Lightspeed Internet

Google Fiber is definitely maybe coming to Austin

Austin is definitely maybe getting Google Fiber. A big, fat "oopsies" coupled with a press release inviting media and city officials to a Tuesday morning press conference all but confirm that Austin is the first city behind Kansas City, Missouri (read: the second city in the world) to receive Google Fiber.

First, the big mistake that sent the internet into a tizzy: Engadget reported, and others confirmed, that a post titled "Google Fiber's next stop: Austin, Texas" was published to the Fiber site at 2 a.m. CST on Saturday. It's since disappeared.

Next, the press release for an unspecified event cohosted by Google and the City of Austin: Providing little more than a time and date, the press release doubled as an invitation for city VIPs, vaguely promising the announcement of something that "will have a positive impact on Austinites and the future of the city."

Every tech rag online is now putting the pieces together, clamoring to find confirmation of Google Fiber's next destination. Why? Because everyone wants it. What Google Fiber is, is the internet you've always dreamed of but never thought possible: 1000 Mb per second, "[Google Fiber] is 100 times faster than today's average internet, allowing you to get what you want instantaneously." And you can have it in your home.

In the event that news of the fastest internet currently available in the United States isn't enough to make you kiss your current provider goodbye, consider that Google Fiber in-home packages also encompass television options. Packages range from "Gigabit internet" only ($70 per month) to "Gigabit internet + TV" ($120), which allows up to 8 simultaneous DVR recordings and provides a terabyte of cloud storage and Nexus 7 remote (an Android tablet).

The fact that Austin lost out to Kansas City in 2011 to be the Fiber's official test bed is what makes Fiber's debut in Austin highly likely. Despite interested city officials and a grassroots campaign called BigGig Austin, Google's VP of access services, Milo Medin, explained the company ultimately chose Kansas City first because "the utility [in Kansas City] has all kinds of conduit in it that avoids us having to tear the streets open and a bunch of other stuff that really differentiates it from other places in the country.”

If Google Fiber is indeed what Google announces Tuesday morning, temper your excitement with patience. To get started, Google Fiber will begin by selecting neighborhoods where it will build out the Fiber network, then initiate construction and, finally, complete a two-fold installation process for each Fiber customer (one installation inside the home, one outside).

But as you know, good things come to those who wait. Stay tuned for updates on what Google Fiber will mean for the City of Austin.

unspecified

Self-driving Roller Coaster

More self-driving cars expected to roll out in Austin for 2025

Photo courtesy of Waymo via KVUE

Various brands offering self-driving cars are on-and-off in Austin.

Expect to see more self-driving rideshare vehicles, also known as robotaxis, on Austin roads next year.

Robotaxi company Waymo, which you may have already seen on Austin's roads, is partnering with Uber. At some point next year, customers will be able to use the Uber app to call a self-driving ride.

Austin-based company Avride is in the testing phase and plans to roll out its robotaxis next year.

Currently, Volkswagen ADMT and Amazon's Zoox are in the testing phase in Austin, while Hyundai's Motional is in the mapping phase.

Last year, robotaxi company Cruise paused operations in Austin after the California Department of Motor Vehicles revoked the company's permits to operate driverless vehicles in the state. And last week, General Motors said it would no longer fund the company because of the time and resources needed.

This way of getting around has come with its safety concerns and issues. The city is tracking those concerns. According to the Transportation Department, the problems span from blocking the roads and parking in front of people's homes for weeks with lights beaming through their windows, to actual wrecks.

Since July 2023, robotaxis have been involved in 75 incidents. Only 21 of those incidents happened in 2024. It's important to note that Cruise has not been operating in Austin this year.

Since July 2023, driverless rideshare vehicles have been involved in 22 near collisions, eight collisions and seven instances where driverless taxis ignored directions from the Austin Police Department (APD).

According to the data, at least four of those Austin police incidents happened in recent months. The issues varied from driving through police checkpoints, to malfunctioning and getting stuck at an APD road closure near pedestrians, causing safety concerns.

A Waymo spokesperson said their vehicles have gesture recognition capabilities, which they've been training APD officers on using.

As the report shows, sometimes it does not work and Waymo said it is working to improve that. The spokesperson said that as of just last week, Waymo's First Responder Program has been independently verified by TÜV SÜD, making Waymo the first autonomous vehicle (AV) company to receive third-party validation for our emergency response protocols. They also said the data to date indicates the Waymo Driver is already reducing traffic injuries and fatalities in the places where the company currently operates.

Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.

traffic self-driving cars innovation