tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67476217097574769712024-03-15T18:12:38.413-07:00Google Fiber BlogThe latest news from the Fiber teamGoogle Fiberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08137833201549488546noreply@blogger.comBlogger372125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6747621709757476971.post-4952325919785950192024-03-05T09:08:00.000-08:002024-03-05T11:17:09.638-08:00Now, everything’s really up-to-date in Kansas City - 8 Gig available in all GFiber KC service areas<div><br /></div><div>We’re launching 8 Gig in our largest and oldest market — the original Google Fiber metro — <a href="https://fiber.google.com/cities/kansascity/" target="_blank">Kansas City.</a> The city was recently <a href="https://www.startlandnews.com/2023/10/tech-hubs-kansas-city/" target="_blank">designated as one of the country’s 31 Tech Hubs</a> by the federal government, a move that recognized both the incredible assets and resources already in the area and the potential for innovation that that infrastructure represents. GFiber is proud to have been part of that growth and development over the past twelve years, helping to drive innovation and <a href="https://fiber.google.com/blog/2023/06/when-you-really-need-speed.html" target="_blank">testing the limits of speed as our first test site for 20 Gig. </a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz7XCl-kgLCYNWkEBnlfGsfU4BjMt-l9cVUxp5LC6AhzBTeZLSrRemt_giduu-5EbetM8hpkUIxuwVBE7cISNDIq7R8FojPJaoVu4SlIPnyBIZp7_kR2F_VewuLaeVfYy9HZtPIiQVz2gOXBzQCPN6Lb5MHyp8Wvlp2t2xZ1ieD7pptm5TKEU69tidrdeR/s1019/KC%20speed%20test.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Thumbnail" border="0" data-original-height="1019" data-original-width="674" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz7XCl-kgLCYNWkEBnlfGsfU4BjMt-l9cVUxp5LC6AhzBTeZLSrRemt_giduu-5EbetM8hpkUIxuwVBE7cISNDIq7R8FojPJaoVu4SlIPnyBIZp7_kR2F_VewuLaeVfYy9HZtPIiQVz2gOXBzQCPN6Lb5MHyp8Wvlp2t2xZ1ieD7pptm5TKEU69tidrdeR/s16000/KC%20speed%20test.jpg" title="Nick Saporito, Head of Product" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fiber.google.com/blog/2023/02/fall-in-love-with-fast-5-gig-is-here.html" target="_blank">KC was also one of the first GFiber cities to get our 5 Gig service.</a> We’ve been steadily rolling out our new multigig products in Google Fiber cities across the country since early last year. To do this, we’re updating our network in each city to XGS PON to ensure that we can meet our customers’ needs as they grow over time. We’re upgrading our network holistically across all our markets. </div><div><br /></div><div>Included in the monthly cost, 8 Gig customers get symmetrical upload and download speeds of up to 8000 Mbps (wired), along with the GFiber Wi-Fi 6E Router (which allows for up to 1600 Mbps over Wi-Fi) and up to two Mesh Extenders for strong whole home Wi-Fi coverage and, as always, unlimited data, professional installation, and access to GFiber’s highly rated 24/7 customer service. </div><div><br /></div><div>You may be wondering why it’s taken us about a year to bring 8 Gig to Kansas City when it was one of the <a href="https://fiber.google.com/blog/2023/02/fall-in-love-with-fast-5-gig-is-here.html" target="_blank">original cities to get 5 Gig in 2023 </a>while other cities have gotten 8 Gig sooner. KC is our largest market — so supporting 8 Gig speeds across our entire service area required us to touch infrastructure across every part of the Kansas City metro area. This is great news not just for our newest 8 Gig customers, but for all our KC customers (and in other cities too), because it means that GFiber’s network is set up to support rising demand for more speed for years to come.</div><div><br /></div><div>Kansas City has been on the forefront of internet speed since the very beginning, and it’s still very much on the fast track — sign up for 8 Gig <a href="https://fiber.google.com/cities/kansascity/">here!</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Posted by Nick Saporito, Head of Product</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXrfA3kKxTpPoe6LfCb-WLCWlbAKA-wr6jlavmDlFxSGKDgiZx4Ua7LnNm0fe7wP1LmJrfV_rFNcvGIZQhdc4cjUWw7xI4UzRWB1SQhu3SNm62kQrAYfuIIHTOMUMWCNwhmsv2er_7Gt4r0-oJPN4RBhrGEMnom72BtEjaJW5ME8MDoGp9ZcYm4wDbKf1d/s600/nick%20headshot%20(1).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXrfA3kKxTpPoe6LfCb-WLCWlbAKA-wr6jlavmDlFxSGKDgiZx4Ua7LnNm0fe7wP1LmJrfV_rFNcvGIZQhdc4cjUWw7xI4UzRWB1SQhu3SNm62kQrAYfuIIHTOMUMWCNwhmsv2er_7Gt4r0-oJPN4RBhrGEMnom72BtEjaJW5ME8MDoGp9ZcYm4wDbKf1d/w160-h160/nick%20headshot%20(1).jpeg" width="160" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Google Fiberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08137833201549488546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6747621709757476971.post-10376108122175713452024-03-01T11:22:00.000-08:002024-03-01T11:22:57.466-08:00Speed on Business-Trimming with Speed<div>Our small business blog series <u>Speed on Business</u> relaunches featuring Thomas Powell, owner of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/truskillsbarbershop?mibextid=qi2Omg" target="_blank">Tru Skills Barber Shop</a>, a barber shop/ clothing store (SnSlivelife) in Atlanta, who also owns a convenience store called The Village Bodega. He shared with us how access to fast reliable internet has improved service and impacted customer satisfaction in both of his businesses and helped him build on that success.</div><div><br /></div><div>At Tru Skills Barber Shop, we pride ourselves in putting smiles on every customer that walks through our doors. I opened the shop in 2017, inspired by the understanding and ideology that everyone should look and also feel the effects of a good haircut in a safe and professional environment.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXO1XQv_hqYJeum83koZt_rmlvrfU4gDroBEWl08EFZJAQJLIC4G4F2N-YrBxz_G50J2rx1xk_zOFQg4jdOFfaQ-65pZj50sOt-qeFOVZvK3dBWHSP7yCpO3fR7tD6lgkmOcGIDrL_b8A6QmFKWZLvCSENZ_9gMtXaPl4ODHXjWQOiV9Z21QCGFpufpYK9/s1079/Screenshot_20240216_114019_Instagram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Thumbnail" border="0" data-original-height="786" data-original-width="1079" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXO1XQv_hqYJeum83koZt_rmlvrfU4gDroBEWl08EFZJAQJLIC4G4F2N-YrBxz_G50J2rx1xk_zOFQg4jdOFfaQ-65pZj50sOt-qeFOVZvK3dBWHSP7yCpO3fR7tD6lgkmOcGIDrL_b8A6QmFKWZLvCSENZ_9gMtXaPl4ODHXjWQOiV9Z21QCGFpufpYK9/s16000/Screenshot_20240216_114019_Instagram.jpg" title="Thomas Powell, Owner & Designer Tru Skills Barber Shop" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>We are located in the Buckhead Optimist Lofts in downtown Atlanta- ready to serve customers with the best hair cuts, hairstyles and our urban motivational wear clothing and accessories. </div><div><br /></div><div>Our experienced professional barbers/ stylist engage in detailed discussions to understand your hair goals, preferences, and the look you’re aiming for. Then using a combination of skills, top tier products and styling tools create amazing haircuts and hairstyles. Our customers always feel valued and satisfied as their hair is transformed into an art form- at the end of the appointment. </div><div> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4_G66xuk_u0mxp2T_9HmEDuUq9lCNV1yIvsyY9v9y9w8OmiiLpm5qW4nm3iSVgKOoWTX4ezCsAEsxlg89w9UymxZav737Z5RPEwgseEtwK9y39_bTkoEvwJU3cpLyof6uHrumO0MvagFB1__O-Y95gijZuwt4bX_aBSIwIywtOcpdJHfNaTOTZq4YRkVb/s1079/Screenshot_20240216_113653_Instagram%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1077" data-original-width="1079" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4_G66xuk_u0mxp2T_9HmEDuUq9lCNV1yIvsyY9v9y9w8OmiiLpm5qW4nm3iSVgKOoWTX4ezCsAEsxlg89w9UymxZav737Z5RPEwgseEtwK9y39_bTkoEvwJU3cpLyof6uHrumO0MvagFB1__O-Y95gijZuwt4bX_aBSIwIywtOcpdJHfNaTOTZq4YRkVb/s16000/Screenshot_20240216_113653_Instagram%20(1).jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Barber shops historically serve a unique social function for community gathering, conversations and camaraderie in the black community. We showcase and sell our SnSLivelife urban wear products at the shop and host events such as podcast interviews to discuss important topics that benefit the community. The motivational clothing brand was initially curated in 2003 to promote the importance of taking struggles and creating a strong powerful life. The two businesses go hand in hand- creating a one stop shop to look and feel good.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyCVDl_5eSatphSd74eJbbThk5Hm9a_L2AJSVM99Vh0YUAZ_aI4yzU1R4djwIaVExL4XIQ0tYBEQWEk3RD0gcXuuyDSLMwdD0_0RKGkcMiwkU_9O3UUrRXwgBTqtLZiMrHdYZv9H-rkRUThTiriRyYpiMatJF4QSe-l3h3nNtAjzdrDRogGTQh4FtqA8kS/s1319/Screenshot_20240216_113931_Instagram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1319" data-original-width="1052" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyCVDl_5eSatphSd74eJbbThk5Hm9a_L2AJSVM99Vh0YUAZ_aI4yzU1R4djwIaVExL4XIQ0tYBEQWEk3RD0gcXuuyDSLMwdD0_0RKGkcMiwkU_9O3UUrRXwgBTqtLZiMrHdYZv9H-rkRUThTiriRyYpiMatJF4QSe-l3h3nNtAjzdrDRogGTQh4FtqA8kS/s16000/Screenshot_20240216_113931_Instagram.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div>An important factor to achieving all this, is having reliable internet. I switched over to Google Fiber four years ago, as soon service was available in my area- and I have been with them ever since. Prior to switching over to GFiber, I experienced issues with download speed and Wi-Fi latency with the internet service I previously had in the shop.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, with GFiber internet, booking appointments has been seamless. Customers can easily schedule their preferred time slots with no delay. Credit card transactions are processed swiftly, making the payment process smoother and more efficient. We often have several customers come in for appointments at the same time, and they can all enjoy uninterrupted streaming of their favorite shows or music on their devices or on our tv monitors during their appointments. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMBox3PZN7Pgv4pED2QVu84QOJjyutbCmFoCmBRBcB4eDFHgPs3IxLrZIYP448IMnSG6sXP7vQDMXMlrjyN8PqZ9brf-TultOzfB3bQbpU4lQOSRys-A-VeaAxDuIXkcO8GReoiXDSBl9MWWrZtR7kdOg7YrSWCHGXUqd9PR7p-ZpeK2HaQNL0-GuIzbFZ/s1081/Screenshot_20240216_113945_Instagram%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1081" data-original-width="1079" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMBox3PZN7Pgv4pED2QVu84QOJjyutbCmFoCmBRBcB4eDFHgPs3IxLrZIYP448IMnSG6sXP7vQDMXMlrjyN8PqZ9brf-TultOzfB3bQbpU4lQOSRys-A-VeaAxDuIXkcO8GReoiXDSBl9MWWrZtR7kdOg7YrSWCHGXUqd9PR7p-ZpeK2HaQNL0-GuIzbFZ/s16000/Screenshot_20240216_113945_Instagram%20(1).jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Having reliable and fast internet has been a game-changer for us. The speed and reliability we’ve experienced have not only enhanced our operational efficiency but have also elevated the overall customer experience. Customers give us great reviews for having a premium grooming and shopping experience from start to finish, and our internet is an integral part of that experience.</div><div><br /></div><div>So come on out and visit us anytime you are in the Atlanta metro area. In fact, if you bring this blog, you can get 10 percent off our products and services this month.</div><div><br /></div><div>Posted by, Thomas Powell, Owner & Designer at Tru Skills Barber Shop/ SnS Live Life Clothing</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIxKi8Ph6jEFoG83S9a7uY4AoTU7_8q3gEz6BW_15W1zw1ddmMqeLA_kvWgl2vNlYzBEEDWJ0Kszd6i5lNqPc4SXCDGqwKnld6dfIpxzpdcb_vuLaSB0O-3lXRIclsBbLKM0k56cHaS3iKYNCUpAACvgKeD5AukxSch4cSRQM8IHO105n3CGdn-ae7OyVw/s419/IMG_0279.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="364" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIxKi8Ph6jEFoG83S9a7uY4AoTU7_8q3gEz6BW_15W1zw1ddmMqeLA_kvWgl2vNlYzBEEDWJ0Kszd6i5lNqPc4SXCDGqwKnld6dfIpxzpdcb_vuLaSB0O-3lXRIclsBbLKM0k56cHaS3iKYNCUpAACvgKeD5AukxSch4cSRQM8IHO105n3CGdn-ae7OyVw/w170-h196/IMG_0279.jpg" width="170" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Google Fiberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08137833201549488546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6747621709757476971.post-79672451786951368342024-02-21T04:31:00.000-08:002024-02-21T04:31:19.885-08:00GFiber coming to Missouri's Capital<div>Google Fiber has deep roots in the Show Me State — we expanded across the border from Kansas City, Kansas, over a decade ago and currently serve many municipalities on both sides of the border. And we’re deepening our Missouri roots even further. Last night, the City of Jefferson City Council approved a right-of-way license agreement, allowing GFiber to begin construction of a fiber optic network in the city.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrWfVhWfpQpQtuxSh61AqIMqf8x6dRQ_J-t-4V0yFp4w5aCuy27WvtUcyOVR6LkYg5A_HYNQv2Oylw-BvCqxqnk1W5GgGhePMsp5XqOXu9cRQfccquOuEaBI7JxMB6ry1Dkm6ATWkVvKxNtoPpFVEyADsK-YgKSaQ38MOWiZAhQaBg1Gue6skbfzFP5kf/s3848/shutterstock_1901321050.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Thumbnail" border="0" data-original-height="2022" data-original-width="3848" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrWfVhWfpQpQtuxSh61AqIMqf8x6dRQ_J-t-4V0yFp4w5aCuy27WvtUcyOVR6LkYg5A_HYNQv2Oylw-BvCqxqnk1W5GgGhePMsp5XqOXu9cRQfccquOuEaBI7JxMB6ry1Dkm6ATWkVvKxNtoPpFVEyADsK-YgKSaQ38MOWiZAhQaBg1Gue6skbfzFP5kf/w640-h336/shutterstock_1901321050.jpg" title="Rachel Merlo, Head of Government & Community Affairs, Central Region" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Jeff City has been laser focused on giving their residents more choice when it comes to fast, reliable internet, and GFiber is very excited to be a part of their vision for a connected future.</div><div><br /></div><div>The first step in this process is engineering and permitting, and we’ll be getting to work on both of these tasks immediately. We plan to begin construction later this year, with the intention of connecting our first customers in Missouri’s capital city in 2025. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuGfzB9hWRpwfcZhgPcLEeJQgA_miJP2zhi6k5914Ir2ZMzIsV9DLgamqk_LG3ZjR35O4e8t8wdmrCy2QkpA5K8ghU-zo8lLeCQRwEJ4GSVj2OYG8GQNxDeCCqT51bGLmuiCZEr72dy0nqzsWwnPiQhpfXxUQDJ4ZxM1xmZJgjMtpejSYtU4pWt7mJmcv1/s4000/20240220_193241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuGfzB9hWRpwfcZhgPcLEeJQgA_miJP2zhi6k5914Ir2ZMzIsV9DLgamqk_LG3ZjR35O4e8t8wdmrCy2QkpA5K8ghU-zo8lLeCQRwEJ4GSVj2OYG8GQNxDeCCqT51bGLmuiCZEr72dy0nqzsWwnPiQhpfXxUQDJ4ZxM1xmZJgjMtpejSYtU4pWt7mJmcv1/w400-h300/20240220_193241.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Jefferson City is GFiber’s first city in Central Missouri, and we plan to hire a small dedicated team to help serve our customers here. If you want to stay up to date on our progress and product availability, sign up <a href="https://fiber.google.com/cities/jeffersoncity/" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Posted by Rachel Merlo, Head of Government & Community Affairs, Central Region</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidy4mbxi0fhQ_enOJxNNb6gYQVR0umEPKPujPJK3ncg7X4ZGGKMtMaP88T0q64eKAwo8Hy_fiyRRLKxdSp3sW-0YWNt5kDAoruawvQNf21Cb5_ri1H-Z_-KZ0kR5Yf1wrMAYHLGE-KT-D0h9vpkMFLH8LNGdhGTORvlvQ8dsyVPgnSYQJjHhQw4S-MfNPP/s3265/rachel%20merlo.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="3265" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidy4mbxi0fhQ_enOJxNNb6gYQVR0umEPKPujPJK3ncg7X4ZGGKMtMaP88T0q64eKAwo8Hy_fiyRRLKxdSp3sW-0YWNt5kDAoruawvQNf21Cb5_ri1H-Z_-KZ0kR5Yf1wrMAYHLGE-KT-D0h9vpkMFLH8LNGdhGTORvlvQ8dsyVPgnSYQJjHhQw4S-MfNPP/w154-h154/rachel%20merlo.jpeg" width="154" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Google Fiberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08137833201549488546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6747621709757476971.post-37776760068088314052024-02-15T12:04:00.000-08:002024-02-15T12:10:27.903-08:00Speaking out for Digital Inclusion at Net Inclusion Conference 2024 <div><br /></div><div>Access to high-speed internet is a necessity, yet not everyone has equal access to the digital world. This week, over 1300 energized and engaged practitioners, policy makers, academics and activists came together at the <a href="https://www.digitalinclusion.org/" target="_blank">National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA)’s </a>annual <a href="https://www.digitalinclusion.org/net-inclusion-2024/" target="_blank">Net Inclusion Conference</a> in Philadelphia, PA. The conference brings together experts from the broadband and technology industry, along with national, state, and local digital equity leaders to share ideas, best practices and to champion the fight for digital inclusion. </div><div><br /></div><div>GFiber has been an active participant in this conference since early days. NDIA supports community programs and engages with policymakers on key issues around digital equity, which mirrors our efforts in each of the cities we serve.</div><div><br /></div><div>GFiber’s Policy and Government and Community Affairs teams, represented by Ariane Schaffer (NY), Ryun Jackson (TN), John-Michael Cortez (TX), were on site in Philly, taking part in the broader conversation on the many issues that influence digital equity in our country. Additionally, Ariane shared her expertise on a panel centered around protecting broadband consumers with a strong focus on ensuring customers can understand what their internet service includes. It’s a top priority for us, which is why we launched <a href="https://fiber.googleblog.com/2023/10/is-your-internet-high-fiber-nutrition.html" target="_blank">Consumer Broadband Nutrition Labels</a> even before the FCC’s deadline. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizmalLNYfv0bCZxWlOaqPENeQEo4rrkRI0ioPnXUPRZKet9doTnPM5tIsWD5HVatVNuhtMp4OCBnJmxltB5SBotFSGu03hVabGSpyxyGSBrz5BAlmldNVRSqpCcENFcg9LTYxynaGxoQJOTsbEjtmFUyQkW5NBD0pg6umj1XQYAUfD6G9L2d6BFMLbOS6Y/s1510/Screenshot%202024-02-15%202.06.59%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Thumbnail" border="0" data-original-height="832" data-original-width="1510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizmalLNYfv0bCZxWlOaqPENeQEo4rrkRI0ioPnXUPRZKet9doTnPM5tIsWD5HVatVNuhtMp4OCBnJmxltB5SBotFSGu03hVabGSpyxyGSBrz5BAlmldNVRSqpCcENFcg9LTYxynaGxoQJOTsbEjtmFUyQkW5NBD0pg6umj1XQYAUfD6G9L2d6BFMLbOS6Y/s16000/Screenshot%202024-02-15%202.06.59%20PM.png" title="Policy & Government Affairs Team" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The growth in attendance of the conference was very visible this year. A diverse number of people were in-house from across all 50 states and several US territories. This diversity was also reflected in the jammed packed conference sessions, where various interesting discussions took place- such as one led by <a href="https://nacdd.org/" target="_blank">National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD )</a>, which brought to the forefront the aspect of digital equity and inclusion and what that looks like for the developmental disabilities community.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkxrR-R1EJcTg4Xu6oHVH_jtOgbMJj4_i5xf2B7k_4yMD_yP1dmZmYRL9kQMKw8HNtghZ8RZxNGoPKeE36d7RDXLmA9IMkt69w_Nm8SteRnzk6KonaIhWyJ1LL2V7BjapAsSslbBjNKcB0TecnGY_NZaJziPkxrXK_VZmhCRg7b0Bq1wwxcIfmZogAQ2NM/s4080/PXL_20240213_141928875.MP~2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkxrR-R1EJcTg4Xu6oHVH_jtOgbMJj4_i5xf2B7k_4yMD_yP1dmZmYRL9kQMKw8HNtghZ8RZxNGoPKeE36d7RDXLmA9IMkt69w_Nm8SteRnzk6KonaIhWyJ1LL2V7BjapAsSslbBjNKcB0TecnGY_NZaJziPkxrXK_VZmhCRg7b0Bq1wwxcIfmZogAQ2NM/s16000/PXL_20240213_141928875.MP~2.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>But the most pressing topic of conversation in Philadelphia (and for those of us working towards digital equity across the country) is the <a href="https://fiber.googleblog.com/2023/09/300-meg-internet-service-is-now.html" target="_blank">Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP)</a>, which is due to run out of funding in April this year. </div><div><br /></div><div>ACP is the largest internet affordability program in our nation’s history and is already helping over 23 million households across the country save up to $30 each per month on their monthly internet bills, and up to $75 for tribal households. It has been highly successful in helping families afford the internet they need to get and stay online, allowing them to connect to key opportunities in education, employment, healthcare and community empowerment. You can help protect this vital program. Email or call your representatives in Congress to ask them to please provide more funding for the ACP program by supporting the Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act of 2024. You can visit <a href="http://USA.gov/elected-officials">USA.gov/elected-officials</a> to find your representatives in Congress.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Net Inclusion Conference underscored the importance of internet access, adoption, education and application; key elements of digital inclusion. Digital equity remains a persistent challenge, and it will take a cross-sector approach to solve it. We will continue to collaborate and build partnerships with the government and various organizations- supporting the work for digital equality and a better connected world.</div><div><br /></div><div>Posted By, </div><div><div>Ariane Schaffer, Public Policy & Government Affairs Manager</div><div>Ryun Jackson, Regional Government & Community Affairs Manager </div><div>John-Michael Cortez, Regional Government & Community Affairs Manager</div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJB_vrZRybX2Lx8w64U7zClPEyVdNCTGg2zpshTZrOZrGOd6wSwz_ilukN71gXNqofGsaKz3lVU__NDzX1CNqkg7u85y-R-mUELEdpyf1ipNara_72QtoF8DByd2M_LPW6y5bpf11ak78VvsF27so4EHDIwULG1uToqhA0RmuSubxFxgL_kEm_VGd8z5nZ/s2482/PXL_20240213_220139266.MP~2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2482" data-original-width="2482" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJB_vrZRybX2Lx8w64U7zClPEyVdNCTGg2zpshTZrOZrGOd6wSwz_ilukN71gXNqofGsaKz3lVU__NDzX1CNqkg7u85y-R-mUELEdpyf1ipNara_72QtoF8DByd2M_LPW6y5bpf11ak78VvsF27so4EHDIwULG1uToqhA0RmuSubxFxgL_kEm_VGd8z5nZ/w181-h181/PXL_20240213_220139266.MP~2.jpg" width="181" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Google Fiberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08137833201549488546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6747621709757476971.post-61154675859644721162024-02-06T10:33:00.000-08:002024-02-08T10:05:35.419-08:00Nevada is on the boardGoogle Fiber is coming to Nevada! Earlier today, the Clark County Commission approved a franchise agreement with GFiber, which will allow us to bring fast, reliable internet to our first community in the Silver State.<br /><br />
<img src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/ErnMhqWx9BO7DF4KFBFkN2S8sEirpEjRitHUzVbvOB6sjj4RKZpg22rh4ao_uPaOjQYTCTnRjytNtI0TlCK-lID-1iM2zSl4mv56rc5h4T0CfYRpy71mkMMhECvcufuYfNzNKuPz4ejEvjqegYo7A7IjkKu0lJTJuo3O6zyyFG4WVwfIg4H57EPaIN2SYkuFqA4rkkIsOBZhiD5PG8cOWxpMpPevllwy8L6gdg=s1600" />
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With this announcement, we have active projects underway in all <a href="https://fiber.google.com/blog/2022/08/whats-next-for-google-fiber.html">five of the states we set our sights on back in August 2022</a>. Clark County covers much of the Las Vegas metro area, and is just the first of GFiber’s projects in the area. We’re already working on engineering planning in Clark County, and construction will get underway towards the end of this year with the goal of serving our first customers by mid-2025.
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If you are in the Las Vegas metro area and want to keep up with what’s happening in Clark County and beyond, you can <a href="https://fiber.google.com/cities/clarkcounty/">sign up here</a> for updates on construction and service availability. We’re betting big in Nevada.
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Posted by Ashley Church, West Region General Manager
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTHt0Zcg_B7jRVr1SxHnnFrmpI84Zv6-sSXpD34eBXho7AzjD_3S3jhfNmru1LNlVJgWraAiHXt52_Pz7RfnwSRyLQx6Ex5fpIt5gJ4EP8va1iyqtuvq9VCuTo503ixIftiTfvc7kFWHeIr6npG1ijvZ9P1pMOwj5sWFznHzgVEfdTuXN8-jBULkCbmzZE/w155-h155/ashley%20church.png" />Google Fiberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08137833201549488546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6747621709757476971.post-66354959506357600872024-01-30T08:11:00.000-08:002024-02-08T11:04:13.602-08:00 KC Digital Drive – Digital Dignity and More Choices for Underserved Residents in Kansas City <span id="docs-internal-guid-a15154cc-7fff-efac-a3ea-ce25f4908910"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Google Fiber partners with organizations working to make digital equity a reality in the communities we serve. </span><a href="https://www.kcdigitaldrive.org/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">KC Digital Drive</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> was mobilized to combat the digital divide for underserved residents in Kansas City. Brynna Darley of KC Digital Drive shares the organization’s work towards the region’s digital transformation with an emphasis on digital choice and dignity, as well as support broadband connectivity and digital inclusion.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-5d423fc5-7fff-215a-91d7-a43643a5231b"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 720px; overflow: hidden; width: 540px;"><img alt="Thumbnail" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/iLwK6251SmTBU7qzi4eJE4eG1qtvMp8F6hBvDIMSZt4oxsUUEiAgVJeWRHXhJfu5_JvfE5Tl4iVS0CzGOg1wuERCPpXFA4ugF7CbHzr0IASC_dYDv0k-Du_OMteCqe_bq4BE_X-hU7MjolouM-6ytGMEzFyOWInRBmL9tFBWVgWAxbvOctsxED7vUK-wkJBOHJfSaDTKGUTQsjYAhnK8L7ZLbVhyVtMvRZeP6dZs=s16000" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" title="Brynna Darley, State Digital Inclusion Coordinator" /></span></span></span></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.kcdigitaldrive.org/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">KC Digital Drive</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> is an organization that focuses on civic engagement in digital inclusion and emerging technology. To do so, we offer several programs to help combat the digital divide in the bi-state Kansas City region. We leverage the talents and resources available to us in the surrounding community. Notably, the last two years of our collaboration with Google Fiber found us on the receiving end of 400 Chromecasts.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><div><span id="docs-internal-guid-0bb858eb-7fff-4e74-52c6-3786ef767d5a"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 468px; overflow: hidden; width: 624px;"><img height="468" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/iU2Qlh3V6wwkwpEb9ObNZZE_o2miHXBiES57TXBWiJdD-0LC2zM7Q6inviyre8cKKu7ARy1DaN5aNb1dUzA19pIMuRYPxYh3PSPOplnErsnDe_iHsQkUSDBBJGhZguxpq6TD-aBVX0UtVQbW680i1O2TlDbpx-Vq4e_K4tWb20OtP9Li9UBCF2totZJxZxLu1nVJBz1DwfrGbXm1Mc6uhPE3vFEnynkKpOSPVutr" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="624" /></span></span></span></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Wanting to make the best of this opportunity, Peter Smith, an </span><a href="https://americorps.gov/serve/americorps/americorps-vista" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">AmeriCorps Vista </span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">member working with KC Digital Drive, got creative and developed a new educational workshop that illustrated the power of switching from cable TV to streaming services (like added flexibility and more money in your pocket each month). He developed a curriculum and connected with partner organizations to assess the demand for this new </span><a href="https://www.kcdigitaldrive.org/project/cord-cutting-workshops/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Cut the Cord (CTC) Workshop</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-eda07f76-7fff-40a5-aa6c-cf7c3f2dcdf7"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 468px; overflow: hidden; width: 624px;"><img height="468" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/LJ2vU1iLgKT1DI6H_CRnWZ9CB3npXYVuvN9Xjjp4_O9O7pd9zsHGbqCdJNGzGH-MkEzttQHM3EbDfOpbxu0sOC5EwTz1S0DDIwG_hrpRbN-uNG7OhH_JnEzey8RcsWdEfoEAWBE5Ub790NmgeBspaML5Sfo7dgvcF3yIAWzjodJruw4l3e9kmCtYcRAv2wU61dGn2eEKAzJFZVrZwQNd8WuvnZhDWyW2G_zNURYm" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="624" /></span></span></span></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Each one-hour session focuses on: </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Setting up and using Chromecast </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Navigating the streaming landscape of free and paid services </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Finding reliable home internet at speeds suitable for their streaming needs</span></p></li></ul><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Since introducing this curriculum in April of 2023, we’ve distributed more than 325 Chromecasts donated by </span><a href="https://fiber.google.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">GFiber</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, across 19 events with nine different partner organizations, including </span><a href="https://www.phoenixfamily.org/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Phoenix Family</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><a href="https://www.bftaa.org/new/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Black Family Technology Awareness Association</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, and </span><a href="https://www.jfskc.org/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Jewish Family Services</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In October of last year, we integrated the workshops into our class schedule at the </span><a href="https://www.kcdigitaldrive.org/project/dsslampcampus/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Digital Services and Support Center at the LAMP campus</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> — a digital commons for training and support in Kansas City historic east side that serves low-income neighborhoods and residents. </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">One workshop attendee, Rodolfo ‘Rudy’ Mesa, is a perfect example of how transformative one device can be. Mesa is 82 years old, living in Kansas City but originally from Wyoming. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Living on a fixed income, cable is a cost just like anything else, like a cellphone,” he said. He learned about our Cut the Cord workshops through outreach from our Digital Skills Trainer, Carol Meyers. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Mesa shared that being a nerdy type of guy, access to streaming content and entertainment with his new Chromecast allows him to explore interests of history, nature, civilization, different animals and people, and the planet and science. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We have been so pleased to see the demand for these workshops grow as our partners and community engage with options that boost equity and understanding of the technology and digital skills that fuel such a big part of daily life. We know that cable subscriptions can be expensive, and we are delighted to see these free devices help hundreds of households save money each month. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">To learn more about Cut the Cord workshop and the digital inclusion ecosystem in Kansas City, subscribe to our </span><a href="https://kcdigitaldrive.us8.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=81f7c3382e0597d1779e57694&id=759d574555" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Kansas City Regional Digital Inclusion Newsletter</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> and visit us online at </span><a href="https://www.kcdigitaldrive.org/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">kcdigitaldrive.org</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. </span></p><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Posted by </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Brynna Darley, State Digital Inclusion Coordinator</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRHUGg5weqrFiyYdYtJ_3oYknzSfxctVaatr4itkXQ6KgFmCh8ZsKUC8XtHpi5_tGmg0n3CjT0FErY5XZw5Vbs_Uta-wR0jUpkGtAPiHdbY77P-kAKB3VkdqdHFlg_c9OQhD3zzu4ysiqWgsoXpoFFXZI6wOdcZnho_g4KX0LLAg7iDXgrOCyQtmHIwq7Y/s800/Brynna%20Darley%20headshot%20(1).jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRHUGg5weqrFiyYdYtJ_3oYknzSfxctVaatr4itkXQ6KgFmCh8ZsKUC8XtHpi5_tGmg0n3CjT0FErY5XZw5Vbs_Uta-wR0jUpkGtAPiHdbY77P-kAKB3VkdqdHFlg_c9OQhD3zzu4ysiqWgsoXpoFFXZI6wOdcZnho_g4KX0LLAg7iDXgrOCyQtmHIwq7Y/w174-h174/Brynna%20Darley%20headshot%20(1).jpeg" width="174" /></a></div><br /><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 10pt 0pt 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 10pt 0pt 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 10pt 0pt 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 10pt 0pt 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Want more content like this in your inbox? </span><a href="https://services.google.com/fb/forms/gfiberblog/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Subscribe to get the GFiber blog</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> in your email.</span></p><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Google Fiberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08137833201549488546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6747621709757476971.post-62531568007217564292024-01-23T09:58:00.000-08:002024-02-08T11:06:03.920-08:00CES 2024: Wi-Fi 7 and the future of connectivityThe dust is settling from the recent <a href="https://www.ces.tech/">Consumer Electronics Show (CES)</a> in Las Vegas, but one thing is clear: the dawn of Wi-Fi 7 is here. <a href="https://www.wi-fi.org/discover-wi-fi/wi-fi-certified-7">The Wi-Fi Alliance officially certified the Wi-Fi 7 standards </a>on January 8th, marking a pivotal moment in the journey toward bringing this faster, more reliable wireless technology to market. Most of our lives depend on Wi-Fi every day — the technology allows our home devices to connect with the internet, giving us access to information, entertainment, education and so much more. That is why the advancement in Wi-Fi technology is important, for it impacts our connectivity experience. <br /><br /><img alt="Thumbnail" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlDI2wp7N3yzkHXhFgg8KY-4b8LED-mr9I7lDf36QfNF_mL0jlTeh-TwB9-ddoenz73F5hOE0M5ti1VJrl44vyal6YkT0VSxP62QIRKUqbdHAgjz35E8m_Tz0karsZTtnS4Ixqh3yGa4NfDxMkQNSoElsteTTho_D3TjAIzQGTc0BIpdGN4D7u4wl9HoEJ/s16000/1000000071.jpg" title="Ishan Patel, Product Manager" /><br /><br />This news of the next generation of Wi-Fi definitely made waves at CES 2024. The event buzzed with announcements of lots of new devices that support Wi-Fi 7 — from smartphones, to smart home devices, to more innovative devices — the industry has begun gearing up to embrace the power of Wi-Fi 7. Google Fiber is no exception — we’re excited about the Wi-Fi Alliance’s certification of Wi-Fi 7 because it opens the door to even more multi-gig speeds and reduced latency over Wi-Fi networks. <br /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVP9vZ3LCd1CcVcJI2_Ww0JE2H3EPGbwKBpFBnySwpXZgA7TZl7eEk02fKNxBW0i9fAJw71Y5VWbrKiBjXUljyDVbTScZlI6_BsmjPEUUVG6KaqLxm3UQctLcekOIJK_Sr3qli4vGYNv-yi2wFi7sVwB6J3iIA1r6yLgzg1pTSpycYYIaZBUSDJR8E3FaZ/s16000/GFiber_Web_Illustration_Wifi7MLO_1920x1080-01.jpg" /><br /><br />The biggest innovation with Wi-Fi 7 is Multi-Link Operation (MLO), which allows packets to be sent over multiple frequencies simultaneously. Prior generations of Wi-Fi only used one frequency band at a time.This means that one device which supports Wi-Fi 7 can talk to an access point over multiple radios and frequency bands at the same time. <br /><br />Wi-Fi 7 devices can select from either a 2.4, 5, or 6 GHz band and are able to choose the Wi-Fi band that offers the most efficient and reliable path to the router. The result is lower latency and improved reliability, resulting in a better experience for internet users.<br /><br />We know that great wireless internet is key to our customers’ in-home experience, so we spend a lot of time working on making it better (even when it’s already good). In 2023, we deployed Wi-Fi 6E routers with <a href="https://support.google.com/fiber/answer/14201517?hl=en">tri-band connectivity</a>, built to handle more devices with fewer slowdowns. <br /><br />Our focus and commitment to delivering speed to the home and in the home is exactly why we’re including a Wi-Fi 7 router for <a href="https://fiber.google.com/blog/2023/10/gfiber-labs-announces-first-project-20.html">GFiber Labs 20 Gig customers</a>. Wi-Fi 7 is a longer-term solution, if you’re thinking about purchasing a new smartphone, TV, tablet, computer, or other devices in 2024, you may want to consider whether they are Wi-Fi 7 compatible. You can have the latest high-powered router but the compatibility of your Wi-Fi devices also impacts your online experience. Our <a href="https://support-content-draft.corp.google.com/fiber/answer/14175387#zippy=">device guide</a> can help determine Wi-Fi compatibility for your devices.<br /><br />CES exhibitors unveiled cool new devices and products that support Wi-Fi 7 and are coming soon. Dell introduced two new laptops —<a href="https://www.dell.com/en-us/blog/dells-new-xps-lineup-futuristic-design-with-built-in-ai/"> the Dell XPS 16 laptop</a> and the <a href="https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/cty/pdp/spd/alienware-m16-r2-laptop">Dell Alienware M15 R2</a> gaming laptop, which are expected to be released in Q1 '24. Samsung <a href="https://www.lifewire.com/samsung-galaxy-s24-line-with-wi-fi-7-8426902">announced</a> its Galaxy S24 Ultra smartphone, and Acer announced a new gaming router; the Wi-Fi 7 <a href="https://www.acer.com/us-en/predator/networking/5g/predator-connect-x7-5g-cpe">Predator Connect X7 5G CPE</a>, which offers dual connectivity (an ethernet network and 5G service). <br /><br />Wi-Fi Alliance’s certification of Wi-Fi 7 ushers in a host of new possibilities, and GFiber is committed to making sure that our customers can harness the speed of their internet. Expect more from us soon to help make your in-home internet even faster.<br /><br />Posted by Ishan Patel, Product Manager<br /><br /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh4cG7G0zU_GbmZ1touBifyoQf-5HlDpBohQ3BRxkjQ3KnMM-DBplaww1TYorsJMHaWj5vAnvIpjb-ldMMjKA0zOgEPR1QJ8i1C78gtMRfNs7w5pzRDe2JwPZCjbmWP27uUjnTpAswtoS3NJayavOfbtwApvHwZpulQtY_Mhjeb4CJx8Q4lw0hvJI6ZVcN/w143-h142/Ishan%20Patel%201.png" /><br /><br />Want more content like this in your inbox? <a href="https://services.google.com/fb/forms/gfiberblog/">Subscribe to get the GFiber blog</a> in your email.<br /><br />Google Fiberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08137833201549488546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6747621709757476971.post-35301331575222714142024-01-12T10:45:00.000-08:002024-01-12T12:04:33.370-08:00MLK Day and the pursuit of equitable internet access<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As Martin Luther King Jr. Day approaches, we are reminded of the ongoing pursuit for equity, justice, and the civil rights leader’s legacy and vision of a world with equal access to opportunities. Google Fiber aspires to be a part of this dream, by helping to bridge the digital divide and foster inclusivity in our increasingly connected world. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Everyone deserves fast, reliable internet at an accessible price, and the ability to put that internet connection to use - to connect to opportunity. We’re grateful to work with many organizations across the country that put that principle to work every day, helping their clients and constituents get more out of their lives, both online and beyond. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLCdel6xPsXFSamHua_H-Q0ptpowK-_Hqq3Gsdk8PzsqK9EGJiEa65u6SlFm8E3jsvDgePOco9_PzGMstlYnnehRpN221OH1YV0q47Cp7BA_tl8iDfruGAm0XpwQn6pk3poCrfnsZCb6FOhpliBrVqVWd5nSocAXTEUWAJMKZLVdMXNmYqEuRRoSqKu1wh/s512/mlk2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Thumbnail" border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLCdel6xPsXFSamHua_H-Q0ptpowK-_Hqq3Gsdk8PzsqK9EGJiEa65u6SlFm8E3jsvDgePOco9_PzGMstlYnnehRpN221OH1YV0q47Cp7BA_tl8iDfruGAm0XpwQn6pk3poCrfnsZCb6FOhpliBrVqVWd5nSocAXTEUWAJMKZLVdMXNmYqEuRRoSqKu1wh/s16000/mlk2.jpg" title="Jess George, Head of Digital Equity & Community Impact" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Here are a few ways our incredible community partners are marking this important day across the country:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Austin, Texas: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">The</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><a href="https://mlkcelebration.com/heritage-council/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Austin Area Heritage Council’s</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><a href="https://mlkcelebration.com/celebration-events/oratory-competition/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Annual MLK Oratory Competition</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> showcases fourth to sixth-grade students from local schools delivering speeches centered on Dr. King's dream. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Kansas City, Kansas: </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">The </span><a href="https://mcckc.edu/events/mlk-scholarship-luncheon.aspx" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Metropolitan Community College Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Luncheon</span></a><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">provides 5 MCC recipients with a full-tuition scholarship for one year. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Huntsville, Alabama: </span><a href="https://www.dtlalpha.org/educational-foundation" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">2024 MLK Unity Breakfast</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> hosted by </span><a href="https://www.dtlalpha.org/educational-foundation" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">The Delta Theta Lambda Education Foundation </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">supports scholarships, leadership development, and training for exceptional students. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Atlanta, Georgia: </span><a href="https://www.handsonatlanta.org/mlk-day" style="font-size: 11pt; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">2024 MLK Days of Service</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> and the </span><a href="https://www.handsonatlanta.org/sunday-supper" style="font-size: 11pt; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">MLK Sunday Supper</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> are events to get the local community volunteering for projects that support 50 nonprofits and schools. This week, volunteers from the GFiber team served at </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">C.H.O.I.C.E.S. Mobile Food Pantry in Atlanta, GA</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">, packed meal bags and prepared for meal distribution.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-wrap: wrap;"> </span></p></li></ul><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Research Triangle Area (Raleigh-Durham), North Carolina: </span><a href="https://www.unitedwaytriangle.org/mlk-day-of-service-triangle-nc/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">United Way of the Greater Triangle’s MLK Day of Service</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> supports a full day of health programming at the </span><a href="https://wakebgc.org/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Boys & Girls Club Raleigh. </span></a></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Charlotte, North Carolina: </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">YMCA of Greater Charlotte’s </span><a href="https://www.ymcacharlotte.org/community-events/mlk-holiday-celebration" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">30</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 0.6em; vertical-align: super;">th</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> Annual MLK Holiday Breakfast</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> celebrates the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The GFiber local team will also volunteer in a MLK day of service at </span><a href="https://samaritansfeet.org/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Samaritans Feet</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">.</span></p></li></ul><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1PIl1QLLMdEarejzpTg4JtS4NZmeEj-XsB-YfVOgciUsHTeU3syi2s_QFS0eniOmJrNQP5J_OJjPOu9FtucBQ1Djj3nIfajCShZk7rvGEjEVZZwLBzhx8lvMGiBjFMVZ0ur5OfbHdxuL-BqdGhLoXBRQ1Q5PYsapzN-TufjChsq7RjI4-vwIFPG6M4a9J/s512/mlk3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1PIl1QLLMdEarejzpTg4JtS4NZmeEj-XsB-YfVOgciUsHTeU3syi2s_QFS0eniOmJrNQP5J_OJjPOu9FtucBQ1Djj3nIfajCShZk7rvGEjEVZZwLBzhx8lvMGiBjFMVZ0ur5OfbHdxuL-BqdGhLoXBRQ1Q5PYsapzN-TufjChsq7RjI4-vwIFPG6M4a9J/s16000/mlk3.jpg" /></a></div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">GFiber is proud to be a small part of these efforts, and others, working towards a more equitable and just world.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Of course, there is still more work to be done. We will continue to push forward to make the internet more accessible and to help others harness the power and opportunity of the internet. You can help too! One small way to act right now — the </span><a href="https://www.fcc.gov/acp" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Affordable Connectivity Program</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> helps make high speed internet available to millions of US households through a $30 a month subsidy, but this program will end in April 2024 unless Congress acts to allocate additional funding. There is a bill before Congress to extend funding for this critical program. Take a moment to </span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">let </span><a href="https://www.commoncause.org/find-your-representative/?source=adwords&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA-vOsBhAAEiwAIWR0TeuC1-7yG7_-9Cs5PMYGr-GqQgfhgpLJdAl1n-GWWv_TR0sciBcS4BoCdjgQAvD_BwE" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">your Congresspeople</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> add your voice on the Affordable</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> Connectivity Program Extension Act of 2024 to keep that connection strong for everyone.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://services.google.com/fb/forms/gfiberblog/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Subscribe</span></a><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> to get the GFiber Blog in your email.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Posted by Jess George, Head of Digital Equity & Community Impact </span></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu-QvIu4AvB-30wRkeujCyAbuj2cMAeOrGZaBdJ2a-1w1MB2_DM21ors3IIckF9QMjiPNDcKanF_SekIewP02HeNVBUS2SFK-FhsN1KtnopSQeubnTAt0rB1fXDYwgmbe_WxoQMn8e6SOFn42Ou0id1AMHYR-TmlG4afKHeqfJIDti73IiUGNkt3ZUNcXh/s4271/headshot%20(1).jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4271" data-original-width="2847" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu-QvIu4AvB-30wRkeujCyAbuj2cMAeOrGZaBdJ2a-1w1MB2_DM21ors3IIckF9QMjiPNDcKanF_SekIewP02HeNVBUS2SFK-FhsN1KtnopSQeubnTAt0rB1fXDYwgmbe_WxoQMn8e6SOFn42Ou0id1AMHYR-TmlG4afKHeqfJIDti73IiUGNkt3ZUNcXh/w160-h240/headshot%20(1).jpg" width="160" /></a></div><br /><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div>Google Fiberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08137833201549488546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6747621709757476971.post-10121003068381861992024-01-10T13:28:00.000-08:002024-01-12T12:04:13.784-08:00Get the GFiber Blog in your email <div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Looking to stay up-to-date on the latest from Google Fiber? Starting today, you can sign up to get each blog post emailed to you when the post goes live. You’ll never miss a new city, new product, or community program, and you’ll hear the latest from our team on what GFiber is up to now and what’s coming next.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8TXiaHE0x9DU5Jdqwh2bD_rWl1d8Rt1OJxdpBwE4QlPodON194SjaE_G9utbkq1SPudWT5qGxZVgXrqFHF5ECRvl8AL5InGy3cEGSsvdok0hMrzxQYe52AVKUj3PBw-i3by-mEs4JgZD1Z6aazrPSgs_FyQsw7NR2-TZl1gQR0rc0OkV37YlSLUXtHSNT/s2133/GFiber_Web_Blog_HeaderImage_1024x768_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Thumbnail" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="2133" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8TXiaHE0x9DU5Jdqwh2bD_rWl1d8Rt1OJxdpBwE4QlPodON194SjaE_G9utbkq1SPudWT5qGxZVgXrqFHF5ECRvl8AL5InGy3cEGSsvdok0hMrzxQYe52AVKUj3PBw-i3by-mEs4JgZD1Z6aazrPSgs_FyQsw7NR2-TZl1gQR0rc0OkV37YlSLUXtHSNT/w400-h300/GFiber_Web_Blog_HeaderImage_1024x768_3.jpg" title="Sunny Gettinger, Head of External Communications" width="400" /></a></div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sign up </span><a href="https://services.google.com/fb/forms/gfiberblog/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> or on the </span><a href="http://fiber.google.com/blog" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">GFiber blog</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> any time by clicking on the email icon in the top right corner or the link at the bottom of the page. Happy reading! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Posted by Sunny Gettinger, Head of External Communications</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg581X9qqaLSfFr50tN2QJJqzrzyhjx97_hAchnCbhjCdCxox0dn1IIdXvWaXFEKCkhye1Gk7dXl7rhhCwwimEG4ALHxx6IbNqIaS7qwTy5PM25YuPBgwf9KPa11kzrPPqYBBifOR3wiB3LLQBWn_FR8HEEqbd_6zOrUAp-SO44IbV2JFpJ2DfwAmI9JSY/s600/sunny%20headshot.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg581X9qqaLSfFr50tN2QJJqzrzyhjx97_hAchnCbhjCdCxox0dn1IIdXvWaXFEKCkhye1Gk7dXl7rhhCwwimEG4ALHxx6IbNqIaS7qwTy5PM25YuPBgwf9KPa11kzrPPqYBBifOR3wiB3LLQBWn_FR8HEEqbd_6zOrUAp-SO44IbV2JFpJ2DfwAmI9JSY/w170-h170/sunny%20headshot.jpeg" width="170" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Google Fiberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08137833201549488546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6747621709757476971.post-66062402099703971332023-12-15T08:27:00.000-08:002023-12-15T08:27:01.612-08:00Caritas of Austin: Alleviating Homelessness and Creating a Connected Community <div><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">In each of our cities, Google Fiber works with incredible community partners and organizations on digital inclusion and equity issues. In Texas, we’re working with <a href="https://caritasofaustin.org/" target="_blank">Caritas of Austin</a> to help bring fast, reliable internet to the residents of Espero at Rutland, an affordable and supportive housing community and our newest <a href="https://fiber.google.com/community/" target="_blank">Gigabit Community</a>. GFiber is providing access to high speed internet and digital literacy classes at no cost to residents. In today’s guest post, Rachel Hanover, Deputy Director of Espero Rutland Housing Services shares what this represents for this community.</span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJUiXUqBzFuoYS5jxfKv27mMe17Q3QQqlBbg8ilDH3zjpbkFwswNehVztj61P9v-uztyX959l1yf0UaY0cUCm8_gwyjT-3hmxXcK7PTo56G_x780MSwI7jrUvaY9jJLwQwMYC_0xYWcvKRdKBXXV2AE7ndPzspJ4zNHu-WWIzcXfedNCCxZ2N4oZLdIOZy/s4032/IMG_4083.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Thumbnail" border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJUiXUqBzFuoYS5jxfKv27mMe17Q3QQqlBbg8ilDH3zjpbkFwswNehVztj61P9v-uztyX959l1yf0UaY0cUCm8_gwyjT-3hmxXcK7PTo56G_x780MSwI7jrUvaY9jJLwQwMYC_0xYWcvKRdKBXXV2AE7ndPzspJ4zNHu-WWIzcXfedNCCxZ2N4oZLdIOZy/s16000/IMG_4083.jpg" title="Rachel Hanover, Deputy Director of Espero Rutland Housing Services" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">At Caritas of Austin, we believe all people deserve to have their basic needs met and a stable place to call home. We use a multi-layered approach to make homelessness rare, brief and nonrecurring in Central Texas by helping the unhoused population attain proper housing, employment, education, food and a supportive community.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">As technology advances and society transitions to “paperless,” an internet connection is vital for finding permanent housing, applying for jobs and accessing other supplemental benefits like unemployment, food assistance and health insurance. But for tens of millions of Americans, a high-speed internet connection is a luxury they can’t afford. This barrier makes life considerably more challenging to navigate, which is especially true for people experiencing homelessness.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Espero Rutland </span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">In a joint venture to help unhoused individuals find permanent housing, we partnered with <a href="https://www.vecinogroup.com/">The Vecino Group</a> and <a href="https://www.austintexas.gov/department/austin-housing-finance-corporation">Austin Housing Finance Corporation</a> to develop Espero Rutland, an affordable and intensely supportive housing community that is scheduled to open early next year. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Espero Rutland consists of 171 studio apartments and features many amenities, including an indoor community room, business center, gym and yoga studio, community dining room, and an outdoor courtyard area with lawn games, gazebo, BBQ stations and community garden. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdbAuItHUKOu3iVn-EyybKS0XnAqTu-vOLnneGyV7iDHwVrP7JPuBnwNS6bt_D09Qa4CavLdpIogMqPJiNptRj9n3GHRkFNgltnfFpO2Pu2S1gzyCVefxoKYHlNKoBm4YcDdPfs1eSHgXmRw_7Lclv3q6mlCBnspze3bS5HgVg1G9PGYpC36gSI682Auw/s4032/IMG_4094.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdbAuItHUKOu3iVn-EyybKS0XnAqTu-vOLnneGyV7iDHwVrP7JPuBnwNS6bt_D09Qa4CavLdpIogMqPJiNptRj9n3GHRkFNgltnfFpO2Pu2S1gzyCVefxoKYHlNKoBm4YcDdPfs1eSHgXmRw_7Lclv3q6mlCBnspze3bS5HgVg1G9PGYpC36gSI682Auw/s16000/IMG_4094.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">We employ onsite case managers who work closely with residents to curate a personalized plan to help them manage personal finances, develop vocational skills and apply for supplemental benefit programs. To offer these services, it is imperative that residents have a stable internet connection. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Creating a connected community with Google Fiber </span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Caritas of Austin is excited to partner with Google Fiber to provide access to a free, high-speed internet connection to every residential unit and property amenity at Espero Rutland. This partnership, which is part of GFiber’s Gigabit Communities program, will support broadband internet free of charge to very low income households. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">In addition to providing internet services at no cost to residents of Caritas Espero Rutland, GFiber will help to provide laptops and digital literacy classes to our residents. The virtual and onsite classes will help residents learn how to use their new laptops to access job applications, healthcare and supplemental benefits. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGcAXNQhWSk5jXeLSYrmVMaE5CO5y5ge0I0FJY_LLDJ4hPKqXsUq0hDSGPBP5BWP-LGu1jgHao5H8p-J2rzrdO_bpHe7CC6N3oZhDv3wF0i2XqIdCp5Lu8wZRJweRRvQjsEMSowUDCdcvFzVlHrM9vYBDR0b7_dEAXQyX3QwnLFM0ix0KM6I8q93I6TalQ/s1550/Caritas2.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1052" data-original-width="1550" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGcAXNQhWSk5jXeLSYrmVMaE5CO5y5ge0I0FJY_LLDJ4hPKqXsUq0hDSGPBP5BWP-LGu1jgHao5H8p-J2rzrdO_bpHe7CC6N3oZhDv3wF0i2XqIdCp5Lu8wZRJweRRvQjsEMSowUDCdcvFzVlHrM9vYBDR0b7_dEAXQyX3QwnLFM0ix0KM6I8q93I6TalQ/s16000/Caritas2.png" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">At Caritas of Austin, we are committed to ending homelessness by creating a connected, supported community. Homelessness is a complex issue with no “one size fits all” solution. Through partnerships with local organizations like GFiber, we can help our clients build a solid foundation for their future. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Empowering those experiencing homelessness,transforms individual lives, which contributes to the overall well-being of society–building a stronger, more connected community for everyone. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Posted by Rachel Hanover, Deputy Director of Espero Rutland Housing Services</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIgGZsvPh9gmXq5O-e-kdGQTjsVRdSfQ2-lQKnD5aGIbJOcu0scP4fg1Wgnnpb6Qnal57PQf-1nreJorUDUEYErx4JFBZfOFrdEQQuML2279K-A1bo_aVbAONYXiRO31kiPNJ_H85TtkMgLWR6m7HUZjN7zQu8NnEmhKtPzbHV6_BmUJD5H2OFr9NhKhtx/s3503/caritas_april_2023-8.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3503" data-original-width="2561" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIgGZsvPh9gmXq5O-e-kdGQTjsVRdSfQ2-lQKnD5aGIbJOcu0scP4fg1Wgnnpb6Qnal57PQf-1nreJorUDUEYErx4JFBZfOFrdEQQuML2279K-A1bo_aVbAONYXiRO31kiPNJ_H85TtkMgLWR6m7HUZjN7zQu8NnEmhKtPzbHV6_BmUJD5H2OFr9NhKhtx/w175-h240/caritas_april_2023-8.jpg" width="175" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>Google Fiberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08137833201549488546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6747621709757476971.post-39516436120724153562023-12-14T06:48:00.000-08:002023-12-14T08:41:25.375-08:00 Wi-Fi Focus: How to Get the Best Wi-Fi On Your Devices<span id="docs-internal-guid-f5ac7e07-7fff-2fa4-2ef9-7aaeed9438b2"><h3 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 4pt; margin-top: 16pt;"><br /></h3><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Google Sans", sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Understanding your Wi-Fi technology and how it was built to support your devices is the key to getting the most out of them. Why? Because many of the Wi-Fi enabled devices in your home were built on a Wi-Fi standard, which impacts the Wi-Fi speeds you'll get. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Google Sans", sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">What’s a Wi-Fi standard?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Google Sans", sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A Wi-Fi standard is a set of rules created by the The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The IEEE is the world's largest technical professional organizatio</span><span face=""Google Sans", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">n</span><span face=""Google Sans", sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> that defines how Wi-Fi devices communicate with each other. In short, it’s the system your devices use when connecting wirelessly. There are many different Wi-Fi standards, also called Wi-Fi technologies. Some standards you may be familiar with are Wi-Fi 5, Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 6E and the soon-to-launch, Wi-Fi 7. Each new Wi-Fi standard is faster and more efficient than the previous one. (That’s why older devices may not go as fast as newer ones.) </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Google Sans", sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Want to see what we’re doing with Wi-Fi 7? Check out our <u><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><a href="https://fiber.google.com/blog/2023/11/20-gig-in-wild.html" target="_blank">demo</a></span></u></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Google Sans", sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">How do Wi-Fi standards impact devices?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Google Sans", sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Some devices only support certain standards of Wi-Fi technology. So when you're shopping for a new Wi-Fi router, it's really important to make sure that it supports the Wi-Fi standard your devices or future devices are enabled for. For example, if you have a phone that supports Wi-Fi 6 or 7, you'll want to get a router that also supports those standards so you can take advantage of faster speeds and better performance. Making sure that your devices’ technology is compatible with your router technology will help you utilize the fastest Wi-Fi speeds available and avoid lag times.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Google Sans", sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQrHnFOlWB6pGVxwkDZ6hWNGb5HPGD7ODUigMYapElhu1IqZWepDOXApd1p4CIIvmdEiqzneh7NVv-nxAbyadc1HhCtVP7jvovhG8ms4zbEuT-c1YiJlG91_NEK4XZZ_VdMEp2djakljweO_fOujYUeZkR1niSn2mJjOeCRiFShXIfhLa-VZsuXG4bw3dI/s4896/1203_Wireless%20Device%20Guide.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Thumbnail" border="0" data-original-height="4014" data-original-width="4896" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQrHnFOlWB6pGVxwkDZ6hWNGb5HPGD7ODUigMYapElhu1IqZWepDOXApd1p4CIIvmdEiqzneh7NVv-nxAbyadc1HhCtVP7jvovhG8ms4zbEuT-c1YiJlG91_NEK4XZZ_VdMEp2djakljweO_fOujYUeZkR1niSn2mJjOeCRiFShXIfhLa-VZsuXG4bw3dI/s16000/1203_Wireless%20Device%20Guide.png" title="Sydney Lauer, Product Strategy Analyst" /></a></div><br /><span face=""Google Sans", sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Google Sans", sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Google Sans", sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Google Sans", sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Google Sans", sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Google Sans", sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Google Sans", sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Google Sans", sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Google Sans", sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Google Sans", sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Google Sans", sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Google Sans", sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Google Sans", sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Want to know how fast your devices can go? </span></p><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face=""Google Sans", sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Wi-Fi speeds depend on the technology your devices are able to support. To make things easier, we’ve put together a list of common phones, laptops and gaming consoles along with their Wi-Fi capabilities. Use this chart to check which Wi-Fi technology your devices are built with so you can make the most out of them. <u style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><a href="https://support.google.com/fiber/answer/6250056?hl=en&sjid=13734156966437834484-NC#zippy=" target="_blank">Check out the comprehensive list here</a></span></u>.</span></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Google Sans", sans-serif" style="font-size: small; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-95ac91c9-7fff-796f-37a8-197ee2ede040"><span face=""Google Sans", sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Posted By Sydney Lauer, Product Strategy Analyst</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAfU_1xt4GhHImW1AMrInyNmMGnDO8xtfjpHtj_8RydibgAiTUPwUBcQBexFLLzq71muJI7AwBXIIaByBPUct8w7wxtrWgUy_cyUyvau-YzUcW4aJZdvNSucolozy4aYZG1ygR5QUlUHbKJvoLYX2e2zl7C68TgrZyzkcsLy_85cS9yoQHvhdsyg4D0K5K/s2448/IMG_4857.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1632" data-original-width="2448" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAfU_1xt4GhHImW1AMrInyNmMGnDO8xtfjpHtj_8RydibgAiTUPwUBcQBexFLLzq71muJI7AwBXIIaByBPUct8w7wxtrWgUy_cyUyvau-YzUcW4aJZdvNSucolozy4aYZG1ygR5QUlUHbKJvoLYX2e2zl7C68TgrZyzkcsLy_85cS9yoQHvhdsyg4D0K5K/w166-h127/IMG_4857.JPG" width="166" /></a></div><br /><span face=""Google Sans", sans-serif" style="font-size: small; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Google Sans", sans-serif" style="font-size: small; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZ4zk6XD2ushu5IgPei0ZoJp9uE5VnIThxFRvcc3M5M2hvwV1bKqtWfgHEXgyagDYigLu_6JqFsbI51v3201YZn7xJ-_GQhnB4BaxkJ8tGpnUGTMSvonqIW9gezKyFHZgbXP-QP5rTqmhFJSxYy39_4wF2L7Ah1gN3JA7bOfdqnqSMJeiKLWLMKwggEp5/s4896/1203_Wireless%20Device%20Guide.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div><p></p></span>Google Fiberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08137833201549488546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6747621709757476971.post-63041297600886979752023-12-12T10:33:00.000-08:002024-01-18T11:28:27.272-08:00Google Fiber’s fastest year ever — to the home, in the home, and everywhere in between <span id="docs-internal-guid-55d8cd3a-7fff-85ec-70c6-b25777d74704"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>8 Gig Now Available in Utah, North Carolina’s Triangle region, and Austin, Texas</b></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">At Google Fiber, delivering a fast, reliable internet experience has always been at the core of what we do, and that’s never been more important. Whether you’re working from home or playing a multi-player game or using it to connect multiple devices in the home, speed matters. That is why GFiber spent 2023 focused on delivering speed to the home and in the home. We made investments in our network, in the equipment we offer customers, in enhanced quality standards for our technicians, and much more. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Some of these efforts have been very public — like our GFiber Labs 20 Gig + Wi-Fi7 project or our efforts to make faster speed plans available to our customers. In early 2023, we began rolling out 5 Gig and 8 Gig internet offerings as we updated our network in each city to </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10G-PON" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">XGS-PON</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. When we said that a product was available in a city, we wanted to make sure it was available to everyone in our service area there. As of today, more than 75% of our residential customers can get 5 Gig and/or 8 Gig. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The response from our customers has been amazing and we’re very proud at the speed at which we’re making these network-wide upgrades. In fact, starting today customers across Utah (</span><a href="https://fiber.google.com/cities/saltlakecity/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Salt Lake City</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> & </span><a href="http://fiber.google.com/cities/provo" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Provo</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">), </span><a href="http://fiber.google.com/cities/austin" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Austin, TX</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, and </span><a href="https://fiber.google.com/cities/triangle/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">the Triangle region in North Carolina</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> can sign up for 8 Gig service. Our 8 Gig product offers symmetrical upload and download speeds of up to 8000 Mbps with a wired connection, a router (or you can use your own), up to two mesh extenders and professional installation, for $150/month. This speed can make internet connection feel almost instantaneous.</span></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHZVXtJGKJh7_jQlv8_NU67jmM7innck4KkCfRK2piPXrky_tgtT7-PEwoNzR9w4AeQV8rwNAf0qiChKWb_OxnucqUq_c7q5nj9JTNf4r2OUYvEtmb9OQvDSB1ep0sNP26zn67NHnMd2exD0JfSwAHPAdSDlETCcE96jWnm1TeLgpuircRtaqsWf9ZuE7i/s1080/quicksquarenew_20231212105922579.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Thumbnail" border="0" data-original-height="607" data-original-width="1080" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHZVXtJGKJh7_jQlv8_NU67jmM7innck4KkCfRK2piPXrky_tgtT7-PEwoNzR9w4AeQV8rwNAf0qiChKWb_OxnucqUq_c7q5nj9JTNf4r2OUYvEtmb9OQvDSB1ep0sNP26zn67NHnMd2exD0JfSwAHPAdSDlETCcE96jWnm1TeLgpuircRtaqsWf9ZuE7i/s16000/quicksquarenew_20231212105922579.jpg" title="Liz Hsu, Senior Director, Product & Billing" /></a></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This is just one part of a focused effort to maximize speed across our network so customers can get the most out of their internet. GFiber is actively upgrading our fiber network, expanding our partnerships with content companies to offer seamless connectivity and low latency experiences, and adding redundancy so customers can stream, game, or video conference with confidence. In fact, most of our customers see even higher speeds than expected, especially over wired connections (see speed tests above). </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">While speed to the home is important, most of us use Wi-Fi for the majority of our online activities. We’re working to ensure your Wi-Fi keeps up. We are </span><a href="https://support.google.com/fiber/answer/13459261?hl=en&sjid=2911616680143452633-NA" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">upgrading customers from the original Google Fiber Network Box to Wi-Fi 6</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> at no cost, </span><a href="https://fiber.google.com/blog/2023/10/wi-fi-focus-maximizing-your-wi-fi-for.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">helping customers optimize their network set up for their households</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, and deploying Wi-Fi 6E with tri-band connectivity built to handle more devices with fewer slowdowns. We provided our technicians with new tools and training to optimize the in-home setup. And because we understand that Wi-Fi = Internet for most people, we are helping our customers understand how </span><a href="https://support.google.com/fiber/answer/6250056?hl=en&sjid=13734156966437834484-NC#zippy=" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">the devices they use</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> like their smartphones or computers can influence their experience.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As our dependence on the internet continues to grow, we’re working to make sure we’re keeping up with customer needs, not just for today, but in the future. 2023 was our fastest year ever. . .until 2024. We’ll continue to push boundaries to make speed a reality for our customers at every part of the internet ecosystem. And we invite others to join us. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Posted by Liz Hsu, Senior Director, Product & Billing</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_PJKDDAHDNXZhWbMV_qp2gJrPbDvv9xfI0ic0_x6KKN8IGvxu-Vlr3uH43lZExsq0C7nRXxkwt2B_Kmlmjc9m27zDo0BF-fLYapZR3FS69Q6uRjd-O4CLm2NpGah3agE2_h1nXLRacrJONhXVTAifz7lgu-kWgqEXIJmS9ztfiwZ8qI1BiL6By1lMMsas/s2448/IMG_3022.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="1958" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_PJKDDAHDNXZhWbMV_qp2gJrPbDvv9xfI0ic0_x6KKN8IGvxu-Vlr3uH43lZExsq0C7nRXxkwt2B_Kmlmjc9m27zDo0BF-fLYapZR3FS69Q6uRjd-O4CLm2NpGah3agE2_h1nXLRacrJONhXVTAifz7lgu-kWgqEXIJmS9ztfiwZ8qI1BiL6By1lMMsas/w114-h143/IMG_3022.jpeg" width="114" /></a></div><br /><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Google Fiberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08137833201549488546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6747621709757476971.post-18569912178193851202023-12-12T07:01:00.000-08:002023-12-12T09:09:22.073-08:00Google Fiber names John Keib Chief Technology & Product officer<div>Google Fiber is proud to announce John Keib as the company’s first-ever Chief Technology & Product Officer (CTPO). As CTPO, John will continue to drive our product, engineering, and supply chain efforts, along with overseeing the innovative projects coming out of <a href="http://fiber.google.com/gfiber-labs" target="_blank">GFiber Labs</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqqBkrsOVYhnwrTnEqExN3KPMCUNpAiNbQPigM7vkx9QUrHOyCAqAl_NWn9Ly86TGE6yd9cBcQ-z1WENLFIDzwD0a-oqpctu2cDj5CHdN9dubeZoYX1GRmc2paSUinTBdpuM8OXcE5_DBLxZ9laX5y5GnLNKJoPNnhFL60VupU6i6Si46_yaBjx1tk1LUO/s2148/Keib-ASP_9878crop.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Thumbnail" border="0" data-original-height="2148" data-original-width="2148" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqqBkrsOVYhnwrTnEqExN3KPMCUNpAiNbQPigM7vkx9QUrHOyCAqAl_NWn9Ly86TGE6yd9cBcQ-z1WENLFIDzwD0a-oqpctu2cDj5CHdN9dubeZoYX1GRmc2paSUinTBdpuM8OXcE5_DBLxZ9laX5y5GnLNKJoPNnhFL60VupU6i6Si46_yaBjx1tk1LUO/w400-h400/Keib-ASP_9878crop.jpg" title="The GFiber Team" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Since joining GFiber in 2019 as Vice President of Product, John has been building a next generation Internet service focusing on groundbreaking speeds and enhanced quality of Internet service for all customers. At GFiber, he has pushed the boundaries on speed and led the effort to take us from 1 Gig as a foundation to the multigig future the internet is increasingly demanding. Under John’s leadership, GFiber rolled out 2 Gig, 5 Gig and 8 Gig products and developed relationships with companies across the internet ecosystem to upgrade not just our network, but also work to ensure that customers have the latest hardware necessary to harness that speed for all customers. These efforts have made services like 20 Gig + Wi-Fi 7 a reality and a roadmap beyond those speeds attainable. John’s vision for the internet is both abundant and revolutionary to how we live our daily lives.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9wWg_kybgpRJL7xIPycdGop7-FA9Yh02Xm78xPi9zFgfJHcKPAlwgC69wlavDjvmd4Adx06UmR4SfYoHgHJorn1aI9GxpG2wM6rOsSiU7JTO4EBk04MKj3o0twkZYyeWNRrj6ZtOcgRq9-38R1PMvfTcZgUTzWDRRIVNyeGVmDbg5M7LrBkvQvZvp8OaL/s3918/IMG_4669.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3012" data-original-width="3918" height="493" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9wWg_kybgpRJL7xIPycdGop7-FA9Yh02Xm78xPi9zFgfJHcKPAlwgC69wlavDjvmd4Adx06UmR4SfYoHgHJorn1aI9GxpG2wM6rOsSiU7JTO4EBk04MKj3o0twkZYyeWNRrj6ZtOcgRq9-38R1PMvfTcZgUTzWDRRIVNyeGVmDbg5M7LrBkvQvZvp8OaL/w640-h493/IMG_4669.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>John with his leadership team</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Previously, John oversaw a team of 40,000 employees as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Residential Services at Time Warner, where he spent almost two decades working in roles spanning sales, marketing, product, customer service, technical operations and supply chain. He also spent time at both DirecTV and Thompson Media earlier in his career.</div><div><br /></div><div>“In my time working with John, his leadership has always been grounded in maximizing potential for customers and setting an ambitious agenda to both address weaknesses and harness strengths,” said Dinni Jain, GFiber CEO. “John’s visionary leadership is critical to GFiber’s ability to truly push the boundaries of what ISP can be. With product, engineering, and GFiber Labs under his guidance, we’re very lucky to have him setting both the path for where we’re going and the bar for what we need to be as a company.” </div><div><br /></div><div>The GFiber Team</div><div><br /></div>Google Fiberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08137833201549488546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6747621709757476971.post-29516733215215551902023-12-11T09:24:00.000-08:002023-12-11T09:24:25.643-08:00Your most exciting invitation this holiday season — 20 Gig + Wi-Fi 7 for $250 a monthWe <a href="https://fiber.google.com/blog/2023/10/gfiber-labs-announces-first-project-20.html">told you 20 Gig + Wi-Fi 7 was coming</a>. We showed you <a href="https://fiber.google.com/blog/2023/11/20-gig-in-wild.html">what it can do</a> (multiple simultaneous multi-gig streams!). Now we’re ready to make it official — 20 Gig + Wi-Fi 7 will be available to select customers for $250 per month plus applicable taxes and fees.
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At our core, we believe speed should always be accessible — that’s why we haven’t raised our 1 Gig from $70 ever and why we’ve priced 2 Gig ($100/month), 5 Gig ($125), and 8 Gig ($150) right along those lines. And we feel the same way with 20 Gig + Wi-Fi 7. At $250, it’s a lot of speed for that price, and we know that it will enable innovators who want to be able to push what’s possible to truly get to work.
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<img alt="Thumbnail" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfDwldZsfgSJOyIxw5VEeIT1MqWJCQt_gRFNKi2nJ_B7MwKJN_hX0LqyuSSe_lxFPrB6xPnl35Kw3vON1L7nvWhTmPhEomJWzqe7Kr66_ogVtrEMQCMenpJePQjusiKlCuWIM4T6YXUKQjaVrVin23otdHOt03_-C2tHRy93GlvAaMLu81-U7Flp-zU6wa/s900/20Gig+Wifi7%20(1).jpg" title="Nick Saporito, Head of Product" />
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We’re starting in Kansas City, North Carolina’s Triangle Region, Arizona, and Iowa. As we continue to roll out Nokia’s 25G PON across our network, we’ll open up invitations in new areas, so make sure you’ve <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe1jfRtrPoJVrlrkUrQLjrLVLDeIYCCqTdheZUVotaWCfGvFQ/viewform">let us know</a> if you are interested in being the one of the first to have this in your home. We expect installations to start in Q1.
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As we enter the new year, expect more news out of <a href="https://fiber.google.com/gfiber-labs/">GFiber Labs</a> — speed is the first step towards next generation internet. We’re working to redefine internet customer experience and to bring it to more people in more places, and GFiber Labs is focusing on how we go from incremental to exponential improvement when it comes to what your internet can do.
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Posted by Nick Saporito, Head of Product
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEFRvVe5hT6_gD-OH8ceOK8bFMPiuJ4mWYv7i_IPYGfvsUiH5Pi2dPguj8Ab8OTmbieCQQPsjLgECY2VZZRklSo3k9IZn1OHt3QEUVrlB7RTtQgvRWpdKi-8G_2DNmrwAKPOSuXV7_wf7cNpt0GURUewMypWtzUlZ5FB7wX_erK1YmRhoLY30dHN_060S_/w156-h156/nick%20headshot.jpeg" />
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Google Fiberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08137833201549488546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6747621709757476971.post-64188989697724246062023-12-04T07:31:00.000-08:002023-12-04T11:21:17.649-08:00Community Foundation of Huntsville- 2023 Digital Inclusion Fund GrantsAt Google Fiber, digital equity has always been core to our mission. We believe that everyone should have access to fast, reliable internet. In 2018, GFiber and the <a href="https://communityfoundationhsv.org/">Community Foundation of Greater Huntsville</a> launched the Digital Inclusion Fund, a grant program that supports local nonprofits with funding for digital-forward programming to help bring technology, know-how, and resources to traditionally underserved communities.
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<img alt="Thumbnail" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmNvOo0Fh8uR81k87rrh34oeousqBe24_TDSAvXOSenaaghWtZY8yTQePEheYzBjoR9mvFfDaBaNxBQl31GqnxyMHChwzegBbr8i15avcbJQuZ3TAfMTtJe3V1rEnN23hKFJeIxaMdzEYqiHzfREENhk9m1JnwK5EStZ2_LcK4PvBQLvdJlU62P8f6iXhY/s16000/image003%20(1).jpg" title="Ryun Jackson, Government & Community Affairs Manager" />
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Last week, the Community Foundation of Greater Huntsville hosted a GivingTuesday celebration and announced the 2023 recipients of the Google Fiber Digital Inclusion Fund. This year, six Huntsville-area nonprofits were awarded a total of $45,000 to support programming that teaches digital literacy to residents of all ages, fund technology and STEAM lab needs, support workforce development, prepares students for technology careers, and more.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW-bph3jjHJy_JrDJ5BNE37jkZ99_tWGTGKaJJJ7iU_MMElb5Ow6RFMadJnRQbPNzkAX3SSirvpxJcpRx0NKvhsDezDzQeioMZImx6e6tR2z3J2X4X6sek2cJNfRvCoqRvZAcfPuyic24bjRqj3fyQ-W6AUArToBc3LOx4RKs_wmrHtpHhnoIMAK3NLUxZ/w900/IMG_0223%20(1).jpg" />
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Digital Inclusion Fund 2023 recipients include:
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<a href="https://www.girlsinc-huntsville.org/">Girls Incorporated of Huntsville</a> – Girls In STEM (science, TECHNOLOGY, math)
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Girls in STEM is a workforce development program that will teach digital skills and develop a new talent pool of black girls in middle and high school. This grant allows girls from under-resourced communities to connect with technology in an impactful way while interacting with technology mentors.
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<a href="https://hsvlc.org/">Huntsville Learning Center</a> – High School STEAM Lab Smart Boards
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Huntsville Learning Center’s new High School Program will include a new state-of-the-art STEAM lab as well as specialized ACT prep classes. Grant funding will provide Smart Boards to support each of these two new initiatives.
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<a href="https://hiswayinc.org/">His Way Recovery Center</a> – Resident GED and Educational Programs
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His Way will establish an in-house GED Program for residents, which will include an instructor to teach the classes at their facility, Adult Basic Education software, and Chromebooks for resident use in completing the lessons. Certification programs will also be included.
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<a href="https://www.hmcpl.org/foundation">Huntsville Library Foundation</a> – Equitable Access
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The Huntsville Library Foundation will break down language and access barriers and connect people with resources needed to not only secure a job, but also gain skills needed to sustain employment. They will ensure patrons with disabilities or limited English proficiency have equitable access to workforce development programs.
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<a href="https://www.bgcnal.com/">Boys & Girls Clubs of North Alabama</a> – Digital by Design
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Boys & Girls Clubs of North Alabama will expand the scope of digital programs that will provide relevant pathways to technology careers. Currently youth are provided with Computer Science in the form of coding and video production, and this grant will support the establishment of a game development program.
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<a href="https://www.capandgownproject.org/">The CAP & GOWN Project</a> – 2024 STEM Summer Institute
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The 2024 STEM Summer Institute will provide two weeks of free, rigorous, in-person ACT and college prep, and hands-on STEM learning, and four weeks of programming virtually via Google Classrooms. Students will learn digital literacy and utilize laptops to access resources to prepare for college. <div><br /></div><div>Thank you to the Community Foundation of Greater Huntsville, and congratulations to this year’s recipients of the Digital Inclusion Fund. We can’t wait to see what you do next!
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Posted by Ryun Jackson, Government & Community Affairs Manager
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRrM-__NyjtfNIsND9m1IZejjK0xgGae8xisQFoLqMOAS7RZT8-mWixX1SpKKWIB9uSD8_Eg9gWqYooyut5YIQWP6YATyyCbQkRr-Zasod4R0WtPoGTGLgKlfdLyyzzCgctdUXUVZd_yzLD8fiuyIYdYWKA0tUBGwr06wdCHPwJ-4fohmBvKQP9MrRTNIg/w157-h117/Image_20231201_155711_059.jpeg" />
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</div>Google Fiberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08137833201549488546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6747621709757476971.post-36704338662329295862023-11-30T11:15:00.000-08:002023-11-30T11:15:17.062-08:00GFiber celebrates 10 years in MiamiIn the vibrant city of Miami, <a href="https://fiber.google.com/">Google Fiber</a> proudly marked a decade of connecting lives and fostering community. The Miami GFiber team recently celebrated this milestone with sponsoring a movie night held on Brickell Key Properties, the very first property to get Google Fiber Webpass service in Miami in 2013.
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<img alt="Thumbnail" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqtfKq2RU18WoY2So4AD5XaL4cXoXwZOxfnDMsohqS7fO9v99_ulQUhjd4708Dv3DG7wm0jrQBQaQrquCopPA9g93SZ32qqYXfCDUfx-CjoOeeFhRVV3Wjpj1XfOqWquJO7kP3XmbWLkzlJxwUH8jhyQk9kO_WnH9v6hx6kMdW5EF2wrZGO3ggatwTJCvU/w900/PXL_20231117_234002290.jpg" title="GFiber Miami Team" />
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Serving over 300 apartment and condominium communities across Miami, GFiber has offered fast, reliable connectivity for over a decade, and we’re continuing to connect new communities in the area every day.
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We constantly work to make sure our customers get more than what they need from our service. "My community relies on GFiber for both excellent customer service and reliable internet, ensuring top-notch quality and speed at every stage," said Daniela Alvarez, a GFiber customer and Brickell Key resident.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQl6A_MzluODzROtk5mGKJ5k_RZEozeGPQ40ma-b61FG-jSGJvzfyfLtOnJGQJ6Cvu7SHzTck-LZ1nkZ5BgIqgOMPs00w7jBooLT1GEQhZiVsxbKCmiaABuHc0n4MmQ5uJTKuECujkmsEJd_T_q-b3_VcETgEfmfVqnK4BnUGZkcqPWngLQb6M5H1WcBzE/w900/PXL_20231117_232755875.jpg" />
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Our GFiber Miami team loved marking the occasion with our customers and celebrating 10 truly great years. We can’t wait to see what’s next for GFiber in Miami. Thank you to our customers and communities who have shared this journey with us! To find out if GFiber is available in your building, check availability <a href="https://gfiber.com/webpass/cities/miami/?_gl=1*y5b1gl*_gcl_au*MTM3MjYyOTI4Ny4xNzAwMDYzOTY3">here</a>.
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Posted by: Miami GFiber team
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj997Gg7pUPaINbwIsg_PA8Mzr9FI-PQZer3mFNeqwhIDtHZX4nN502Bw9UlW9ahzmKyt3egvXM8cf5pJ0b2pUK5de0QMN78G-nCOUSu27lCgCVLWf5x398ckN1oQRdTqaDa9JSGjF6C800Fb3XdmfTIPPyiJFHQ6RS66-1L6ilkE5V9H7j7H-nSLgcwJPK/s240/PXL_20231117_212609456%20(1).jpg" />
Google Fiberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08137833201549488546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6747621709757476971.post-21013775792423142552023-11-29T08:23:00.000-08:002023-11-29T09:21:00.835-08:00Empowering Successful Futures at Faster Speeds<blockquote>Two years ago, <a href="https://jagkc.org/">Junior Achievement of Greater Kansas City</a> chose Google Fiber’s 2 Gig service and we’ve never looked back. In recognition of National Entrepreneurship Month, we’re highlighting how Junior Achievement of Greater Kansas City uses reliable, high-speed internet to help achieve our goal of empowering the next generation of professionals, leaders, and entrepreneurs.</blockquote>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1FIUySCsraHqbqI_mFvTgNOROCcZb2RqDyTs4c3VsCTh4pDn1x9GTVuzE9cgODaFg_X19vm4cf7HU11Ovo7cDtm9ITrlJAitdJefhk7ggThNrYXs7cV6tmJIesSOQcb8SuK-EyrUH2gBBmRKjUoiGZ-w_EIKw4jm34hn0BRxs0ssa76R4Yp_3UGBfN3IH/w900/20210609_161213.jpg" />
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Our work at Junior Achievement is centered on three essential pillars: work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. We offer a bridge between classrooms and the real world, preparing students for success in an evolving career landscape. Through programs catering to K-12 students, our adaptable curriculum provides valuable resources and lessons
that aren’t part of most schools’ required curriculum.
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Technology plays a huge role in our organization’s success. The decision to switch to <a href="https://fiber.google.com/">Google Fiber</a>'s 2-Gig internet two years ago was partially driven by our desire to upgrade our internet, but more importantly, we wanted to elevate the experience of our students at the Youth Learning Lab, presented by the Mallouk Family Foundation.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPRz2gdkwDojT5k32_IRs_H3pAsbeb-wy7bkBUQHwvKtaGiK0bp_Kv67yOE7Khr80ju4aWVjg1VUcY5E8vlY8wezMlCkYaQV0CgZwL49zcPAchcGRLQqdojzOwXI7imXEenoQL3FbCLwKRqdn1xegqESPzB0ge_FqjmkY77Y-_hW3PQ9t5jkXKS-Zy2BK3/w480-h640/MicrosoftTeams-image%20(40).jpg" />
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One of the ways we’re elevating the experience is through our signature program: <a href="https://jagkc.org/programs/biztown/">JA BizTown</a>, presented by Community America Credit Union. This is an immersive experience where students step into the shoes of professionals. In the simulation, they learn how to run their own businesses, manage finances, and hone their ability to make decisions. JA BizTown challenges the next generation of employees to solve the nuanced, real-world issues that businesses face every day in a way that they connect with at their grade level.
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Our simulation relies on a cloud-based platform, and our GFiber's 2-Gig service allows us to ensure the technology enabling JA BizTown runs smoothly, offering a disruption-free environment for our students. With up to 100 devices running simultaneously, reliability is key to the program’s success.
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Each year, Junior Achievement of Greater Kansas City serves 20,000 students across the KC metro, nearly half of which experience capstone experiences onsite at the JA Youth Learning Lab. In addition, Junior Achievement welcomes 5,000 adult volunteers and community members onsite. We partner with more than 18 community organizations to execute our programs. In order to fulfill our mission and expand our impact, we need consistent, reliable connectivity so our programming and simulations don’t miss a beat. On a given day, we know that a dozen things could surprise us, but we have been able to count on the reliability of GFiber’s internet access.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1NJAh3UC6a5czZWsvBbNWyekYjLLghjro3pkUYAxFQgf4_-eT3U-m30CaIbDONVTyDPzNO7SUs8aFq8T573kD9GGW3ULt-LDWcq0vAbozo9QuSoT_0HQJS47yTG4X1od5UKHG93ESe6REFktSCOJhXI8O3A5Zy7SVtDvKnGmbVKPBzc3xrY0rl6YQp2c/w900/DSCF7018.jpg" />
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Today, there’s so much pressure on young people to choose their career—and the options only continue to grow. Our programming, like JA BizTown or the <a href="https://jagkc.org/programs/3de/" target="_blank">3DE model of education</a> implemented at the high school level, opens their eyes to new opportunities they may not have previously considered. Our partnerships with Kansas City businesses inspire students by offering opportunities that align with their passions in unexpected ways. For instance, participants learn that they don’t have to be a center fielder to work for the Kansas City Royals. They can work in marketing, ticket sales, community outreach—the list goes on. Exposure to business mentors from the Kansas City business landscape further widens students’ perspectives, opening a world of possibilities for their choice-filled futures.
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<img alt="Thumbnail" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6oFZgz_VVCbqJRUecFPuXxjAry8NB3-ob6_gCSl1t4tDvGj68PVU-OQcxXbEsxp9Jq-bq1jgZKqEXAhrRsau0wXOtuVd5qhusdbwcdBae-9wmLFITqMIc7MZeu052P0OmPRk0w5Wj7cboIVasMrDinz8K93zXcPM7MPbth_H48neSIv4Ezajp2lZP_lfr/s16000/IMG_6883%20(1).jpg" title="Torey Berndt, Director of Marketing and Communications, Junior Achievement of Greater Kansas City" />
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As we navigate the future of education, especially considering the challenges posed by the pandemic, community support is essential. Working with GFiber as a small business exemplifies the exact kind of collaboration needed to uplift our youth during a pivotal time in their lives. It takes all of us to collectively empower our future leaders and prepare them for success, and we’re so grateful for our supportive community.
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If you’re interested in getting involved with Junior Achievement of Greater Kansas City, there are many ways to support. Volunteer your time, share your expertise, and become a mentor to a future leader. Our range of <a href="https://jagkc.org/volunteer/">volunteer opportunities</a> give everyone a chance to impact the lives of these students. Together, we are shaping futures, one student at a time.
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Posted by Torey Berndt, Director of Marketing and Communications, Junior Achievement of Greater Kansas City
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Google Fiberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08137833201549488546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6747621709757476971.post-29478521057728634532023-11-28T07:29:00.000-08:002023-11-28T07:29:01.003-08:00Wi-Fi Focus: Frequencies and How Your Devices Use Them Most of you may know generally what Wi-Fi is and how it works (if you don’t, check out this blog post). But did you know there are different Wi-Fi frequencies that devices are able to use for faster wireless speeds?
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<b>What is Wi-Fi frequency?</b>
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Wi-Fi frequency is the radio wave frequency that Wi-Fi networks use to carry data between the internet and your device. There are three different Wi-Fi frequencies (also called bands) — each with their own benefits and tradeoffs.
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<img alt="Thumbnail" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRorfiVLp-mRwNZM2X6aVBJu-FeGSWyikHqNl37EC78FR_4xU8MJKbgp-09waiqgKxKbtF58fomtxKPM11AANTxJ6pL16NweQy8LfvvmIdWSGLoUNBQIUQQud3Cp1iaLW7IN5C0pbR-XHQLdFftE8-iYQirNeS6DtDyi7uNfR9xt5aPeT1jRe9QUAvfmra/w1000/GFiber_Web_BlogHeader_WifiFrequency_1080px-01.png" title="Ishan Patel, Product Manager" />
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<b>Which frequency is best for you?</b>
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Most of the time, you won’t even have to think about it because the majority of Wi-Fi routers will use the best frequency as long as the network name and password are the same across all frequencies. If you need the fastest possible speeds, you should use the 5 GHz or 6 GHz frequency. If you need the best possible range, you should use the 2.4 GHz frequency.
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Knowing how frequency works is helpful when making sure your devices are getting the most out of the Wi-Fi technology it’s equipped with, whether that’s Wi-Fi 5, 6, 6E or soon — Wi-Fi 7. We’ve put together a chart you can use as a quick guideline when you need to know which frequencies each Wi-Fi technology supports and how fast they can go.
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbgGSPYwZtpKMUtsPwJrEVjL58L1f_cP9URtN6OeHu1JNk4JM4D_YLwDkZqLDGUvb9sIJ54wnRrinpba0wQQKB3ivBAFkfR8G-SFx92EFfILVXb_qkm2ZkF-MdZ5ATCjrR5bCqTovPXjFsUj4WwyFt8M1lTbJqAIHuW-SvHlyDKIUIth3BAaZMc9wqzPF5/w1000/GFiber_Web_BlogHeader_WifiFrequency_1080px-02.png" />
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Posted by Ishan Patel, Product Manager<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixNIvN4lmgIqFAkAYsyFtOi2_uVsfb9P2sZlzTajJNa_5UKdyIyB8LojT90iVrneta5pD_zGDxuy0H9WR5vDWTw1cNkUcMyKu6gFC0CRF4TESmHmtZNaJsTNhr3RrHWNHtGtix41GuOdvAboEKHlHLcvRQfhqbX3srfvf4aPJcEMlbUp8BWjTZcAjQjchD/s2999/Ishan%20Patel%201%20(1).png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2990" data-original-width="2999" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixNIvN4lmgIqFAkAYsyFtOi2_uVsfb9P2sZlzTajJNa_5UKdyIyB8LojT90iVrneta5pD_zGDxuy0H9WR5vDWTw1cNkUcMyKu6gFC0CRF4TESmHmtZNaJsTNhr3RrHWNHtGtix41GuOdvAboEKHlHLcvRQfhqbX3srfvf4aPJcEMlbUp8BWjTZcAjQjchD/w132-h132/Ishan%20Patel%201%20(1).png" width="132" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Google Fiberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08137833201549488546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6747621709757476971.post-1456197523939639722023-11-21T11:34:00.000-08:002023-12-04T12:26:32.079-08:00Kramden Institute Interns- Bridging the digital divide.<i>Since 2016, Google Fiber has partnered with Kramden Institute in Durham, North Carolina to address digital equity needs in the state. Kramden is a digital inclusion nonprofit with a mission to provide technology tools and training to bridge the digital divide. The digital divide is the gap between those who have affordable access, skills and support to effectively engage online, and those who do not. For the past seven years, GFiber has supported Kramden’s work, funding computer distributions and digital skills training for economically disadvantaged individuals across the state.
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In 2022, GFiber’s donation was directed towards stipends for internship positions at Kramden. Nadel Comper was the first intern who received a stipend supported by GFiber’s donation, who joined the team in February 2022. She was ultimately hired as a permanent member of the Kramden team and is now the organization’s Lead Technician. Nadel shares her intern experience:
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As a part of my Applied Science degree work study requirement at Wake Tech Community College, I participated in the Kramden Institute internship program, funded by GFiber. The program director suggested Kramden Institute as a great opportunity to gain practical work experience. I researched Kramden and immediately knew it would be the perfect fit.
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I enjoyed my internship at Kramden Institute from day one. Since my focus was tech support, I wanted to learn how to troubleshoot and repair devices, the process involved in data transfer, and get experience doing support calls. I got all the above and more.
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<img alt="Thumbnail" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2EiEA4zrpMEL6fgOdhFI1LEuTuBV83Uy_ZhB18MfbnfaPNMojE-EKrBsoco94FwkAGFVYY-yxDTeGL_akgRXGB6qGEcYCGXP2v4ZcXKqWSeWU1QRO24xyps0yCjfPWDBDXyjPTY1mGxaiCYmGTVnrgS9QjIfyYlA6qOLAfeSG6U8uhd9zGa4ajIP_NbgY/s16000/Volunteers%20and%20Nadel%20(1).jpg" title="Nadel Comper, Lead Technician" />
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My favorite part was helping the education team with digital literacy classes and clubs. Meeting and helping some of the people who directly benefited from Kramden’s mission, really put into perspective how important it is for people to have access to a computer and computer training. I hear all the time from Kramden recipients how they have used the devices we provide to get new jobs, learn new skills, further their education, or help their children in school.
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Recently a woman who participated in our digital literacy class had transportation difficulties and needed assistance getting a computer and setting up her Wi-Fi connection. She had previously never owned a computer, and would have been at risk of losing her job. I was glad Kramden was able to provide her with a computer and I was able to assist her to work remotely. Parents have also shared with me how computers provided by Kramden have allowed their children to have access to digital resources, and participate in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) related activities at school- especially during the pandemic.
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Now that I work full-time at Kramden Institute as a lead technician, I still get opportunities to work closely with other Kramden interns. I often get feedback from new interns about their experience- each person stating having learned something unique from the internship. One intern who works with our technology manager (who was tasked recently with making changes to how we deploy new devices through our server management), had a great opportunity to learn a little more about server management and deployment, and even inventory management from him.
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With the continued growth of Kramden Institute and support from GFiber towards bridging the digital divide, we added two program interns in 2023 who assist our Education team with data entry and computer distribution.
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I am grateful to GFiber for assisting me with the opportunity to further my education and experience. I learned a lot during my time as an intern- this set the stage for a bright rewarding career.
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Posted by Nadel Comper, Lead Technician
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<img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2f-6pAKITZb9xx-Rhyo_V0-Olpw9ibsy8ZLOlInlarjjXZsRYGHM638hjL_svmb-L-4E1RQEv9-8HYYNPid7FTQeGk9kIkwbUeHrvNRBvLBP6kZuyU4C5OhBBd4tiuk9DZzWhqWSjjnv3EgaLHAT6_ZyxY9GDfobH8b5dWIMHT-oxmOSHc7elL5O0-MM0/s320/Nadel-1%20%281%29.jpg" />
Google Fiberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08137833201549488546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6747621709757476971.post-82172028032779635212023-11-16T10:16:00.000-08:002023-12-04T12:26:46.110-08:0020 Gig in the wild<noscript><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6oPG8oV1xs5lXu9CPY5kBrEsybt07IqZA-5BhMleXQJ7iKK1KW6fPDeq22jgRKCnGoPWm1Kc-yXc0veZANw4XLrcFZVbgJo3n5XMR105XTWrKwIZIdFO1Bg7653gky7VMlDl8jwBoNRZOZPURmbOdH2UsLFhhYYw-r6biYHsEpSD5TNn_ERFu_uh3GP4z/w640-h358/Screenshot%202023-11-16%20at%2012.39.11%E2%80%AFPM.png" /></noscript>
A couple of weeks ago, I was in Paris at Network X, sharing the news that <a href="https://fiber.google.com/blog/2023/10/gfiber-labs-announces-first-project-20.html">GFiber Labs plans to be among the first to roll out 20 Gig + Wi-Fi 7</a> before the end of the year. Today, we want to show exactly what the product can do so we took it out for a test spin in my house in Kansas City.
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RUythdfh5Vk" style="border: none; height: 400px; width: 90%;" width="320" youtube-src-id="RUythdfh5Vk">
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As we’ve previously discussed, we’ve made significant network investments to make 20 Gig speeds possible, but what’s really exciting is the wireless experience with a pre-certified Wi-Fi 7 router. As you can see, it’s fast across the board and enables multiple devices to take advantage of multi-gig speeds, even over Wi-Fi and across multiple floors — which is important because the vast majority of our in-home internet connections happen over Wi-Fi. GFiber collaborated with <a href="https://www.actiontec.com/">Actiontec</a> to design and produce a custom, pre-certified Wi-Fi 7 router, even before the Wi-Fi 7 standards are finalized, to ensure that our 20 Gig customers can take advantage of as much of the speed as possible.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjc5WhlUTGs-6D8CeeN7_TkudQiQMYpGTsp2lkJs2ixngl1axqJwqYMBOszLEJltY_mCBCLDfg_rkDo-p55_GozI8-xAuRwBRFPYsCgRz23EWg2iiu3-L0PySUKA_HWiahNhtrbA-8ropHAiAWTlaV1AZmiJyQWz7PITGt-LT3nw1oTXhchRI8ZXnOvgE/s1600/2570A-3.jpg" />
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The response has been a little overwhelming — we’ve already had thousands of people express interest in getting 20 Gig + Wi-Fi 7 in their homes (and if you’re interested in being part of the limited early access group you can <a href="https://fiber.google.com/gfiber-labs/">sign up here</a>). We’re glad you’re excited, we are too! You may be curious or have more questions, so we’re hosting an Ask Me Anything on <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/googlefiber/">Reddit.com</a> on Monday, Nov 20, at 10:00 AM PT/1:00 PM ET focused exclusively on 20 Gig + Wi-Fi 7. We hope you’ll join us!
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Oh, and just ICYMI:
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In a "lab-like" environment:
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<img src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/D6DG7PbDuY8JquDmZT9udPal40xm8HbrWO6_SMd8gNuhN9nr2QYW3QqnJGmvdEhpghjMZO4JBvW1ifksTnku4TRC8g1Hk0TwEVEFQdsrxcgV5OwYwsCCagxodPJw_n4k7myZkXQSjhRKdl4f2wCujdaiT7y24JP6_kUTuMOQ3BU3rP7ELaSOrkfgSh-s6yZYBwoZLfZUtn3fGrOSub5DiM5ELsmQYwEpXLe_Zg" />
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Total throughput of 15 Gbps across multiple devices achieving multi-gig speeds simultaneously (tablet speed test = 8.0, so 2.3+2.1+2.6+8.0=15!). </blockquote>
Across the whole house:
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<img alt="Thumbnail" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6oPG8oV1xs5lXu9CPY5kBrEsybt07IqZA-5BhMleXQJ7iKK1KW6fPDeq22jgRKCnGoPWm1Kc-yXc0veZANw4XLrcFZVbgJo3n5XMR105XTWrKwIZIdFO1Bg7653gky7VMlDl8jwBoNRZOZPURmbOdH2UsLFhhYYw-r6biYHsEpSD5TNn_ERFu_uh3GP4z/w640-h358/Screenshot%202023-11-16%20at%2012.39.11%E2%80%AFPM.png" title="Nick Saporito, Head of Product" />
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Multi-gig speeds across three floors using Wi-Fi 7 extender with MultiLink Operation (MLO) backhaul
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And for gaming devices:
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<img border="0" data-original-height="1122" data-original-width="2042" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_n2tgkZHCklk-lqh6Vq5HJkM5PeUSLS0H6Jbwj_g_NzNplscLc1yPqd3YrrEKb16eoaBbvmnXAMTkKy4SZfFHwNoP_Rel-z3CEuJ7a9Ko464eMT0lLhCMhE4M32q0B78mzointPUzstfweypAfHnCqniUC0tPzAL5JpST_akPl6YM78SyVVGRzSUJlD5/w640-h352/Screenshot%202023-11-16%20at%2012.43.59%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="640" />
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Low latency on multiplayer games using Wi-Fi 7 extender with MLO, eliminating the need to connect directly to router
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GFiber Labs is continuing to push on what’s possible for the internet. We’re excited to see what our customers can do with next generation internet, and we’re continuing to work, with great partners like Actiontec, to make sure we’re not just ready for the future, we’re helping define it.
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Posted by Nick Saporito, Head of Product
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<img height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioHjKQ2pjl_dv1LBs2bYnNZ8fGnO0gOFapYBi50raj1wUc6n4w_OdVhQq_Nzhlx6IuDBe89V93DEyMI3AA5xWta91Bo5KVbqW4FaeQ_jm0VS4H-bwZJsN3jN93CbBvLpgJ7kN4d2JiqnVG562xJjx4wPucv7izMGpBxSibXHNszpoFHUHUJJQ8-1n6VUIV/w158-h158/nick%20headshot.jpeg" />
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Google Fiberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08137833201549488546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6747621709757476971.post-3158238805016267192023-11-14T10:47:00.000-08:002023-11-16T06:57:09.863-08:00Melani Griffith appointed as Chief Growth Officer for Google FiberGoogle Fiber is proud to announce Melani Griffith as the company’s first-ever Chief Growth Officer (CGO). In this role, Melani will continue to set the course for GFiber’s continued customer growth, overseeing the entire customer lifespan from brand and marketing, sales, digital, customer service, and public relations.
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<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Thumbnail" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbrvpAaIAob9YdgXvcqF1R7JkHnLz0vZZOynNdVPai8iU6lS8e1wpUurM_tp5KIJ_XEabpj2CXI0povyd3Pq98xiMiv-u4MZ_t5zMgL5IylYWRfI7foXCWJbu5ICbqKqtw82Po3XsjwyB-r5J9XHVoP2GMpuIZsdmWsC2m-ktDVYvYtG1IQXxzMPHmYgoU/w400-h400/Melani-ASP_9982crop.jpg" title="The GFiber Team" /></div>
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Melani’s strategic leadership and customer advocacy set the stage for GFiber to be one of the most awarded internet companies ever — most recently from <a href="https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2023-us-residential-internet-service-provider-satisfaction-study">JD Power as the top internet service provider in the South Region</a>, with a score of 839, which significantly outperformed any other company in any region in the survey. As Vice President of Customer Engagement, her organization has more than doubled our customer base over the past five years, and established a standard for customer service that is unparalleled in our industry.
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As CGO, Melani will continue to lead this charge for GFiber, reshaping the customer experience to provide truly differentiated services that make it easier for them on every front. These efforts include innovative self-driven, real time options; AI integration for more personalized interactions; an upgraded, engaging app experience; and continued focus on the human side of the customer service experience as well. GFiber doesn’t want our customers to ever HAVE to call us, but when they do we want to make sure that it’s notably easy and seamless. This will continue to drive our approach to customer engagement under Melani’s ongoing leadership.
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvlnx3heVvIfbiwTjZ7BaffSW_fxfk_Fa9-8C8ivE31GcovrPIKu0OcuF7iuuqZhpd4NeEHWh2YSMrUU2f5BMnQ-LuXjdrkZe59yo858O5Tq6cB9W9khI7N_U8UFYAz0gBlVsdtc3OdldwB0vCW4RcF5d7vLA_yCuNEdo-DAiP27JzRRKU-S5jYVMgeSLz/s16000/IMG_0206.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><blockquote>Melani and her leadership team</blockquote>
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Melani has over three decades of experience in the telecommunications industry, serving in senior leadership positions at Rogers Communications, Time Warner, Insight Communications, and AMC Networks among others, in a number of different departments including sales, marketing, and content acquisition. She has served on the board for CTAM (Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing) and the national board of directors for Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT).
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“Our goal at GFiber is to redefine customer experience — providing customers with service that’s not just different but unparalleled,” said Dinni Jain, CEO. “Melani is exactly the right leader to bring that vision to life. Her pursuit of operational excellence is matched only by her dedication to our customers. It’s that tenacity that will lead to the type of operational excellence and continuous improvement that our customers should expect from us.”
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Posted by the GFiber Team
Google Fiberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08137833201549488546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6747621709757476971.post-67726729208554794042023-11-10T09:05:00.002-08:002023-11-10T09:05:17.850-08:00Getting to work in Bellevue, Nebraska<span id="docs-internal-guid-4a67aad0-7fff-0ce6-f93e-220f5122fc16"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In September, </span><a href="https://www.3newsnow.com/news/local-news/google-fiber-optics-come-to-bellevue-offering-fast-internet-speeds" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Google Fiber announced</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> that we are planning to bring fast, reliable internet to Bellevue, Nebraska. We’re currently in the planning process and intend to start construction this winter with the goal of starting to offer service to our first customers in the city by the middle of the year.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In Bellevue, we’re working with a new construction vendor for us — </span><a href="https://www.allocommunications.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">ALLO Fiber</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> — to build our network. A Nebraska-based company, ALLO Fiber has connected residents in the state for the past 20 years, and is ready to hit the ground running. In fact, that’s why we’re able to start building the network so quickly — matching our fastest time from announcement to construction ever in </span><a href="https://www.azfamily.com/2022/11/04/construction-underway-new-google-fiber-high-speed-internet-service-mesa/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Mesa, AZ</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">! We’re looking forward to working together to bring GFiber’s award-winning internet service into homes across the city.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The City of Bellevue is committed to bringing better internet to their residents, and GFiber is looking forward to being a part of that connected future. We’re excited to be working with an innovative, like-minded local company to make it happen. We’ll continue to look for new ways to deliver quality internet services to communities ever more rapidly. If you are interested in updates on our progress in Bellevue and availability in your area, sign up </span><a href="https://fiber.google.com/cities/bellevue/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Posted by Andy Simpson, General Manager - Central Region</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnybeTQ7cWz9mAh4MGdDtR-pAKPzL908HVad1a1L5vQkRTaFxnvZ3dkmg75bwjwjkopyZQJCUlK9K0YLQZ358oobgx3TleVQl3daP7vEOX23Y8hpA8ERxwqLyUwzTH8SXRGAaSJxIvro47XcPI0Qe0JbSO_aLPQ3mVn0Ate96PZHtMfUU-H2vqvSVxCtBV/s4116/Andy-IMG_0074.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4044" data-original-width="4116" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnybeTQ7cWz9mAh4MGdDtR-pAKPzL908HVad1a1L5vQkRTaFxnvZ3dkmg75bwjwjkopyZQJCUlK9K0YLQZ358oobgx3TleVQl3daP7vEOX23Y8hpA8ERxwqLyUwzTH8SXRGAaSJxIvro47XcPI0Qe0JbSO_aLPQ3mVn0Ate96PZHtMfUU-H2vqvSVxCtBV/w169-h166/Andy-IMG_0074.jpg" title="Andy Simpson, General Manager - Central Region" width="169" /></a></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p></span>Google Fiberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08137833201549488546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6747621709757476971.post-54920875636141036122023-11-09T11:17:00.000-08:002023-11-09T11:17:23.463-08:00San Antonio’s Young Women's Leadership Academy (YWLA) empowering young women with the support of Google Fiber<blockquote>
Google Fiber is committed to supporting women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). As part of that commitment, we have supported the <a href="https://schools.saisd.net/page/023.homepage">San Antonio</a> Young Women's Leadership Academy <a href="https://schools.saisd.net/page/023.homepage">Robotics program</a> for the past several years with a grant that enables more young women at the academy to participate in the program. With the success of the program and the team winning their first competition this year, Ignacia Negrete Kilgore, YWLA CTE Departmental Chair shares the impact the program is making and how grateful she is for the sponsorships and partnerships that resulted in the success of the program so far.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8lQR0jWJSIrcGXtvG_cSGjamXmkCSt8NkU1BpsDLU4mwIqGjjacbiAqqIr3M-wBU9vmPB8ZkhyWjsMl972Frp3DtQ0jh3YoSgYmlX6DG9_HZ7bBR08zVR-xu1cnd7BqJYa6d-UfTW2c0EH1mYBH4ddwk19YGEo5CUepVJfZ_ZoAcL0CHBFT8VIXdRPePs/w600/PXL_20230823_150705071.jpg" />
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Young Women’s Leadership Academy (YWLA) is a nonprofit STEM-focused organization in San Antonio, Texas. The entirety of what we do is dedicated to supporting young women by providing them with the necessary academic skills in STEM to achieve success in college — and it’s an organization I’m proud to be a part of. Right now, we serve over 500 female students, the majority of whom are Latina, live in low income households, and soon will become first generation college students.
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<img alt="Thumbnail" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-xoUqGMXXr0cdqMcBTtNSfbXrHDcHiqYmOl9VW1ovqKIwBVH9CLLuhd_BARS2S1BDbJVF0cRWL0joKEGtMhyvWu5QpbsngZfQri6tR5wx-uHA68SY0gc5R5dKlLkXViYwAkCpv4YiP2GJdE7W-FfObzTv_oTwrkMHBafSDhjELBHyn9y4aQuXoZmQ-1z/w640/IMG_3522.jpeg" title="Ignacia Kilgore, CTE Departmental Chair - San Antonio YWLA"/>
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But before we get into the heart of the work we do at YWLA, I want to tell you a bit about how I fit into all of this.
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I started my engineering journey at Texas Tech University. I didn't know much about engineering at all — but I knew I wanted to learn. At first, it was very challenging, especially being one of the few women in the mechanical engineering program, and a Latina who was still learning English. I knew during my time there that I wanted to help change this feeling of “outsiderness” for future female engineers.
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Soon after I graduated from Texas Tech, I was approached by a representative of YWLA with the opportunity to teach engineering to young women in their program. Just as I’d hoped, my doorway to make a difference in my field opened up. That was 8 years ago — and I’m still here, doing the work that I love by serving the future of women in STEM.
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Shortly after I started teaching, I began envisioning where I wanted my engineering program to go. That’s when the transformation of San Antonio’s only all-girl FRC Robotics program came into play.
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I got to work with my team and quickly added courses that would give our students certifications like AutoCAD, Inventor, and college credits for Computer Science, which led to the Robotics team qualifying for competitions. It was a big moment for our program and our students. But we had another massive hurdle to overcome -a stark lack of funding.
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Simply put, though we began to qualify for state competitions, we couldn’t afford to attend them. This felt incredibly unfair to our hardworking students, so once again… we got to work.
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I put together a sponsorship package and was grateful to connect with a local member of the GFiber team, who understood the importance of the program and knew it was the type of digital Inclusion and equity initiative that GFiber works to support.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYUuX8Hugq7EFQV1syhmjosaX2zZBvo1Ro6MHC9sH6A02wB7OwQwUPwMUvodZ08nWrOwNUioITvdp0Dn-vcKge3FK0YaHW8nfI5z2j0PF_5Gy98tBhtZ8sOqPDfwBzCQVXp9QAC17sXtdE3mmMeXfUdr8UDDSJ5fk2SBozKjSsznFblnopfi6_TQIAcqyk/w640-h482/PXL_20230823_150114990.jpg" />
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That connection changed everything for us. Thanks to GFiber, we've been able to grow the program, provide better equipment, and not only qualify for competitions, but attend them (with multiple students)!
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Last year, the program was able to pay for additional hotel rooms, food, and rent an additional vehicle to carry a total of 14 students (almost the entire team) to the competition. This was a game changer for our kids. Now, they could do the work and see their work in a competitive environment. This excitement from our students has radiated outwards. Our program is growing like never before and our graduates are ascending to new heights — attending prestigious engineering schools.
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We've had students go to MIT, Brown University, Rice University, Texas A&M and the University of Texas at Austin, among others. In addition to getting into these competitive programs, the girls who participate in the robotics program are persisting through their rigorous engineering and stem degree programs to earn their degrees. The demands of the competitive robotic environment helps them build foundational skills for navigating these male-dominated spaces at the college level and beyond. This is the kind of impact that the YWLA Robotics program is making with the support of GFiber.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJgT07WPlvV22psZSVExGI2BuqYEp6kiFjlChu3eTI9WAch0st4C0GvHW27FS-sSwp7v6hrRMNYbpKTtvaPlVtvvo7A7eh0PPcviFFrmzn86MXx2l5ufbzauwcH8ynRAWpF_fZUB8vUJ4OSRRs5Cz5joOkpP13fDHhu7J6bg69gwNpu8SxlPM0c9A2XFUO/w640-h480/IMG_9777%20(1).JPG" />
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The achievements of our Robotics program would not be possible without a supportive team of people contributing to our success. We are truly blessed to have mentors and volunteers with great skills and experience. I am also thankful for my Head of School, Delia Montelongo, and my mentor and friend, Ashley Cash; these two inspiring women have taught me the skills needed to advocate for female STEM education and have always trusted and given me the freedom to go out there and find sponsors and partners like GFiber. It is amazing to see the growth and success that has come about due to all the support. I look forward to the continuous success of the Robotics program to educate and impact many more young girls, making great strides towards digital equity and inclusion.
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Posted By Ignacia Kilgore, CTE Departmental Chair - San Antonio YWLA
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<img height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDl8pdKRXDduWl3C8STPL-6rxtSKMudB15WePPYYkdgoIBj1BLyVl8zk1eF6t_WrfBPDiXT2eFeIPCYX7QApcQcOtIK7uEDazQ4ATL76BRcZs7ieXnYWe9jjiCDve48CdQ8O1uB6Wv9CMpLC9rE3DYk3V9VO-0geF8E8bFRzXO13rQse9mQcS6mTNWLgbI/w180-h272/image2.jpeg" />
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Google Fiberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08137833201549488546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6747621709757476971.post-42271597723040631272023-11-08T11:11:00.000-08:002023-12-04T12:33:03.835-08:008 Gig taking off now in Huntsville!<span id="docs-internal-guid-9b661e66-7fff-4907-712b-62efe52e38ba"><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Less than a month ago </span><a href="https://fiber.googleblog.com/2023/10/speeding-up-in-huntsville-5-gig-now.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">we rolled out 5 Gig service in Huntsville</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, and Google Fiber is ready to turn the speed up once again for our customers in Alabama! As of today, you can sign up for our symmetrical </span><a href="https://fiber.google.com/cities/huntsville/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">8 Gig service</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> in the Rocket City for just $150 a month. </span></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The 8 Gig plan includes symmetrical upload and download speeds up to 8,000 Mbps, a Wi-Fi 6 router (or you can use your own), up to 2 mesh extenders for strong WI-Fi coverage, and professional installation with GFiber’s dedicated customer service.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgESc8vXnFaAyp0R-y5jOCMP2ECn83NFWGP8tflueYFBNRtfWzH5Lfozvucb51P9Jor0nlXaqMrE0OFl6AJ_1NxT2X7n5jH3qTJDl0NOKe1bh_bsnziFs6k8VPzvPkn94UHM-vKlqbWshjdJy1n0_W63kmP0gT_1XOgm2eZoww0l9eaaERckqoL_olGT1ne/s499/unnamed.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Thumbnail" border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="449" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgESc8vXnFaAyp0R-y5jOCMP2ECn83NFWGP8tflueYFBNRtfWzH5Lfozvucb51P9Jor0nlXaqMrE0OFl6AJ_1NxT2X7n5jH3qTJDl0NOKe1bh_bsnziFs6k8VPzvPkn94UHM-vKlqbWshjdJy1n0_W63kmP0gT_1XOgm2eZoww0l9eaaERckqoL_olGT1ne/w288-h320/unnamed.png" title="Nick Saporito, Head of Product" width="288" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Huntsville is a city that’s always been on the cutting edge of technology, and GFiber has loved being a part of the story of innovation that drives the city. We can’t wait to see what happens when our customers put all that speed to use, whether it’s multi-stream streaming, speed-of-thought gaming, big data uploads and downloads, or something we can’t even imagine. We know big things are happening in Huntsville — and they can happen even faster with GFiber 8 Gig.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Posted by Nick Saporito, Head of Product</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqGnbbSWuHog0CDg7qvN4R-nXyAacRuvMFxlPjZ0fRv_ZVMn81RRupH0TqZHi4p5pNynDCirx7g8tHAH80Z0pOD25uLSBfOPVt1BxCJa-dSiuKxfcUCIJZy7-421BMn7RS_-YigxF6saONXiBntR9T6DGqwFuh8Z_xYJbBmreol0WFdRGm063af3gRFZ0V/s600/nick%20headshot.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqGnbbSWuHog0CDg7qvN4R-nXyAacRuvMFxlPjZ0fRv_ZVMn81RRupH0TqZHi4p5pNynDCirx7g8tHAH80Z0pOD25uLSBfOPVt1BxCJa-dSiuKxfcUCIJZy7-421BMn7RS_-YigxF6saONXiBntR9T6DGqwFuh8Z_xYJbBmreol0WFdRGm063af3gRFZ0V/w158-h158/nick%20headshot.jpeg" width="158" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Google Fiberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08137833201549488546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6747621709757476971.post-30204162625036097662023-11-06T10:55:00.003-08:002023-11-06T11:44:09.695-08:00 Wi-Fi Focus: How Does Wi-Fi Work? Have you ever wondered how Wi-Fi makes it possible to connect to the internet without any wires at all? Wi-Fi is often an abstract concept, but we think it’s important that you understand what it is and exactly how it works — so you can make the most of your wireless connection.
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<img alt="Thumbnail" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht_ZsKhhaPycresQDQoq912GwmhPUqWm22wLC8KseQxWp05PBZUkTNDRIHiTNcWT4sJmd9Icl5NNiY4ya2CaoC5h6lMocjdN-auirZjdhKtSzB2T7EpnB_ABMZhyCwh6vN7FBXopTPkIUZ6AYy16SUHift1i39vmoezxAvVUcyCm_DOZ1O91CZyt63XCCo/s1600/GFiber_Web_BlogHeader_WifiIntro_1920px-05.png" title="Ishan Patel, Product Manager" />
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<b>Let’s start with the basics: What is Wi-Fi?</b>
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Wi-Fi is a wireless networking technology that uses radio waves to give you internet access. Through Wi-Fi, you can connect devices within a limited range like in your home, office or a coffee shop — all without a wired ethernet cord.
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You can think of your Wi-Fi like a highway. Similar to a highway, Wi-Fi is made up of a network of roads that allow data to travel from one place to another. The wider and more lanes there are on a highway, the more traffic it can handle. Likewise, the more bandwidth your Wi-Fi has, the more traffic (or data packets) it can support. The amount of bandwidth your Wi-Fi can support will largely depend on which Wi-Fi technology your device is equipped with — like Wi-Fi 5, 6 or 6E.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEd7ZeA2e1nRlIOhWhvPJ3UsOfm8vglz4T_4MGZ-20lgOG5EdpBgT_7DzUfm85lKyJDmO8AmpKJSv7bP_z5NoqdXQHOWVfQAkxqXqZR7pAgxIFXwgmrb3fQ2hcQNHStaDsjDqL7mvw2gfQ-0uHezoeonWVxknX_ULdSFr5YRxyV-2dYrTnm_rJKnh5gWhD/w1200/GFiber_Web_BlogHeader_WifiIntro_1920px-02%20(1).png" />
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<b>What are data packets?</b>
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When you’re playing an online game or downloading files to your laptop, you are doing that through data packets. Data packets are small units of data transmitted over a network. You can think of them like vehicles on the internet highway.
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These packets contain information such as text, images, videos and more. They move along the internet highway guided by specific addresses and routes (like your gaming console) to reach their destinations. In the same way larger trucks might travel more slowly on a highway, the bigger the data packet, the slower it might travel.
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<b>How does the Wi-Fi router come into play?</b>
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Your Wi-Fi router allows your devices to access the internet, and to send and receive data. It acts like an exit ramp on the internet highway, connecting your devices to the broader internet by using wireless signals. Your router makes sure the data packets from your devices know how to enter and exit the local network and connect to the right lanes on the highway.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfOIeqcDusnBGuKnG3EiU8e7Y8AZeRwGuOn6UD3PvBcsOKrG-FCknZ5RdfXnwlUVHYWxQ-cpBdcNxmvhoLWBoh2oXxNa_Vnnb0XkTmM-j1E0XBgaRd5M8SUgdIam89klF4iJi3eW0HZCVjp-WGn3HrjVy2OP9DU35mXYVrXbvaG61fz_XsQGyyF3f9wM4W/w1200/GFiber_Web_BlogHeader_WifiIntro_1920px-03%20(1).png" />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-Rs9A6Tn3AUvzEEBaow6Wm62Ypo1viUwvJRRKyTX91kKCsbjjLkHXEIvgDi1gEJYWApCiue3kV1VCQoR0Fg9VxPmsWjWUcr__Rp2kwcKMP7uNQR29NQ1oj92wL24CZGGfoqx8fQUBUVB9bQOzMnBPhvHkzBBnpigMZmbMj5ujcHL6chOv-WV5_OMdB5_/w1200/GFiber_Web_BlogHeader_WifiIntro_1920px-06.png" />
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<b>Configuring your Wi-Fi router’s settings</b>
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Your router's settings allow you to control various aspects of your network. You can specify which devices have priority (like HOV lanes), set up firewalls (like roadblocks) and manage the overall flow of data (like controlling the speed limit).
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You should keep in mind that Wi-Fi routers have a limited range — like how an onramp can only serve a certain area. The strength of the wireless signals gets weaker as you move farther away from the router.
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<b>Understanding slowdowns over Wi-Fi</b>
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Lastly, we’ll go over why you might sometimes experience slower speeds than usual. In the same way a highway can experience traffic congestion, your Wi-Fi network may slow down when too many devices are using it at once. This is because the data packets (vehicles) have to share the available bandwidth (lanes), leading to slower speeds. To learn how you can maximize your Wi-Fi speeds, check out our other <a href="https://fiber.google.com/blog/2023/10/wi-fi-focus-maximizing-your-wi-fi-for.html" style="text-decoration: none;">blog post</a>.
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Now that you’ve learned the ins and outs of Wi-Fi and how it gets your devices online, we hope you’re able to use this knowledge to drive safely and have a smooth commute on the internet superhighway.
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Posted By Ishan Patel, Product Manager<br />
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