Google Fiber begins construction in Round Rock

Round Rock Mayor Craig Morgan, in center of group, and other officials at a groundbreaking ceremony at Roundville Lane on Wednesday to celebrate the arrival of Google Fiber in the city.
Jay Janner/American-Statesman

Austin American-Statesman
Fernanda Figueroa, Austin American-Statesman
September 13, 2023

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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