565 to the eastern city limits,” AL.com reports, adding that the north Huntsville section is one of six, and is one of the smaller ones, representing an area with about 14,000 residents.

Google Fiber is the city’s first tenant for its municipal fiber network, which will also allow other providers to lease access for their services, Caroline de Gantes, Google Fiber’s head of business operations in Huntsville, said in this blog post.

Chris Levendos, the former head of the network deployment and operations organization at Google Fiber, is joining Frontier Communications as EVP, field operations.

Levendos is succeeding John Lass, who is retiring. Levendos will report to Dan McCarthy, and Frontier’s president and CEO, and become a member of the company’s senior leadership team.

Frontier said Levendos’s work at Google Fiber, which spanned network planning, expansion and design, and his time at Verizon as region president and VP in the wireline transformation group, fit in well with Frontier’s plans for operations that cover 29 states.

Levendos is also making the move following a recent string of shifts and changes at Alphabet’s Access unit, which runs Google Fiber. In addition to the recent hiring of a new CEO of Alphabet’s Access division, Google Fiber has put expansion plans on pause as it explores wireless-focused broadband alternatives.

RELATED: Google Fiber Taps New Leader Amid Restructuring

Levendos is also coming aboard the year after Frontier closed its acquisition of Verizon’s wireline operations in California, Texas and Florida. Before joining Google, Levendos spent 26 years at Verizon, last serving as region president for its New York City wireline operations.

Frontier lost 107,000 broadband subs in Q1 2017, ending the period with about 4.16 million.

"I am confident Chris will further enhance the robust resources of our field operations teams and our network assets, allowing Frontier to continue to provide the bandwidth options that support advanced technology and connectivity,” McCarthy said in a statement. “We remain focused on providing homes and small, medium and commercial businesses with technologies that will help us lead in our markets, scale wisely, and create seamless network experiences."

Levendos is a graduate of the State University of New York at Plattsburgh and earned a Master's degree in Urban Planning from New York University and a Master's degree in Telecommunications Management from Stevens Institute of Technology.

Gregory  McCray, CEO of Alphabet Access, the unit that oversees Google Fiber, has been appointed to the board of Adtran, the Huntsville, Ala.-based network equipment and software provider.

Adtran said the addition of McCray will help the vendor as it focuses on expanding Gigabit-class broadband speeds and supporting other areas such as smart cities, the Internet of Things and software-defined networking.

In February, Alphabet has tapped Gregory McCray as CEO of its Access division, taking over a role previously held by Craig Barratt and coming on board amid a restructuring at Google Fiber and a shift in focus toward less expensive wireless-based broadband alternatives.

RELATED: Google Fiber Taps New Leader Amid Restructuring

Prior to joining Alphabet, McCray was CEO of Aero Communications, chairman and CEO of PipingHot Networks, and an exec at Lucent Technologies. He is also a former board member of CenturyLink Communications.

“Over the past decade, the telecommunications market has undergone several fundamental shifts in terms of how networks are designed, services are developed and what types of organizations deliver those services. Greg brings tremendous management and international experience that will greatly benefit our team as we look to leverage these shifts to create shareholder and organizational value,” Thomas Stanton, chairman and CEO of Adtran, said in a statement. “The pace of change in our industry has accelerated, requiring more nimble and flexible approaches as we continue to drive innovation, expand our reach and transform the way people live, work and play. I believe that this is a perfect time for someone of Greg’s vision and experience to join our board.”

Other Bets, the unit of Alphabet that includes Google Fiber and longer-term projects, saw revenues rise and losses widen in Q1 2017.

Q1 revenues came in at $244 million, up from $165 million in the year-ago quarter, paired with net loss of $855 million, versus a loss of $774 million a  year earlier. The bulk of revenues for Other Bets came way Nest, Verily and Google Fiber, Ruth Porat, CFO of Alphabet and Google, said on Thursday's earnings call.

Last year, Google Fiber put a pause on market expansions as it concentrates in existing markets and pursues new wireless-based alternatives

RELATED: Google Fiber Pauses Expansion Plans

Google’s push into virtual reality and OTT TV (via the new YouTube TV service) were among the topics that came up on the call.

Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, said more than 50% of the time consumers spend in the company’s new Daydream mobile VR platform is for video consumption, and that YouTube VR for Daydream is the number one app on the platform in terms of time spent. Google launched the Daydream View headset last November.

Google launched the Daydream View headset last November, and Pichai preached patience on how long it will take for VR to generate mainstream adoption.

“Technically, we are making the breakthroughs are needed,” he said later, noting that Daydream is doing well with early adopters of VR technology.

RELATED: Google Daydream View Hits Stores Nov. 10

Pichai also talked up the new advertising potential presented by YouTube TV, the mobile-focused virtual MVPD service that went live in handful of markets earlier this month.

“The delivery of ads on TV has also not evolved at the same speed as the delivery of ads and media content on the Internet,” he said. “We think we have a significant opportunity to improve that experience, especially for advertisers…across these surfaces.”

Milo Medin and Dennis Kish, two top execs at Alphabet Access unit, are leaving the division but will be staying on at Alphabet, Google’s parent company, in different roles, Bloomberg reported Thursday.

Milo Medin has been serving as vice president of Access, and Dennis Kish, a former Qualcomm exec, as president of Google Fiber. Earlier this week, Medin was one of 29 members named to the FCC’s new Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee, which plans to hold its first meeting April 21.

Google has been asked for further comment, but Bloomberg said an Access official confirmed the changes.

Update:A person familiar with the situation confirmed Friday that Medin and Kish are leaving Alphabet's Access division. 

Bloomberg said word of the changes involvign Medin and Kish were announced at a meeting on Thursday by Gregory McCray, who was named CEO of Alphabet’s Access division, which includes Google Fiber, in February. McCray succeeded Craig Barratt, who resigned that post last fall and was recently named CEO of a Google-backed programmable Ethernet switch chip startup called Barefoot Networks.

RELATED: Google Fiber Taps New Leader  Amid Restructuring 

The reported changes at Access come amid significant changes at Google Fiber, including a decision to hit the pause button in targeted expansion markets as it continues to sign up customers in existing markets, and as the unit pursues less expensive wireless technology options following itsacquisition of Webpass.

RELATED: Google Fiber's Webpass Debuts in Denver 

Google Fiber has also pulled back a bit in some of its existing markets as it weighs its technology options, as the company recently issued refunds to some people in Kansas City who had signed up to get service after the company decided not to expand to their neighborhoods, at least for now.

RELATED: Google Fiber Ended 2016 With 84,232 Pay TV Subs: Study

“In order to focus our efforts and resources, we’ll be slowing construction in some areas until we can layer in the new deployment models we’re developing,” Google Fibertold The Kansas City Star, adding that it is looking to add customers in areas such as Raymore and central Overland Park. 

Google Fiber ended 2016 with 84,232 pay TV subs, marking a sharp decline in the rate of growth, MoffettNathanson found in an analysis based on fresh data from the U.S. Copyright Office.

Across all Google Fiber markets, year-on-year growth declined to 57.8%, from 78.8% a year ago, the firm found. But Google Fiber's video business is still growing amid a rising cord-cutting trend that is affecting most major U.S. pay TV providers. 

RELATED: YouTube TV Emerging Amid Accelerating Cord-Cutting Trend

In a blog item published Monday (March 27), Craig Moffett, senior analyst at MoffettNathanson, acknowledged that the semiannual data from the copyright office “is completely blind to broadband, which is arguably Google Fiber’s more important line of business.”

Moffett added: “We would naturally prefer to have data on the broadband market, which, after all, was always Google’s principal aim.  We rely on this data set only because it is the only one we’ve got. Perhaps their broadband results are better.”

Update: Google Fiber hasn’t released sub numbers, but a person familiar with its business noted that the unit did double its Internet subs in 2016 compared to all previous years combined that Google Fiber has been in business, and that Google  Fiber has generally been seeing strong growth for Internet-only subs, including those that are coming way of Webpass, which is being offered in markets such as San Francisco, San Diego, Chicago, Miami and Boston. Webpass does not provide video service alongside its baseline high-speed Internet offering.  

Even without any specific broadband subscriber results to go on, Moffett said Google Fiber’s video numbers still speak volumes about its efforts to make a mark in the broader pay TV industry. 

“Seven years after breaking ground in their first broadband market, Google Fiber still accounts for only 0.1% of the U.S. Pay TV industry,” Moffett explained.

Among Google Fiber’s largest individual markets, MoffettNathanson found that the company ended 2016 with 45,096 video subs in its largest market, Kansas City, Mo., compared to 28,941 in Kansas City, Kan.; 5,889 in Austin, Texas; and 2,914 in Provo, Utah. 

Google Fiber has been asked for comment on the new pay TV data. In September 2016, the last time this data emerged, Google Fiber said it was “very pleased” with its pay TV progress. Late last year, Google launched an updated Fiber TV App for Android and iOS devices that includes a new recommendation and other features. That followed an upgrade of the service’s TV interface.

RELATED: Google Fiber ‘Very Pleased’ with TV Sign-Ups


UPDATE: A Google Fiber spokesperson issued this statement amid the new pay TV numbers posted by MoffettNathenson: “We started Google Fiber to make the Internet better. Our super fast service is currently available to subscribers in 9 metropolitan areas, with 3 more under construction or planned. Demand for Fiber speed continues to grow, as more consumers move toward Over-the-top streaming and skinny TV offerings."

MoffettNathanson’s latest analysis of Google Fiber TV subscriber data comes amid a shift in strategy there. Of recent note, Google Fiber hit the pause button in targeted expansion markets as it continues to sign up customers in existing markets, and as it more aggressively pursues less expensive wireless technology options following its acquisition of Webpass. Gregory McCray was recently named CEO of Alphabet’s Access division, which includes Google Fiber.

RELATED: Google Fiber Pauses Expansion Plans, Laying Off Some Staff

The latest figures also come out as YouTube builds the groundwork for a new OTT TV service called YouTube TV that's slated to launch later this year with a package of 40-plus channels and a cloud DVR.

RELATED: YouTube Makes Virtual MVPD Play

Regardless how the new OTT service and a bigger focus on Webpass impacts Google Fiber going forward, the latest Copyright Office data suggests “that Google’s interest even in its existing markets has cooled considerably,” Moffett wrote, while also pointing to recent reports that Google Fiber issued refunds to some people in Kansas City who had signed up to get service after the company decided not to expand to their neighborhoods, at least for now.

“In order to focus our efforts and resources, we’ll be slowing construction in some areas until we can layer in the new deployment models we’re developing,” Google Fiber told The Kansas City Star, adding that it is looking to add customers in areas such as Raymore and central Overland Park.

Webpass, the wireless broadband unit of Google Fiber, said it has launched in Denver and identified the “first apartment community” to receive service, which delivers up to 1 Gbps for $60 per month.

Google Fiber, which will compete in the market with incumbents that include Comcast and CenturyLink, confirmed that the Larimer Place condos at 16th street and Larimer Street in downtown Denver, is the first community to getting access to the Webpass service in the Mile High City. Webpass noted that it is currently building out its local data center stack that will allow installation of point-to-point wireless radios to provide service to customers in the area.

RELATED: Google Fiber Wraps Webpass Buy

Webpass also announced that it has hired Roger Fitch as the GM who will head up the company’s Denver-area business. Fitch is also late of MultiTek Global, McAfee, StorageTek, OneSecure and Global Crossing, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Webpass also offers service in parts of Boston; Miami; Chicago; and San Diego, San Francisco, Oakland, Emeryville, and Berkeley, Calif.

Ars Technica reports that a new job listing indicates that Webpass is also targeting Seattle.

The launch in the Denver area amplifies Google Fiber’s new emphasis on wireless-based broadband as it concentrates on existing FTTP deployment markets and puts plans to expand into some markets on the backburner.

RELATED: Google Fiber Pauses Expansion Plans, Laying Off Some Staff

Earlier this month, the company announced Gregory McCray as CEO of Alphabet’s Access division, which includes Google Fiber.

Google Fiber and the Access unit of parent company Alphabet has a new CEO, who is coming on board amid the move to a more decentralized structure that will affect hundreds of employees while enabling the division to remain committed to its current batch of cities and push into a small group of new ones.  

On the leadership front, Alphabet has tapped Gregory McCray as CEO of its Access division, which includes operations of Google Fiber, which is building out FTTP networks that support gigabit broadband, voice and TV services.

McCray, who has been serving as CEO of Aero Communications and on the board of CenturyLink, takes over in the role previously held by Craig Barratt, who has since resigned that post and was recently named CEO of Barefoot Networks, a maker of fast, programmable Ethernet switch chips that counts Google among its financial backers. Late last year, The Information reported that CenturyLink was a “potential acquirer” of Google Fiber.

RELATED: Building Fiber Networks: Difficult and Lame?

“Google Fiber has been instrumental making the web faster and better for everyone — something I’ve been passionate about my entire career,” McCray said, in a statement. “I’m thrilled to lead Access as we continue in our mission to connect more people to abundant access, on networks that are always fast and always open.”

McCray heads up Access following a recent decision to pause Google Fiber’s expansion plans as it concentrated on current deployments and explored less expensive wireless broadband alternatives.  

 RELATED: Google Fiber Pauses Expansion Plans, Laying Off Some Staff

“Google Fiber remains focused on our customers and cities. We want to bring Google Fiber to customers faster, so we’re focused on making deployment more efficient and less intrusive,” a Google Fiber spokesperson said. “We’re thrilled that Greg has agreed to join as CEO, to drive this innovation and to grow the business.”

The Google Fiber team is moving to a more decentralized structure that will allow for more innovation to come from the field, but a move that will also result in hundreds of employees shifting into new roles in Google and Alphabet, a person familiar with the matter said, confirming a story first reported by Bloomberg.

The new structure, the person added, will likewise mean that Access will look a bit more like a startup again, with a focus on innovations designed to improve business results and service velocity.

Google Fiber, the person added, will also look to serve existing subscribers and add new ones in the current cities, and is now in position to push ahead with previous plans to enter new cities such as Huntsville, Ala.; Louisville, Ky., and San Antonio, Texas.

RELATED: Google Fiber to Ride Muni-Owned Huntsville Network

Cities still on Google Fiber’s list for “potential” build outs include Dallas, Texas; Jacksonville, Fla.; Los Angeles, Calif.; Oklahoma City, Okla.; Phoenix, Ariz.; San Jose, Calif., Tampa, Fla.; and Portland, Ore.  

Cities supported by Webpass, the wireless broadband company acquired last fall by Google Fiber, include Boston; Chicago; Miami, San Diego, San Francisco, and Oakland.

Comcast said it plans to launch a DOCSIS 3.1-based 1-Gig broadband service to residences and businesses in Huntsville, Ala., later this year, paving the way for a big broadband showdown with AT&T and an expected municipal service offering.

Comcast is already selling DOCSIS 3.1 services in Atlanta, Nashville, Chicago and Detroit, and has set plans to introduce D3.1-based offerings in several markets this year, including Denver, San Francisco, and Kansas City, among others.

RELATED: Comcast Sets DOCSIS 3.1 Expansion, Launches 1-Gig in Detroit

Comcast didn’t announce expected pricing of the 1-Gig service in Huntsville, but, in other markets, it’s been offering it for a base price of $139.95 per month alongside the testing of a promotional price of $70 per month when customers agree to a three-year service contract.

Comcast also offers a symmetrical 2 Gbps service for residential customers called Gigabit Pro via targeted FTTP deployments, but has yet to introduce that offering in Huntsville. However, Comcast does offer up to 10 Gbps to business customers using its fiber/Ethernet network in Huntsville. 

The D3.1 upgrade will help Comcast compete with AT&T, which has launched a fiber-based 1-Gig service in parts of Huntsville.  Google Fiber also has plans to offer service on a network being built by Huntsville Utilities.

 “We know that high-speed internet is the infrastructure of the future, and it is absolutely necessary for communities to remain competitive for economic development and attractive to people looking to move to Huntsville,” Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, said in a statement. “We appreciate Comcast’s efforts to bring gigabit-speed Internet service to Huntsville, and look forward to the benefit that this technology will deliver to our residents and businesses.”

 “This launch reflects Comcast’s ongoing commitment to offering the fastest speeds to the most homes and businesses in Huntsville,” added Comcast Regional SVP Doug Guthrie.  “Soon, customers will leverage a new gigabit internet service that will deliver a truly unparalleled online experience.”

 Craig Barratt, the former head of Alphabet’s Access unit, has been named CEO of Barefoot Networks, a maker of speedy, programmable Ethernet switch chips that counts Google among its backers.

Barratt is taking the helm at Barefoot Networks following Google Fiber’s decision to pause its expansion plans and concentrate on current deployments as it continues to explore less expensive wireless broadband alternatives.  At the time, Barratt announced he was stepping down as CEO of Access but staying on to continue as an advisor at Alphabet, Google’s parent company. Prior to Google/Alphabet, Barratt was president of Qualcomm Atheros.

RELATED: Google Fiber Pauses Expansion Plans, Laying Off Some Staff

He is joining Barefoot Networks amid the development of Tofino, a 6.5 Tbps Ethernet switch chip, which is in sampling mode, and Capilano, a software platform.

"I'm excited about Barefoot's vision to transform networks by enabling programmability in high-performance switching," Barratt said in a statement. "I'm delighted to join the team and to help them build on the incredible progress they are making in achieving that vision."

Barefoot launched in 2016 after spending two years in the product development phase. It’s backed by Google, Goldman Sachs Principal Strategic Investments, Alibaba, Tencent, Sequoia Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Andreessen Horowitz. It has raised about $155.35 million, according to CrunchBase.

Google Fiber said it has begun to sign-up residential and business customers in North Hills, the mid-town area of Raleigh, N.C.

Google Fiber said the debut there, which comes five months after Google Fiber’s launch in Morrisville, also comes amid the grand opening of its new Raleigh Fiber Space facility in the 518 West Jones building in Glenwood South, Erik Garr, Google Fiber’s southeast regional manager, announced via this blog post.

In Raleigh, Google Fiber’s residential plans include Fiber 100 (symmetrical 100 Mbps) for $50 per month (or starting at $140 per month with a TV bundle), and Fiber 1000 (1-Gig symmetrical) for $70 per month (TV bundles start at $160). Google Fiber is also selling three services tailored for businesses.

Google Fiber competes in the market with incumbents that include Charter Communications and AT&T, which is also offering a fiber-based 1-Gig service in select areas.

Garr also noted that Google Fiber is preparing to serve its first “Gigabit Communities” property at The Oaks in the coming months, referring to a program that brings free 1-Gig to select public and low-income housing properties.

Google Fiber has also begun to highlight markets supported by Webpass, the wireless broadband provider that the company acquired in October 2016.

RELATED: Google Fiber Wraps Webpass Buy

“Since we announced that Webpass is part of the Google Fiber family last year, we’ve been working together in the cities both Webpass and Google Fiber share: Chicago, San Diego and San Francisco,” Dennis Kish, president of Google Fiber, announced.  “Webpass has been offering superfast Internet service — up to a gigabit per second — in these cities for some time, and has the full support of Google Fiber to continue doing so going forward.”

Webpass-enabled Google Fiber markets are now represented on the company’s deployment map with a green-colored pin.  Others Webpass markets include Oakland, Miami, and Boston.

Google Fiber’s greater focus on Webpass markets follows a decision last year to pause expansion plans as it focused on current deployments and continues to pursue less expensive wireless options.

RELATED: Google Fiber Pauses Expansion Plans, Laying Off Some Staff

Google Fiber is part of Alphabet’s “Other Bets,” a unit focused on longer-term, so-called “moonshot” projects. For all of 2016, that unit generated revenues of $809 million, up 82%, driven primary by Nest, Google Fiber and Verily (formerly Google Life Sciences), alongside an operating loss of $3.6 billion.

Building a fiber network from scratch isn’t just a difficult, prodding process, but apparently doesn’t possess enough pizzaz for the liking of Alphabet’s top exec, according to an in-depth Bloomberg story focused on how CFO Ruth Porat is trying to bring more financial discipline to the company, known for its array of money-losing “moonshot” projects, along with passages on why Alphabet’s been changing its tune about Google Fiber.

Bloomberg, citing former employees of the company, said Alphabet CEO Larry Page became frustrated with Google Fiber’s lack of progress as it was mired in the expensive process of seeking and gaining permits as well as the construction.

RELATED: Alphabet CFO: Google Fiber ‘Very Committed to Growth’

“Larry just thought it wasn’t game-changing enough,” a former Page advisor told Bloomberg. “There’s no flying-saucer shit in laying fiber.” Of course, Altice USA might disagree, though it’s not building its all-fiber upgrade from scratch.

Those reported details emerge weeks after it was confirmed that Google Fiber was tapping the brakes while also shifting more emphasis onto speedy, and potentially less expensive wireless broadband technologies. While Google Fiber has put its plans to deploy in a batch of potential rollout cities on the backburner, it remains committed to expanding and growing in its existing footprint. Tied in the company also announced then that Craig Barratt, SVP of Google parent company Alphabet and CEO of the company’s Access unit, would step down but continue as an advisor.

Google Fiber Pauses Expansion Plans, Laying Off Some Staff

Bloomberg also reported recently that Jonathan Rosenberg, a company vet and former Excite@Home exec, has been named a counselor to the company’s Access unit as it tries to get a grip on the future of Google Fiber.

Report: Alphabet Taps Fiber Troubleshooter

While I’d agree wholeheartedly that building networks isn’t easy – the telcos and cable operators were telling Google Fiber exactly that from Day 1 – I’d add that Google Fiber does deserve credit in bringing excitement and some dazzle to the business of broadband, while also hitting the incumbent providers with a much needed scare that put a jolt into their capacity upgrades.

And the story of Google Fiber/Access isn’t over, of course, as it pursues new (more exciting?)  wireless options.

[Image source: Wikimedia Commons]

Google Fiber is pausing plans to expand into new markets, but it’s still pushing ahead with new products for its pay TV offering.

Google Fiber, which introduced a fresh interface for Fiber TV and an updated mobile app for its pay TV service, is testing a new box that supports 4K and High Dynamic Range (HDR),9to5 Google reported.

RELATED: Google Fiber Upgrades TV Interface

Though the new model (GFHD254) looks like the current model (GFHD200), the report said the new version does away with some legacy ports because the device will support wireless connectivity – something that AT&T has been doing with U-verse TV and Comcast is starting to do with some new devices for its X1 platform, starting with the Xi5 client box, which communicates with the primary gateway via WiFi.

Similarly, the new Fiber TV box will connect to the Network Box over WiFi, the report said.

Google’s been asked for comment on the product plan, but the shift to 4K would follow the path being forged by AT&T/DirecTV, Comcast and other pay TV providers, and would also enter play amid YouTube’s recent support for 4K and HDR.

UPDATE: Google isn't commenting on the report. 

RELATED: YouTube Streams in Support for HDR

Google has launched an updated Fiber TV App for Android and iOS devices that includes new recommendation features and another that helps with binge-viewing.

The app, for Android and iOS mobile devices, will be updated for all  Google Fiber TV subs in the coming weeks, Jared Nusinoff, product manager at Google Fiber, said in this blog post.

Among the app’s new features, the next episode of subscriber favorite shows appear and can be played back with one tap when the app is launched.

The app also supports remote recording to the DVR and personalized recommendations for live TV.

RELATED: Google Fiber Brings ‘Cast’ to Pay TV Platform

The Fiber TV mobile app update follows a recent upgrade of the service’s TV interface that include a new recommendations and search engine.

Citing U.S. Copyright Office data, MoffetNathanson analyst Craig Moffett said Google Fiber ended Q2 2016 with 68,715 video subscribers, up 66.6% year-over-year, with Google Fiber responding that it is “very pleased” with its pay TV growth.

Alphabet has tapped company vet – and former Excite@Home exec – Jonathan Rosenberg to a counselor to the company’s Access unit as it tries to get a grip on the future of Google Fiber, Bloomberg reported.

Google Fiber declined to common on the report, but moving Rosenberg (pictured) into that slot would follow confirmation that Craig Barratt, CEO of Access, was stepping down from that role and into an advisor role, and as Google Fiber pauses its ambitious expansion plan to instead focus on existing deployments and the use of potentially less expensive wireless broadband technologies.

RELATED: Alphabet CFO: Google Fiber ‘Very Committed to Growth’ in Existing 1-Gig Cities

Bloomberg said Rosenberg, a trusted advisor to Google co-founder and Alphabet CEO Larry Page, was tapped to help Google’s robotics division in early 2015.

Per his Linked In profile, Rosenberg joined Google in 2002 to help then-CEO Eric Schmidt’s team build and run the company’s product and marketing organizations, and oversaw the launch of products such as Adwords.

He also served as an exec of Excite@Home, the MSO-backed venture that pioneered cable’s move into broadband but filed for bankruptcy in 2001. Milo Medin, who has had a major role at Google Fiber, is the former CTO of Excite@Home

RELATED: Door Slams on At Home

Prior to Excite@Home, Rosenberg was an executive producer at Apple. 

Google Fiber has hit the pause button when it comes to expansion, but reiterated that it will continue to push ahead and expand in its current batch of markets.

“We remain very committed to growth across those [existing] cities,” Ruth Porat, CFO of Google parent company Alphabet, said Thursday during the company’s Q3 earnings call.

Google Fiber was “very active in a lot of cities in the third quarter alone,” she added. “We rolled out four new cities, so that brings us to 12 cities across the U.S. where we’re deployed, in construction, or in development, and we’re making great progress in those cities.

Porat’s comments come just days after Google Fiber confirmed that it will temporarily halt expansion plans in “potential’” as it refines its deployment and technology approaches and continues to emphasize a future paved by new speedy (and less expensive) wireless platforms. Craig Barratt, CEO of Alphabet’s Access unit, is also stepping down from that role but staying on as an advisor.

RELATED: Google Fiber Pauses Expansion Plans 

“When you go back to the initial impetus for creating the business, it was the founders' view that there's a sizable opportunity given the need for abundant connectivity on networks that are always fast and always open, and we do continue to be committed to that vision,” Porat said, noting that the company has achieved “some important breakthroughs in new technologies,” particularly around wireless.

“We wanted to focus on the potential with these efforts before we reaccelerate deployment,” she added.

Google Fiber doesn’t break out revenues or subscribers, but it’s part of “Other Bets,” a unit of Alphabet that includes other early-stage and “moonshot”  projects that span a wide range of industries.

In Q3, Other Bets posted an operating loss of $865 million, narrowed from a year-ago loss of $980 million on revenue s of $197 million, up from $141 million.

Other Bets revenue was primarily generated by Nest, Google Fiber, and Verily. Porat said Fiber investment remains the primary capex driver at Other Bets.

Google Fiber has hit the pause button in a batch of “potential” rollout cities as the division looks to “refine” its deployment and technology approaches.

“In terms of our existing footprint, in the cities where we’ve launched or are under construction, our work will continue,” Craig Barratt, SVP of Google parent company Alphabet and CEO of the company’s Access unit, announced Tuesday in this blog post titled Advancing our amazing bet.  “For most of our “potential Fiber cities” — those where we’ve been in exploratory discussions — we’re going to pause our operations and offices while we refine our approaches.”

Barratt’s role is also changing, also announcing in the post that “I’ve decided this is the right juncture to step aside from my CEO role. Larry [Page] has asked me to continue as an advisor, so I’ll still be around.”

The pause comes as Google looks to alter the focus on its business and product strategy, as well as its technology and deployment methods, with a great emphasis on less expensive wireless broadband options.

The shift follows Google Fiber’s recent acquisition of Webpass, a point-to-point wireless broadband service provider that serves portions of San Francisco, Oakland, San Diego, Miami, Chicago and Boston. Google has also asked the FCC for permission to move ahead with plans to trial wireless broadband in as many as 24 U.S. locations, including New York City, Chicago and Atlanta.

RELATED: Google Touts Potential for Wireless Broadband

“In this handful of cities that are still in an exploratory stage, and in certain related areas of our supporting operations, we’ll be reducing our employee base,” Barratt added but didn’t reveal a figure.

Ars Technica reported that the Alphabet Access division that operates Google Fiber is laying off about 9% of its staff. Google Fiber has been asked for comment.

In August, The Information reported that Alphabet was making plans to cut Google Fiber’s staff in half – from 1,000 to about 500 – but a follow-up report by Light Reading said reports of a cutback of that magnitude were false.

REPORT: Alphabet to Cut Google Fiber Staff In Half: Report

Update: Google did not confirm the details of the layoff but did provide this comment from Page:  “I'm excited about the potential of providing super fast internet to more people. Craig has worked hard to scale this business, and I look forward to continue working with him in his new role as an Advisor.”

On the wireline side, Google Fiber has deployments of 1-Gig broadband and pay TV services underway in Kansas City (Missouri and Kansas); Atlanta, Ga.; Austin, Texas; Charlotte, N.C.; Nashville, Tenn.; Provo and Salt Lake City, Utah; and, most recently, in The Triangle region of  North Carolina.

RELATED: Nashville Approves ‘One Touch Make Ready’ Plan

Google Fiber  has been exploring expansions in Los Angeles; Chicago; Dallas; Portland, Ore.; San Jose, Irvine and San Diego, Calif.; Phoenix; Oklahoma City; Louisville, Ky.; and Jacksonville and Tampa, Fla. Google Fiber also has plans to offer service on a network being built by Huntsville Utilities.

MoffetNathanson analyst Craig Moffett, citing data from the U.S. Copyright Office, said in a recent report that Google Fiber ended Q2 2016 with 68,715 video subscribers, up 66.6% year-over-year, along with an estimate that Google Fiber had about 453,000 broadband customers by the end of June 2016.

Google Fiber doesn’t break out its individual revenues, but it is part of “Other Bets,” the unit of Alphabet that includes Google Fiber and other longer-term “moonshot”  projects. Other bets ,generated Q2 revenues of $185 million, up from $74 million a year ago, while operating losses widened to $709 million, from $555 million.

Google Fiber said it has closed its acquisition of Webpass, a point-to-point wireless broadband service provider that serves portions of San Francisco, Oakland, San Diego, Miami, Chicago and Boston.

Google, which announced the deal in June, noted that its acquisition of a smaller affiliate, Webpass Telecommunications LLC, is expected to close later this year.

RELATED: Google Touts Potential for Wireless Broadband

“Going forward, Webpass will continue to grow and scale their business with point-to-point wireless technology, including expanding into new cities,” Dennis Kish, president of Google Fiber, said Monday in this blog post. “Google Fiber will continue to build out our portfolio of wireless and fiber technologies, to bring super fast Internet to more people, faster. In the meantime, there will be no changes for current Webpass or Google Fiber customers, who will continue to get the same great services they love.”

He reiterated that Google Fiber’s “strategy going forward will be a hybrid approach with wireless playing an integral part,” noting that point-to-point wireless has shown to be reliable way to deliver high-speed services in high density environments.

Google has asked the FCC for permission to move ahead with plans to trial wireless broadband in as many as 24 U.S. locations, including New York City, Chicago and Atlanta.

Of recent note on the wired side, Google Fiber has opened up the sign-up process in the North Carolina “Triangle” area, starting in Morrisville.

As expected, AT&T last week sued Nashville soon after the city awarded final approval to a “One Touch Make Ready” ordinance that Google Fiber claimed was necessary for it to accelerate its deployment there.

The suit (PDF via DSL Reports), filed September 22 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee Nashville Division, seeks declaratory and permanent injunctive relief to restrain the city from enforcing this new ordinance.

AT&T claims that the new rules conflict with and are is preempted by the pole attachment regulations of the FCC, and that the ordinance is invalid as a matter of Tennessee law because it conflicts with Metro Nashville’s Charter.  AT&T also held that the ordinance impairs AT&T’s existing contract with Metro Nashville, and that it would permit a third-party – Google Fiber, in this case, to temporarily seize AT&T’s property and possibly alter or relocate that property without AT&T’s consent.  

AT&T also argued that the ordinance would require the attacher to provide AT&T with 15 days prior notice of the attacher’s work. And if the attacher discovered that its work could cause a customer outage, AT&T would have 30 days to perform the necessary work, and possibly not give it enough time to avoid a service outage.

AT&T also argued that “even one instance of improper work on aerial facilities can easily cost AT&T more than $75,000.”

Per DSL Reports, Fluer Knowlsey, senior counsel of Alphabet’s Access group already expressed disappointment that AT&T had threatened to take the issue to court “in an effort to block Nashville’s efforts to increase broadband competition should the OTMR ordinance pass... In the event of OTMR litigation, Google Fiber will therefore be glad to share the capabilities of its in-house and outside attorneys, including some of the most experienced and accomplished regulatory attorneys in the industry."

In another victory for Google Fiber, Nashville’s Metro Council awarded final approval to a “One Touch Make Ready” rule that Google Fiber said was necessary for it to accelerate its deployment in the city.

Final approval came way Tuesday of a voice vote, according to The Tennessean, noting that Nashville Mayor Megan Barry is expected to sign the bill into law.

“One Touch Make Ready appears to be a common-sense way of speeding up the deployment of high-speed internet throughout Davidson County," Barry said in a statement, per the paper.

The city awarded preliminary approval to those utility pole reform rules earlier this month.

The final approval could set up a legal battle. Area incumbent AT&T has already threatened to file a lawsuit if the ordinance was given the green light and follow legal steps it has already taken in Louisville, Ky., after that city approved similar rules.

Both AT&T and Comcast were disappointed in the result in Nashville, with AT&T arguing to The Tennessean that there are better alternatives than the 'One-Touch' policy, while Comcast adding that it would weigh whether "further proceedings" were necessary.

In a blog posted earlier this month, Chris Levendos, director of national deployment and operations at Google Fiber, outlined the reasons behind Google Fiber’s “incredibly slow progress” there, claiming that that of the 88,000 poles required to attach Google Fiber for its rollout, more than 44,000 will require make ready work, but  just 33 of them have been made ready.

Google Fiber issued this statement following Tuesday’s vote:

"It’s a great day for Nashville. Congratulations to Nashville Metro Council and residents on passing Council Member Davis’ One Touch Make Ready ordinance on its third and final reading. This will allow new entrants like Google Fiber to bring broadband to more Nashvillians efficiently, safely and quickly. We look forward to continuing our work with NES and the local community."

Google Fiber has joined a growing number of distributors for HBO Now, the premium programmer’s direct-to-consumer OTT service that went live in April 2015, and is also integrating access to Spotify. 

Those OTT services are available to Google Fiber customers as add-ons to their current subscriptions, including Fiber 1000, Fiber 100 as well as Internet/pay TV combos, Google Fiber said. For customers who partake, those services will appear on their monthly bills.

Earlier today, HBO announced that its OTT offering would be coming to PlayStation 3 and PS4 consoles ahead of the October 2 premiere of Westworld.

Last month, Home Box Office chairman and CEO Richard Plepler said HBO Now had its strongest quarter yet, but didn’t reveal any new sub numbers. HBO Now ended 2015 with about 800,000 subs, and Jeff Bewkes, Time Warner Inc.’s CEO, said in March that the sub figure was approaching 1 million.

Others with HBO Now distribution pacts include PlayStation Vue, Frontier, Service  Electric Cablevision, Altice (Cablevision Systems), Apple, and Verizon, among others.

Google Fiber has upgraded the interface of its Fiber TV service that, it says, represents the biggest update it has made to that platform since its launch in 2012. 

In addition to a general new look and feel that aims to help viewers more easily navigate the lineup and discover content, the update also features a reorganized area for DVR recordings and the addition of Rotten Tomatoes ratings that are integrated with program descriptions.

Other enhancements include a new recommendations and search engine, and an improved “Smart Search” component that lets viewers find shows and movies by title, keywords, and the actor’s name, or even a sports team.

Google Fiber added Google Cast capabilities to Fiber TV earlier this year, and “there’s much more to come,” Lawrence Kim, product manager at Google Fiber, said in a blog post.

Fiber TV isn’t powered by Android TV, but the company is working on integrating the Android TV apps experience into the service, Multichannel News has learned.

Citing U.S. Copyright Office data, MoffetNathanson analyst Craig Moffett said Google Fiber ended Q2 2016 with 68,715 video subscribers, up 66.6% year-over-year, with Google Fiber responding that it is “very pleased” with its pay TV growth.

Google Fiber started the service sign-up process this week in Morrisville, N.C., the first stop in a broader rollout happening in the state’s “Triangle” region.

Google Fiber offers or is deploying  service in parts of Kansas City (Missouri and Kansas); Provo, Utah; Austin, Texas; Atlanta, Ga.; Charlotte; and Nashville, Tenn.; and is planning rollouts in San Antonio; San Francisco (already offered to some apartment buildings). It’s also exploring expansions into Los Angeles, San Diego, Irvine, San Jose, Louisville, Tampa, Jacksonville, Phoenix, Chicago, Dallas, and Portland (Oregon). 

Google Fiber announced on Twitter that it has opened up the sign-up process in the North Carolina “Triangle” area, starting in Morrisville.

Google Fiber’s build out in the area started to gear up last summer, as it identified locations for its “fiber huts,” including Raleigh, Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Durham, Morrisville, Cary, and Garner. AT&T and Charter Communications are among the incumbent providers in the area.

Google Fiber is kicking things off in Morrisville, a town located between Raleigh and Durham, because it’s the home of the provider’s “digital backbone,” Erik Garr, head of operations in the Triangle for Google Fiber, told TheNews & Observer.

Per Google Fiber’s apartment-finder tool, Treybrooke at the Park in Morrisville already has fiber installed.

RELATED: Google Fiber Gets Ready to Rally in Raleigh

In Morrisville, Google Fiber is offering qualified homes 1-gig standalone broadband for $70 per month, or 1-Gig plus pay TV starting at $140 per month, and a standalone 100 Mbps service for $50 per month. Subs can add phone for an additional $10 per month.

Google Fiber is pushing ahead with signups there amid rumors that its operations could be downsized and expansion plans reined back as it eyes potentially less expensive wireless alternatives.

MoffetNathanson analyst Craig Moffett, citing new data from the U.S. Copyright Office, said in a report last week that Google Fiber ended Q2 2016 with 68,715 video subscribers, up 66.6% year-over-year, along with an estimate that Google Fiber had about 453,000 broadband customers by the end of June 2016.

RELATED: Google Fiber Deals for Webpass 

In response, Google Fiber said it is pleased with the progress it’s making on the TV front and that it is continuing to expand into multiple cities.

Google Fiber said it is pleased with the progress it’s making on the TV front and that it is continuing to expand into multiple cities in response to an analyst report suggesting that the division is pulling back the reins because it’s not getting the desired results.

“We’re very pleased with Google Fiber TV sign-ups, which have been very strong,” a Google Fiber spokesperson said, in a statement. “In the past two months since this filing we opened new cities including Atlanta, Charlotte and Salt Lake City, so we expect the growth to continue.”

The statement comes amid a research note issued Thursday from MoffetNathanson analyst Craig Moffett citing new data from the U.S. Copyright Office that Google Fiber ended Q2 2016 with 68,715 video subscribers, up 66.6% year-over-year.  “For those keeping score at home, that’s a little less than seven one hundredths of one percent of the U.S. video market,” Moffett noted.

Those figures don’t include Google Fiber’s broadband subscribers, which are certainly much higher. Moffett estimated that Google Fiber had about 453,000 broadband customers by the end of June 2016.

The latest batch of U.S. Copyright Office data also does not account for any progress that Google Fiber has made in other markets that have recently gone live with the provider’s mix of broadband, phone and video services, including Atlanta, Charlotte and Salt Lake City.

In the meantime, Google Fiber has been waging a battle to speed up its ability to deploy. Last week, the city of Nashville awarded preliminary approval of so called “one touch make ready" utility pole reform rules that could help Google Fiber, which had argued that of the 88,000 poles required to attach Google Fiber for its rollout there, more than 44,000 will require make ready work, but a mere 33 of them have been made ready.

Google Fiber's slow pace to bring scale to its pay TV business is a clear indicator as to why Google Fiber has pulled back on plans to enter some new markets, MoffetNathanson analyst Craig Moffett concludes in a research report issued Thursday along with some fresh data.

Citing new data from the U.S. Copyright Office, Google Fiber ended Q2 2016 with 68,715 video subscribers. While that represented a growth rate of 66.6% year-over-year, the sub total is also a drop in the bucket of the pay TV market.

“For those keeping score at home, that’s a little less than seven one hundredths of one percent of the U.S. video market,” Moffett wrote.

Update: Google Fiber responded to the report by saying it's "very pleased" with the progress it’s making on the TV front and that it is continuing to expand into multiple cities such as Atlanta, Charlotte and Salt Lake City

Kansas City, Mo., is Google Fiber’s largest TV market, with 42,050, subs, followed by Kansas City, Kan. (21,038); Provo, Utah (2,597); and Austin, Texas (2,812). Moffett also estimates that it ended the period with a mere 218 video subs in Stanford, Calif.

Those numbers don’t factor in high-speed Internet subs. Based on a report in The Informationthat Google Fiber had 200,000 broadband subs at the end of 2014, Moffett estimates that, if video penetration and broadband remained constant at 15%, Google Fiber would have had about 453,000 broadband customers by the end of June 2016.

That represents “a little less than one half of 1% of total broadband subscribers in the U.S.,” Moffett wrote, while also pointing out that Google Fiber, at least in recent years, had been offering a “free” 5 Mbps service in exchange for a $300 installation fee.

“From the beginning, we’d heard that this offer accounted for a very large share of their business (a couple of years ago, competitive intelligence estimates from their competitors in Kansas City put the number at about a third of all connections),” the analyst said.

And if this “shockingly low video attach rate is correct” (Google Fiber has yet to supply sub numbers), then the unit’s “economics must have been even worse than we had imagined” and could explain a recent report that Alphabet, Google’s parent company, has been pulling back on plans to roll into new markets. 

The Information reported recently that Google Fiber is being pressured to cut back staff by half while it also looks into potentially less expensive, high performance wireless broadband technologies that might also help to accelerate the rate of service deployments. Google has not confirmed the report of staff cuts.

Given some friendly estimates and assumptions that all of Google Fiber’s subs also take broadband along with one-third getting the free Internet offering, Moffett sees Google Fiber’s annualized run rate, based on June 2016 numbers, at about $300 million in revenue – or 0.3% of Google’s overall business.

“It’s hard to argue with the idea that after nearly seven years of pushing a rock uphill, having just three tenths of one percent of your business to show for it might be a bit discouraging,” Moffett said .

Google Fiber doesn’t break out its individual revenues, but it is part of “Other Bets,” the unit of Alphabet that includes Google Fiber and other longer-term “moonshot”  projects. Other bets ,generated Q2 revenues of $185 million, up from $74 million a year ago, while operating losses widened to $709 million, from $555 million.

Moffett also cited data from the NTIA/FCC showing that Google Fiber passings declined in the second half of 2015.

While fresher data isn’t currently available there, [t]hat kind of deceleration is a clear surprise given the amount of press Google has gotten,” Moffett said.